Dreaded P0A80 Code - Car Running / Charging Good.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by PriuSocal, Jan 25, 2026.

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  1. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    It's obvious you have an issue, or the code would go away or would be able to be cleared.
    How far are you from the hybrid pit? Perhaps they could help you with the issue.

    Perhaps I miss read, but if during the inspection you get that permanent code, the care forever fails?
    You're not able to repair the issue and get it inspected again? Even for california that seems extreme.
     
    #81 ASRDogman, Mar 4, 2026 at 7:33 AM
  2. PriuSocal

    PriuSocal Member

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    Totally agree with you at this point. I’ll be trying the universal trip procedure next. Not sure about taking it to the dealer. Here in SoCal, they are pricey even for diag or standard procedures.
     
    #82 PriuSocal, Mar 4, 2026 at 12:55 PM
  3. PriuSocal

    PriuSocal Member

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    Hybrid pit is about 20 min from me But they don't do universal trips, they didnt even know what that was when I asked lol. Great team though.

    No, it doesn't fail “forever”, it fails for that particular smog requirement. So, say I have my smog due this month either due to new purchase or biannual certification, I take the car and fails for whatever reason, it flags the car as having “failed” a smog for the specific reason and you have 1 free retest and opportunity to get the issue fixed, if it fails the second time i believe it is then labeled a “gross polluter”. Then you qualify for certain programs that can supposedly assist in repairs of up to $1200 (but heard it takes a while for reimbursement and very strict on whats covered), or last option if its not fixed, the state will buu it from you for like $1k or $2k depending on car and then gets junked. The latter is extreme of course.
     
    #83 PriuSocal, Mar 4, 2026 at 1:03 PM
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2026 at 1:33 PM
  4. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    "gross polluter"?? ha ha ha ha. Who wrote that stuff? A 10 year old?
    How nice of them to "buy" your car for a tenth of what it's worth, and leave you without a vehicle.

    Just my "guess", but kinda sounds like the voltages are off just enough to set the code, but not
    effect how it drives, charges/discharges. Or a lot of resistance in the wiring somewhere.

    I hope you find some place that knows the Prius and how to fix it.
     
    #84 ASRDogman, Mar 4, 2026 at 5:24 PM
  5. PriuSocal

    PriuSocal Member

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    Yes, I agree the bureaucracy here in CA is extreme and totally one sided (towards the gov).

    As mentioned in a prev post, the voltages were off initially when the code came on and i posted the readings from freeze frame and showed 2 blocks about 1v lower than the rest but now when checking it while I drive using live data, they all show very similar readings unlike the prev mentioned instance. I feel it has to be one of those things that sticks and all of a sudden goes away when you least expect it. My old Gen 2 had this happen and I never bothered to recheck it and one day before selling it I ran a IM readiness check for smog and all was clear and I fell that specific car did have a much weaker battery.
     
    #85 PriuSocal, Mar 5, 2026 at 12:16 AM
  6. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    That's a used pack, correct? So many have issues with used pack.
    It would seem like you could just replace the back blocks. But it's likely all the modules were
    produced side by side, so when one is going bad, the other are right behind it.

    Just like light bulbs, bearings, shocks...etc...

     
    #86 ASRDogman, Mar 5, 2026 at 7:54 AM
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Well, to be clear, every trouble code that can be stored as 'permanent' has a specific Confirmation Driving Pattern all its own. The Confirmation Driving Pattern is shown in the pages for that trouble code.

    Most confirmation driving patterns have a Universal Trip as one part of the whole pattern. Because that shows up as part of the confirmation driving patterns for many different codes, it's described just once toward the front of the section, instead of repeated for every trouble code.

    But it's usually just one part of the whole confirmation driving pattern. To make a permanent code go away, you have to complete the whole confirmation pattern that's laid out for that specific code. (And the problem that the code indicated has to not be a problem anymore.)
     
    #87 ChapmanF, Mar 5, 2026 at 8:20 AM
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2026 at 8:37 AM
    PriuSocal and Brian1954 like this.
  8. PriuSocal

    PriuSocal Member

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    I am not sure as I have not checked to see if oem or aftermarket. Also, if packs were removed that I wouldnt know until I opened the battery,
     
    #88 PriuSocal, Mar 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    You're not getting the pump from Toyota? They only sell oem. They would know...


     
    #89 ASRDogman, Mar 5, 2026 at 1:19 PM
  10. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Back a month ago in this thread the entire confirmation pattern was discussed including the fact this particular one effectively stress tests the battery to pass.

    Dreaded P0A80 Code - Car Running / Charging Good. | Page 3 | PriusChat

    Then the issue became following the steps accurately followed by how to do one of those steps, eg the Universal Trip.

    After a few failed attempts he elected to try multiple drives.
     
    #90 rjparker, Mar 5, 2026 at 1:53 PM
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