1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Hybrid battery low in the mornings; 2 bars usually. Sign of impending failure?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by SRQ, Sep 7, 2022.

  1. SRQ

    SRQ Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2013
    149
    53
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I've noticed that in the mornings the Prius will struggle to find the power to climb up the hill, and then see that the battery is low, around two bars.

    Then once I drive it a little, it goes back to normal. Is it time to start looking for a new one/doing a DIY repair on a bad cell or two? 12v was replaced a little more than a year ago.
     
  2. nancytheprius

    nancytheprius Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2020
    348
    151
    0
    Location:
    iowa
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    it’s time to not worry abt it and wait til codes pop up. there is no predicting when your battery will fail. if you’ve got the time and money to replace the battery prematurely, then you could go that route too
     
    douglasjre likes this.
  3. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,286
    4,225
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    If you're not already doing so, it would be best to let the vehicle warm up before climbing.

    Have you had a chance to balance or recondition the HV battery?
     
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    8,053
    1,395
    0
    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Batteries need to discharge and recharge it's like a life cycle thing it's how batteries live so if you spend a lot of time looking at your display in worrystion. Then that may be how you live. I don't know personally some people are just like that they spend a lot of time studying and then they study long and they may study wrong and it may cost them I would say enjoy and drive the pee pee out of your car and when you have some codes and things start happening then we start to address them worrying about your battery gauge going up and down is kind of a sort of senseless worry if you had other things that were less important that you monitored the battery on you would see similar things but those things aren't as important like headphones and you know whatever just other battery things. Good luck man
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    2 bars in the morning are normal if you park the previous night with 3-4 bars
     
  6. SRQ

    SRQ Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2013
    149
    53
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    All points noted. I have a second vehicle so when it eventually happens I won't have much of a life interruption.
     
  7. netsplit

    netsplit Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2022
    42
    15
    0
    Location:
    Earth
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Mine followed that pattern and I'm currently servicing the battery because it failed. If you'd like a data point. I got about a year and a few months then it failed after it started that pattern. My mileage also dropped 4-8 mpg in the last 6 months.