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Prius HV battery DIED at 101,000 miles! Will toyota warranty?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by captmarshall22, Feb 5, 2011.

  1. captmarshall22

    captmarshall22 New Member

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    What luck! My toyota prius started acting funny around 99,000 miles....I brought it into a dealership and was told that the subtle "shaking and noise" was normal, and to be expected from a prius....Additionally, they told me that to test my car would cost me nearly $100...just to test it for something that they said if the main computer on the dash isn't showing anything wrong, then there can't be anything wrong! Well, sure enough...one month later, and now with 104,000 miles the TRIANGLE OF DEATH came on, stating "check engine"...so i went back to the dealership. The sales associate ran a diagnostic test this time and sure enough, my HV battery is DEAD! I was told that this is VERY rare in a 2007 prius; however, it happens.....The dealership quoted me $4,660 for a new battery and ecu installed. I was so disappointed that they wouldn't stand behind their product...especially given the fact that i have owned 3 previous toyotas, and one other prius! I called the 1 800 toyota line and was told that I am out of warranty; however, they would see what they can do.....I am now carless and waiting for a response....Has anyone ever had this happen? What did toyota do for a car that was just out of warranty and had a catastrophic failure like this? I think toyota should stand behind their product, after all, i am only 4,000 miles over the warranty......and have been a VERY loyal Toyota customer up to this point.:(
     
  2. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    A "sales associate" told you that your HV battery was dead? Did they provide you with the diagnostic trouble codes (DTC)? Did a technician actually look at it? And your 12V is good? You could possibly get some relief from Toyota if you can prove that you brought the car in at 99,000 miles to have a driveability complaint diagnosed.

    If Toyota won't help, and it truly is the HV battery, you don't need to spend $4600. More like $1000, but it will take some legwork on your part. Most folks in this situation hunt around for a salvage traction (HV) battery. The going rate varies widely between $300 to $750. It is possible that the dealer will install it for you since your car is out of warranty, or else an independent shop will do it. And an ECU as well? That sounds like BS.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    was there any paperwork on the first trip? can you prove you went there at the 99,000 mark? keep working them, sometimes toyota will pay at least part of it. all the best!
     
  4. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    You bought it from a Toyota dealer at 99k miles and it failed 2k miles later? I recon this should be a warranty claim despite being ever so slightly over the mileage limit and here in the UK I am 99% sure Toyota would pay out.

    Also, the price you quote for a new HV battery seems a wee bit on the high side.

    As other posters have said, work with the dealer and Toyota and hopefully some good will come of this.
     
  5. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    funny
    is this the first gen 2prius to fail so soon?
     
  6. ceric

    ceric New Member

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    If you have a record (or they have in their computer) that you reported the problem at 99K, then, you should be covered by warranty 100%. It was dealer's mistake to dismiss it as "normal".
    You need to argue your case to Toyota... again, if you have the record on paper or in their computer.
     
  7. jk450

    jk450 New Member

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    I seriously doubt that both components need to be replaced. What codes do you have?

    If your battery pack has indeed failed, then I can understand your disappointment. But if the vehicle is out of warranty, then it's out of warranty. That doesn't qualify as "wouldn't stand behind their product".
     
  8. jk450

    jk450 New Member

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    Not by a long shot.
     
  9. roverguy78

    roverguy78 Elite Lurking Member

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    Have you owned the car since new? Anytime I hear something like this, I can't help but wonder if a previous owner may have let the car run out of gas multiple times and damaged the battery by draining it beyond its limits. The failure rate is extremely low.
     
  10. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Scan and post your invoice. I think youre a troll.
     
  11. captmarshall22

    captmarshall22 New Member

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    Hello all, thank you for the responses...I purchased the vehicle used from a small dealership in town with 76,000 miles on it.

    Additionally, the invoice from Ed Morse Delray Toyota is for $4,546.00 for full replacement of battery and ecu. It may be a bit high, but from reading online, it seems that most replacements for new batteries are btwn $3000-4000...not too far off.

    As for toyota standing behind their product, i have heard different stories from other people having failed batteries....Some of which sound similar to my situation. Most of them said that toyota covered most if not all of the repair cost, even if they were out of warranty by a few miles, as i am in my situation.

    I have 2 priuses, one is mine, one my fiance....we have always owned toyotas; however, this situation could be a game changer...hopefully someone at toyota will be sensible with us and in good faith take care of the battery...

    FYI, i meant to say a "TECHNICIAN" not a sales rep. was the one that diagnosed the dead battery.

    The code I am getting is code P3000 on the toyota scanner.
    my code showing on an independent scanner that i borrowed is p3015 and p0a80
     
  12. That_Prius_Car

    That_Prius_Car Austin Kinser

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    Hm, that doesn't sound good.
    One thing I would definitely look into is looking at your battery cooling fan.
    The HV battery fan isn't even on Toyota's service menu, but what can happen is, you know in rear seat on the passenger side right beside the door is a vent. That vent as you probably already know, draws in air to cool the battery when it gets hot. Well, the fan that spins is a duct fan which can clog over time with hair, dust, dirt, and debris causing the battery to overheat and age more quickly and eventually go bad. I'd deffinetly have it checked out, or you can even do it yourself! It's very simple, I've used these instructions and looked at my fan too.

    --> Here's a link for you if you want to try and see if the battery overheating due to a clogged fan is the case. There is a PDF file that you will see, click it and check it out. It gives very specific directions on how to do this procedure.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...oubleshooting/82092-battery-fan-cleaning.html
     
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  13. captmarshall22

    captmarshall22 New Member

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    not sure what a troll is, lol...sounds interesting....I am not sure how to scan and upload the invoice, but i can emial it if needed.....
     
  14. captmarshall22

    captmarshall22 New Member

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    if the battery overheated due to this; would clearing out the fan/blower fix it? or is it still shot
     
  15. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    i have only seen gen 1's and that was because of a battery failure do to something corrected in the gen 2 models battery pack
     
  16. That_Prius_Car

    That_Prius_Car Austin Kinser

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    Sadly, it wouldn't fix your battery problem. :(
    When your Prius was acting funny, did it feel as if it had less power? That's one symptom of an over heating battery.

    If you find out that it's clogged, you might be able to contact Toyota and report that your HV battery fan was clogged, thus over heating your battery. Then mention that the fan isn't even on the service list for the Prius. Then they *may* cover your battery and possibly issue a safety campaign or recall to have Prius drivers drive in to have their battery fans cleaned, and possibly reemburse those who have spent money out of their own pocket to replace the battery due to over heating. I wish you luck! Don't give up. :)
     
  17. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    i google those codes

    P3000 - HV Battery Malfunction
    Input of abnormal signal from battery ECU (HV Battery System Malfunction)

    p3015 - Battery Block #5 Malfunction

    DTC P0A80 means that the traction battery has failed
    P0A80 REPLACE HYBRID BATTERY PACK


    for "cheap" you can get a used pack from ebay or other places
    fro lower then the price you are going to pay
    and ask your dealer if it is willing to install it for you

    i would say nothing is wrong with your pack
    a battery pack failing and a battery ECU would tell me maybe a failty ECU and or wire trouble what woudl report the faiing battery whats not the case
    i see no reason wy a battery ecu would fail on the same moment a battery pack would fail
    then i would first diagnose to see if its really the battery pack or a defective ECU or wiring?
     
  18. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It certainly doesn't hurt to contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center to request assistance as the worst that will happen is that you get a "no" answer. The DTC that you listed are consistent with needing a new traction battery. Depending on the root cause of P3000 the traction battery ECU may or may not need to be replaced.
     
  19. captmarshall22

    captmarshall22 New Member

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    Thank you for all of the quick responses...I am trying my best to have Toyota cover the replacement...It seems that there are VERY VERY FEW gen IIs with HV battery failure so early in their life. Perhaps i just got a bad one ??

    Currently the triangle of death is on, so is the check engine light. The car will ride fine when i start it one time,and then will go real slow (even with my foot all the way down on teh gas), and accelerate when i take my foot off...strange.

    As for solutions.....Toyota told me they need 2 business days to review my case. So I am car-less for 2 days, hopefully they will work things out by tuesday.

    As for alternatives, has anyone ever replaced an HV battery out there? any advice? anyone in South FL?
     
  20. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Troll (Internet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. We get plenty of them here. They usually have only a minimal # of posts or their first post stirs up a bunch of responses, w/the poster never returning. It's as if they've thrown a grenade and just run off.

    If in fact you aren't a troll, hopefully Toyota is willing to cover it. The price you mention is way high. See Prius Battery Change is No Big Deal - Newsroom : Our Point of View Post / Toyota.