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

Help! 2007 Prius Hybrid Battery Failure?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Pwhinson, Jun 10, 2016.

  1. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    These lights came on mid-day today on my Prius. On the way home the engine kept running, driving the electric motor to charge the battery and when I got within 2 blocks of home something happenned and I lost all real acceleration. The hybrid battery is not charging at all. I can still get the car going but it accelerates at a very slow pace. What's the likelihood that I need a new hybrid battery? ALSO re warranty - I was under the impression that the warranty was 10 years or 100,000 miles but my dealer tells me its 8 years or 100,000 miles. My car has only 78,000 miles on it and is in warranty if the warranty is 10 years but isn't if its 8 years.

    The dealer mentioned $3000 "and change" for a new hybrid battery. If I do that, what's the warranty on a new hybrid battery purchased from and installed by an authorized Toyota dealer?

    Any and all help would be appreciated!
     

    Attached Files:

  2. S Keith

    S Keith Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2015
    799
    327
    0
    Location:
    AZ
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Pursue goodwill warranty. Search this site.

    If replaced under goodwill, cost is typically half, but you get 1 yr warranty. Pay full price for new and get 3 yr warranty.

    Either way, a new replacement should last comparable to the original.
     
  3. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2006
    11,311
    3,588
    1
    Location:
    Northern VA (NoVA)
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,464
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Did you notice that the fuel gauge shows zero bars, which implies an out-of-fuel situation?
     
  5. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    No, there is one bar and the engine is running. The Add fuel alert did come on, on the way home however.
     
  6. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Took my 2007 Prius with 78,000 miles into World Toyota today here in Atlanta. Codes are p0a80,p3019,p3020. Recommend replacing the hybrid battery at a cost of $3,664.04. OUCH! I REALLY expected the hybrid battery to get to at least 100,000 miles and am EXTREMELY disappointed. Not covered under warranty because the car is over 8 years old. That pretty much wipes out cost savings accrued over 78K in gasoline costs. For the past month I've been averaging 38-40MPG while running AC; 44 without AC. So I need convincing. What do I do? This is my second Prius - I had a 2004 prior to this. The car is in immaculate condition with a beautiful bisque leather interior (the only seat showing any wear is the driver's seat) and is one-owner, maintained by World Toyota all along according to everything they said it needed. OBVIOUSLY the first thing I'm going to do is call Toyota Customer Care on MONDAY MORNING to see if they can help. If they don't provide any assistance I think my now 15 year love affair with the Prius is over. I did test drive the new one this morning and its is FABULOUS but I just don't put that many miles on a car and if the battery is going to fail over AGE (i.e. at 8 years) maybe I'm better off with a Corolla getting 30MPG city and not having to worry about the battery failing due to age. All my driving is city driving. I guess I will HAVE to get the repair done because the car is obviously worth more than the cost of the repair but I'm thinking a new car is in order. I'd like to stay with Toyota, but if they don't provide any help with this situation I will be tempted to look elsewhere. Any suggestions, thoughts, advice would be appreciated. The general manager of the service department at World Toyota told me I have to initiate the request with corporate, not them.
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You already know what you need to do, I'm confident Toyota will give assistance
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    you're in the drivers seat. try negotiating a trade on a new one. after they give you a trade in value, ask how much more if you put in a new battery.
    keep in mind, 2016's are selling like crap, and dealers are making some serious deals.
     
  9. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Although they quoted me almost $3700, aren't I supposed to get some kind of credit for the trade-in of the old battery????
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    yes, $500. core charge iinm. shop around though, dealers are competitive on battery installs. i've seen as low as $2500. posted here.
     
  11. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    only $500 on the core trade-in? I had read somewhere $1250?
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i guess instead of guessing, you should call and ask.
     
  13. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Obviously will do that - but thought people here would know. Thank you to all who contributed to the information in this thread. I am definitely considering all possibilities. I think the most likely possibility is that I'll drive this car for another 6 months to 2 years. I'm not ruling out the possibility of buying the new Prius because its all about the cost of the vehicle over time for me - the Prius Eco Two may be the way to go if I can get 53-55mpg in the city over the life of the vehicle. That still represents a huge savings in gas over the course of a year. When multiplied by each year of ownership that fact still seems to make the Prius competitive even when calculating in the cost of a hybrid battery replacement before the vehicle is truly "worn out" or ready to sell at 150,000 miles. That's even at today's relatively low price of gas. You can do you own experimentation with the costs of ownership here:

    Hybrid Car Calculator
     
    bisco and JC91006 like this.
  14. wowhybrid

    wowhybrid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2016
    10
    1
    0
    Location:
    Hamilton Ontario Canada
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Probity only one cell bad open up the trunk get help I don't care but one cell is $40... do not replace entire battery... I had to do this... I also have extra cells.....

    SM-G903W ?
     
  15. Pwhinson

    Pwhinson Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    17
    4
    0
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    The dealer said only two cells were bad. Options? The only option the dealer is giving me is to install a new battery.
     
  16. wowhybrid

    wowhybrid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2016
    10
    1
    0
    Location:
    Hamilton Ontario Canada
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Screw the dealer go to amazon... you can find single prius cells online or local scrap yards could have a extra prius or two... I own the cells your looking for but I'm up in Canada. .. where do you live?

    SM-G903W ?
     
  17. wowhybrid

    wowhybrid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2016
    10
    1
    0
    Location:
    Hamilton Ontario Canada
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Screw the dealer go to amazon they have cells or local junk yard might have one or two... replace just the two cells ( which I own) NOTHING wrong with rest of battery your looking at a $100 fix.... not $3000


    SM-G903W ?
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,945
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    atlanta, georgia.
     
  19. wowhybrid

    wowhybrid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2016
    10
    1
    0
    Location:
    Hamilton Ontario Canada
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    1-905-246-4247 my name is Isaac

    SM-G903W ?
     
  20. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Dealer is saying you have two cells bad today.
    But what about 2months from now?
    Or 6 months from now?
    Or a year from now?
    You gave confirmation that your pack is failing.
    Which means your car is no longer reliable.
    If you choose to only do a small section of the failing battery now, you may end up doing the same repair over and over. (just on different sections of the failing battery.)
    You may want to see if there is an independent hybrid mechanic in your area. That may slightly decrease the cost of a replacement pack.

    And if you truly do not drive your hybrid much, you may want to think about investing in a hybrid battery maintenance charging system from Hybrid Automotive.
     
    jeff652 likes this.