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05 died on the interstate suddenly

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by kvb, Sep 26, 2016.

  1. kvb

    kvb New Member

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    Hey all,
    Thanks in advance. Long time lurker, I've learned a ton about my car from these forums. Looking for some guidance on my situation.

    05 prius, 150k miles. Had a remanufactured hybrid battery put in a few months ago. Cleaned the battery fan at that time as it may have lead to previous battery dying quickly. Car has been a dream since, until yesterday. Going down the interstate for about an hour when all of the sudden the dash lights up with everything, and the car stops accelerating. The hybrid battery drops from 6 bars to 1. Pull it over, turn it off, turn back on. Turns on fine, but battery is just sitting at 1 and the green arrow indicating charging of the battery only lasts about 5 seconds before stopping. So hybrid battery won't charge above 1 bar and car won't even go in drive at 1 bar. at a complete loss. I've dealt with hybrid battery problems but it's always drawn out as the battery slowly gets worse. This went from perfectly fine cruising down 26 to done, instantly. Kind of at a loss. Based on what I've mentioned, what is you guys best guess?
     
    #1 kvb, Sep 26, 2016
  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    My guess is you had a total failure of one or more battery modules. This is different from a gradual loss and the car goes instantly into turtle mode where only the ICE propels (barely) the car. You should also be hearing the battery fan running full tilt. Time to see how good your rebuilt battery warranty is.
     
    #2 fotomoto, Sep 26, 2016
  3. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    Yeah, without DTCs we're just guessing. But given the recent history, a failed rebuild sure is a good one.
     
    #3 andrewclaus, Sep 26, 2016
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The best practice on HV batt replacement is the new Toyota batt if you can swing it. The problem with the rebuilts is what you just experienced. There is an outside chance it could be the brake actuator issue, which would still be under warranty. But sounds like the bad HV Batt...although first rule is always consider bad 12v smal batt.

    Oft times we recommend asking Toyota USA for assist$$ on batt replacement...but the better time for that would have been when you were under 150k miles on their OEM battery. But you could possible try.
     
    #4 wjtracy, Sep 26, 2016
  5. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    It sounds more like a loss of engine power than a hybrid battery problem to me. The codes should tell the story when you get them read. (BTW. Specifically, what warning lights came on).

    Though if the refurbed pack is a bit weak then the loss of engine power (and subsequent over reliance on electric power) sometimes is enough to damage the battery as well.
     
    #5 uart, Sep 26, 2016
  6. kvb

    kvb New Member

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    The vsc, red triangle,check engine and line through the car on the screen above radio. These are the lights I've seen in the past with hybrid battery issues so with that and the fact that it isn't charging and lost its bars so suddenly I assumed a battery issue. Thanks for all of your replies.
     
    #6 kvb, Sep 26, 2016
  7. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Yep it could be the battery. But at interstate speeds the battery will also discharge very quickly if the engine loses power for any reason. Anyway the codes will tell you if engine power is the problem.

    Make sure you check your oil and coolant levels.
     
    #7 uart, Sep 26, 2016
  8. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    #8 wjtracy, Sep 26, 2016
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! where did you get the battery?
     
    #9 bisco, Sep 26, 2016
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