HV Battery.... salesman says:

Of course not.

 

And you never need to fill your gas tank up either ......

 

It is not true. You can tell when your salesman (of whatever product) is lying, his lips move.

If your HV battery fails in under 100,000 miles, it is a warranty item in the US.

If your battery fails after 100,000, I would buy a used one on ebay (roughly $500) and install it.

You could buy a rebuilt one from ReInvolt for under $1500 (under $300 more for them to install it)

You can buy a new one for $2000 online.

You can pay full price plus installation at any Toyota dealer.

I feel that I am unlikely to wear out two new HV Batteries, so used is closer to how long my car lasts, you may feel like the first 200,000 miles were just the warm up lap.

 

the prius runs on air.
there are crashed priusses and just a few % warranty or just out of warranty replacements world wide.

 

You need a new salesman, yours can't even tell believable lies.

 

We're finding the 2001-03 Prius traction batteries are a weaker design yet they are lasting closer to 200,000+ miles. Mostly it is a question of how they are driven:

• 2001-03 Prius - heat is the enemy
• 2001-03 Prius - hills and high speeds 'heat pump' increase the rate of electrolyte loss
• 2004-09 Prius - not enough failures to draw any conclusions. About 3% of any vehicle fleet is lost per year from accidents and other causes. So far, it looks like the crashed 2004-09 Prius are providing a source for improved, replacement 2001-03 Prius batteries
• Prices vary - salvage ~$500-1,000, rebuilt $1,700, Toyota replacement $2,300-$3,000 depending upon source and labor

The traction battery is part of the transmission and they have been pretty robust too. Traction battery replacement is pretty much like replacing a transmission but easier:

250,000 miles on this 2001 Prius.

In terms of relative risk, the traffic is the primary Prius hazard.

Bob Wilson

 

If he changed the statement to "Toyota hasn't sold many replacement batteries" it would be okay.

Tom

 

Whenever it starts, "my salesman says," I always have to read the thread. I like humor.

 

Where the salesmans lips moving?

 

You guys are pretty hard on salesmen ... probably justified.

What is more important to me is the belief ...supported with testimonials, that the HV battery should be trouble free for many thousands of miles. My HV battery has a 100,000 mile warranty, but isn't it true that the battery is the same as the California battery that has a 150,000 warranty? If the batteries are the same, I certainly expect my battery to last 150,000 miles ... or more (even though it will no longer be under warranty).

I have never physically seen either the 12v or the HV battery. Are they under the rear seat? How do you access the area, from the rear beneath the cargo cover? While I have your attention .... does the 12v battery have wet cells that need distilled water from time to time?

 

Both batteries are under the rear hatch cargo area. Pull out the floor and tool holder and you can see the HV battery forward by the back seat. The 12V battery is on the passenger side at the rear, all the way in the corner.

The 12V battery is supposed to be maintenance free, but on some you can pull off the labels and open the caps to add water if needed.

Tom

 

The California HV battery warranty is 10 yrs/ 150k miles to comply with the CARB requirement to qualify as a PZEV. AFAIK, there is no physical difference between the CARB state batteries and the other North America HV batteries.

For the Gen2 cars, the 12v battery is in the cargo compartment in the right (pass side) rear corner, it is below the cargo floor. The HV battery is behind and partially under the rear seat, it is also below the cargo floor. You can see both by removing the plastic tool tray under the cargo floor.

 

No. The 12V battery is absorbed glass mat which means that there should be little or no free liquid within the battery case. This is a safety measure; in the event your right rear fender is hit and the battery is crushed, there won't be acid splashing around the hatch area.

 

Well - it is either ignorance or a deliberate lie ... neither of which is an endearing trait in someone who is asking you to make a major financial investment.

One nice thing about this site is that there is lots of great information to help people get themselves educated about these cars and hopefully be able to walk into a dealership and not have the saleperson mislead them.

I know I read hundreds of posts here prior to my purchasing my car, just becuase the dealer (used car) knew nothing.

I am still learning too :dance:

 

Well....FWIW, my brother has a friend who works at the Toyota R&D complex in Ann Arbor, Mich. ....This gentlemen tells my brother that Toyota has never replaced a HV batt. under warranty....Again FWIW

 

Patrick, can you respond to this?

 

If that were limited to just the ZVW30 model, plausible.

If that included the NHW20, I've seen at least one NHW20 traction battery replacement post:

• http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...place-their-hybrid-battery-2.html#post1092958

If that included the NHW11, no:

• http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...place-their-hybrid-battery-2.html#post1092975

Bob Wilson

 

look at thread http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...91-hybrid-battery-replacement-2002-prius.html

"...A couple of weeks later, the same warning light came on, so we took it to the dealer again. This time the service code (as printed on my receipt) was:

P3009 leak detect from hi voltage sys
P3000 HV battery malf
C1259 malf in HV ECU
Found signs of HV battery leaking on 5 or 6 cell blocks

The dealer replaced the hybrid battery pack under warranty.
..."

I am not worried about my battery failing, in or out of warranty. There are enough cars out there with no failures to see it is a pretty reliable item. But Toyota does lose credibility when things that are obviously untrue are presented as true. (even though it is hearsay, I don't think the posters are lying about what they were told).