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have the majority of 2005 Prius Hv batteries already died?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by coyote2, Feb 25, 2020.

  1. coyote2

    coyote2 Member

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    Art's Automotive mentioned to me that the bell curve of 2005 Prius high voltage battery deaths has already peaked. Have the majority of them already died too?

    I'm under 100K miles, but they said it's more about years than miles.

    In any case, I love the car so much that I'm reluctant to let it go.

    I drive very little now so I'd be cool with a similar non-hybrid Toyota hatchback from that era (because that's how much I have to spend and I love Toyotas), but is there another Toyota hatchback from that era that's as well-made?

    Is it a bad idea to be considering Hv battery replacement a 15-year old car?
     
  2. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    Temperature is one of the most important factors in battery life. Art's Automotive is in California so in anywhere with colder climate batteries last longer. If you life in the hot climate then what matters is how has the Prius been kept? Outside in the sun? In shade? Air conditioned garage?

    Condition and reliability of 15 year old vehicle has more to do with the previous owners than the build quality from factory.

    If the car after fixing is worth more than what it's worth without the fix plus the cost of the fix then the repair is clearly worth it. If that's not the case then you'll have to think about the options. If you know the car you have and like it I'd say the repair is worth it even if the calculation comes out a bit negative.
     
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  3. coyote2

    coyote2 Member

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    Thank you very much for the reply, valde3!

    It rarely gets hot here in Berkeley, but it is parked outside in the sun.

    I'm inclined to keep it because I could never know whether another owner maintained a different used car as well as I've maintained this one.
     
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  4. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    With less than 100k miles, your car has a lot of life left in it. If the HV battery gives out, I would absolutely replace it with a brand new one from Toyota or one from newpriusbatteries.com, unless you have gotten tired of your ride by then and want to get something newer with the latest safety technologies.
     
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  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I would "cross bridges as you come to them" with the hybrid battery. If it's not acting up, just carry on until it does. If it does. For sure research the options, but don't jump the gun.

    Does Dr Prius work on second gen? It's a smart phone app, only about $10, and you need a bluetooth adapter in the obd port. It'll give some info as to voltage/resistance of the battery blocks. There's also dynamic tests you can run.

    I've only done the first so far, with our 3rd gen. Also low usage btw, under 60K miles on our 2010.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Feb 25, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2020
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Of course, we’re not privy to that information, but I’m inclined to say no
     
  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    The Matrix. Those things are legendary.
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Here's a pic of the cargo bay:
    upload_2020-2-25_12-5-48.png

    Kidding..., but here's the real thing, an older Toyota Matrix:

    upload_2020-2-25_12-4-31.png

    Newer ones were "improved", with drop-down-from-the-threshold and switch to carpeting.
     
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  9. coyote2

    coyote2 Member

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    Thank you very much for the help, everyone!!

    @davecook89t
    How well does a battery from newpriusbatteries.com compare with the ones from Toyota?
    (I guess I'm only curious because I've got a disability so I'd need to pay somebody to install.)

    @Leadfoot
    Mmmm yes, a Matrix would work for me!

    I wonder if anyone else other than me has been fool enough (the Dawson Highway is too rough for such low ground clearance) to drive a Prius to the Arctic Ocean (at Deadhorse, Alaska June 2005). I took this picture early the next morning, at the edge of Alaska's North Slope heading back south into the Brooks Range:
    brooks2.jpg
    Just a few months after I got it, in just a 3 months I drove it 32K miles all over the US and Canada; Big Bend, Key West, Northern Maine, and everything in between.
     
  10. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    perhaps you mean the Dalton?

    Good times on the beaver slide.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    nice! i drove mine to the the atlantic :cool:
     
  12. coyote2

    coyote2 Member

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    @Leadfoot
    Oops, yes, the glorious Dalton Highway! (I drove the start of the Dempster, through the Tombstone Mountains, too.) Since it was summer, the beaver slide wasn't daunting (while I've seen Ice Road Truckers, I didn't even know where the beaver slide was).
     
  13. BurkPhoto@aol.com

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    With low mileage, ask yourself, "Is the rest of the car in reasonably good condition? Has it been maintained by the book? Has it been garaged or used mostly in mild climates?"

    Personally, if it's in good shape, and still getting mileage close to what it did originally, *and you can save up for the battery replacement expense*, I'd keep it.

    I had two 2009s at one point. One of them was totaled by a drunk driver in a pickup at 4:30 AM, while parked off the road in a suburban neighborhood. It had 186,500 miles on it. It got the same mileage as when I drove it off the lot new, in 2008, and it felt and drove like new before the wreck.

    The other one, we still have. It has about 180,000 on it. It gets lousy mileage when driven short trips, but on the highway, it gets the same 46MPG we always got when we bought it used in 2012 with 49,000 on it. It, too, is in great shape.

    Both those Gen II cars have been very reliable. The wrecked one had HID headlamps, which sucked out loud, and their entire assemblies leaked, shorted, and had to be replaced at a cost of $1650 for the pair. Otherwise, the two of them have cost maybe $2500 in actual other repairs, plus normal maintenance items like tires, 12V batteries, oil, filters, plugs... That's peanuts when spread over the time we have owned them.

    We also have a 2010 and a 2015 Prius V, each with around 75,000 miles. We bought them when our twins went to college, so they could take the 2009s. The inverter failed in the 2010, but was fixed free of charge, the next day, under a special warranty bulletin for 2010s. The 2015 Entune radio/nav system electronics reboot randomly, every now and then, but that's mostly an annoyance... and a known issue,

    We are looking at used Priuses now, to replace the 2009 lost in the collision. We'll get something close to $5300, the insurance settlement, I'm sure. If we have to put a battery in one of them, so be it. They're such reliable cars, I'm not too paranoid.

    I know a reputable used car dealer who specializes in import vehicles. The owner runs a custom repair and restoration business. They love Priuses, and sell quite a few of them. They also love Corollas and Matrixes, Highlanders, Siennas, and Avalons. The Matrix hatchback is one of Toyota's sleeper vehicles. It is basically a hatchback version of the Corolla, so it's really solid. I'd consider it a decent alternative.
     
  14. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Unfort we have no data of Prius model year vs. batt fails since about 2012 or so when Consumer Reports did a survey. My perception is maybe 2008/2009's have better batt life, but just a hunch.
     
  15. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    @2k1Toaster can answer all your questions about newpriusbatteries.com. I have no experience with them, but there have been good reports on them in this forum. If our Gen 2 had a 100k less miles than the 284k it has, and was in need of a new battery, that's probably the route I would take.
     
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  16. Priusyipee

    Priusyipee Active Member

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    I have a 2005 with now over 370,000 miles and a 2008 with 223,000 miles. Neither battery has been tampered with since production. All original and going strong!
     
  17. archae86

    archae86 Member

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    Today our 2006 Prius with about 80,000 miles turned on a row of four complaint lights (master red triangle alarm+brakes (yellow)+VSC+check engine). while operating normally. The dealer advised that the code was P0A80 and that the prescribed correction was to replace the traction battery. We opted for the dealer installed new build Toyota battery, for $3,000 + sales tax as installed.

    While the car is garaged and weather when it is out and about is mild, about four times a week it makes a 4.1 mile round trip which traverses a 1,000 foot elevation change--so the battery cycles through a fair fraction of state of charge much more frequently than ideal. My wife is the primary driver and does not normally monitor the state of charge display. But when I got new tires for it some months ago I thought I saw faster state of charge reported change than when it was new on the same piece of road, so perhaps we got an early warning.
     
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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    biggest issue is the low mileage and heat