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2006 Prius, dead hybrid battery, can I disconnect and keep driving?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sharpdad, Jul 27, 2015.

  1. sharpdad

    sharpdad Junior Member

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    Occasional lurker/reader, first time poster.

    Our 2006 Prius with 111k miles had its hybrid battery fail over the weekend. I've read though a lot of posts, done a lot of research, talked to multiple dealers about costs and had one dealer confirm the battery is dead and needs replacement. The three I talked to are in the $3300 range including taxes for the replacement. $2600-2700 for the part plus labor and tax. I am undecided what to do at the moment.

    The car first failed and lit up the red triangle, regenerative braking light, VSC light and check engine light. Since them, only the red triangle and check engine light has been on. The battery indicators go between purple to green to blue somewhat randomly. Can I keep driving the car for a few days? Can I disconnect the hybrid battery completely and just use the gas engine? When it originally failed the battery fan kicked on full blast so I'm a bit worried about overheating. Should I drive it 60-90 miles to an independent shop that specializes in hybrids?

    I'm leaning towards getting a Toyota battery since I believe they are new cells and should last longer than a remanufactured/reconditioned one with a combination of older cells and replaced cells. I may end up buying one from a Toyota dealer for around $2100 and trying to find an independent garage to install it for me.

    Thanks for any info.
     
    #1 sharpdad, Jul 27, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    nope. the hybrid battery starts the engine. you have to do some research, and determine how long you want to keep the car. that's not that much mileage for a prius, so if i were inclined to keep it, i'd probably go for a new battery. if your just looking for a few more years, maybe a dorman would fill the bill, but they can be some trouble. welcome to priuschat!
     
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    ask for a goodwill warranty through Toyota HQ
     
  4. sharpdad

    sharpdad Junior Member

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    Thanks. I asked for a goodwill warranty through Toyota HQ and was denied. I wonder what he looked up while I was on hold for 5 minutes. Credit report? Maybe just that I only buy one car every ten years or at least until it dies.

    My usual dealer who I have had the car serviced always for 9 years didn't have an appointment to check the battery for 2 weeks so I ended up at a 2nd dealer. They confirmed the battery is dying and I put a call into their service manager to ask for a bit of negotiation but don't think they will do anything. I will call my usual dealer tomorrow to ask their service manager. I can get a Toyota battery an hour away for $2100 from a dealer (thanks to Priuschat's forums) but my local dealer won't offer any warranty if I bring my own parts. The hour away dealer charges $2600 for the battery if they install it.

    There is a recondition-your-battery place down in Philadelphia...Savage Hybrid Shop...which sounds like they will replace individual cells and rebalance/recondition it but wonder if then Toyota wouldn't give me core credit if my battery has been tampered with and the fix starts acting up.
     
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You will need more than 5 minutes to get an answer. Did you call Toyota hq or asked the dealership
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    is pa a carb state?
     
  7. sharpdad

    sharpdad Junior Member

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    I called Toyota customer care at a 1-800 number provided by the dealer. Did a voicemail tree and picked the 'i have an issue with my car or dealer' option. They took all my information, VIN number, etc. Put me on hold for 5 minutes and said there we no recalls, etc. associated with the battery that there would be no extension provided. Gave me a case number and suggested I ask the local service manager if they would give me a discount.

    PA is a carb state from what I've read but still has the 8/100 warranty.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    huh, that's weird. no wonder they won't help. maybe they went carb after '06.
     
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    go to your usual dealer and have them call toyota hq for you. you might have better luck with the dealership calling in
     
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    You can't push a failing battery too far. There is no way I'd attempt a 60 mile trip in that car. Another alternative is to find a newer battery with less mileage in a salvage yard.
     
  11. posey1981

    posey1981 New Member

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    I got 07 Toyota prius hybrid. .when I let my idle for 5 to 10 mints I try too take off and my car wont accelerate..I wud have too turn my car on and off abut 5 times thin it will be just find..this is happens sometimes.maybe 4 times awake
     
  12. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Hi and welcome to PriusChat.

    You really need to start your own thread, rather than hijacking other people's threads by posting the same thing on multiple threads.

    You will find you will get more responses by providing a bit more detail about the car - miles, what the symptoms are that you are experiencing, etc. You will also need to get the diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's) read and post here to get a firm direction for the guys here to be able to help you. You should also let us know if you're at all knowledgeable about cars in general, whether you are handy with tools and whether you feel capable doing any work yourself.

    Hope that helps.
     
    bisco likes this.
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    perhaps your parking brake is dragging?