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2008 Prius with new 12 V battery won't shift; lots of warning lights

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by SuzyGS, Aug 20, 2017.

  1. Max Finch

    Max Finch Active Member

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    Haha does it say my location?? I'm using the mobile app and it doesn't show locations. A great device to get your daughter would be an Automatic. They track mileage, score your driving by efficiency, call emergency if you're in an accident (should could set it to call you too) and can also read engine codes. I drive 4,000ish miles a month in mine and it's a cool tool to have. Especially for taxes (I use my car for work).

    A thought I had was that your ABS light is on because not only are your two electric motors integrated in the transmission but our generation of Priuses cuts a lot of power when it detects wheel spin. A faulty transmission can hinder the ABS causing that light to trip.




    iPhone ?
     
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  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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  3. Boogie

    Boogie Junior Member

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    Not sure havmt read what everyo ne said but unplug ur small battery ti reset ur codes even if ur big battery is dead ur car will now start

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  4. D_n_D

    D_n_D Junior Member

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    That doesn't sound bad. 130 I think it was for 5 years. Now will it work with other apps. Especially to shut off or change features.

    Google hear I come.


    Susy definitely get a 2nd opinion sometimes multiple. The dealership dropped my tire pressure down to 30 and either over filled my oil or didn't use my oil and I lost over 8mpg I believe it was. Not even sure if they changed my transaxle fluid like I paid.

    Plus now my drivers side front bumper keeps unsnapping. So constantly pushing it back in.

    I'm done with dealers except maybe to buy. Not all are that bad.

    If I recall at 100k all fluid should be changed. Which my 2013 prius v will hit in a week. Had the car almost a year and over 25k put on it. I Plan on changing all fluids.

    Love the $22 a week vs $45 every 3 days. Car pays for itself including gas.
     
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  5. bluhawk

    bluhawk Junior Member

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    I'm guessing the individual who sold this car knew the issue. It will only last 2 months and the issue will occur again. My question is how did the dealer fix it initially without detecting the said cause.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  6. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Yep. I had a Camry HV in the shop a couple of months ago that Downtown LA Toyota diagnosed with a bad Transaxle. They only wanted $7K for a new one. When the owner showed up to pick it up to bring to me for a second opinion, they only charged them $700 of the $1400 they agreed to for the diagnosis. It turns out the Trans was fine. The problem was coolant in the A/C compressor connector. Probably got in there when Toyota of Hollywood worked on the engine the week before.

    When the owner and I went back to Downtown LA Toyota and asked if the (shitty) mechanic could show us how he got the (fake) readings that were on the invoice their answer was "he's on vacation. Mam, do you have your card with you?"

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  7. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    That code is usually either the Transmission or the battery. If someone who didn't know what they were doing already changed the battery, I would say the chances it's the transmission are pretty good. The transmission could be tested but good luck finding a mechanic that understands how to use a Megaohm meter, especially at a Toyota dealership. Max Finch has some good advice. A second hand transaxle installed by a qualified independent repair shop is probably the best way to go.

    I'd go back to the dealership, unplug the 12V battery while I demand my money back for the pre-purchase inspection and unneeded battery. Once I got my money back, I'd plug the battery back in and drive the car home. You will normally be able to drive it one time each time you disconnect the battery.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  8. Bob Dupre

    Bob Dupre Junior Member

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    ----USA----
    Suzy, It appears you are in the CA area, so my comments are not self-serving as we are in the Chicago area. We are an independent shop and we specialize in Electric Vehicles.

    75% of the Hybrids that we see that the owner was "told" needs battery pack, either doesn't need one, or the pack was discharged or damaged by another issue in the vehicle. An '08 with 100K on it is barely out of warranty. I doubt the pack is "bad". That pack probably can and should be conditioned, not replaced. If it is severely depleted it is extremely difficult to recharge in place, we normally remove them for charging and testing ( we recommend pm conditioning every 5 yrs/ 60K to prevent pack failure. Toyota knows that, but can't say it because they are conflicted by the overlap of warranty vs the preventive maintenance issue), but the symptoms don't match a pack failure. As someone said, the 12v Glass Mat Battery is used to run all the controllers that engage the High voltage components.

    Your Prius hybrid battery is only 75AH+/- and is not designed to provide propulsion for more than about 1.5 miles. It depends on the gas engine and the regen braking to keep the hybrid battery charged. So the bottom line is any engine performance issue or ABS brake issue, will cause the Hybrid battery to deplete and appear to be the problem.

    We frequently have issues diagnosing won't start problems on the gas engine, due to the limited time we can run the the vehicle off the discharging battery pack. Most recently was a Prius that was mistakenly filled with diesel fuel and diagnosed by another shop as a bad pack. In reality it was a completely discharged pack caused by a gas engine that would not run on diesel; therefore no way to recharge the pack by either the gas engine or regen.

    Your Prius auto-starts the "gas" engine using the high voltage battery and one of the electric motors in the hybrid transmission after it has "launched" (gets rolling) using the High Voltage Battery and an electric motor. As a professional, I know better than to try to diagnose a hybrid problem using codes via email or phone, however, IMHO, I would suspect the AGM battery is discharged, not defective, for some reason. DO NOT toss the vehicle or replace the pack because someone has been unable to correctly diagnose the problem.

    After 50+ years in this line of work, I will say that most dealers do not do a good job of diagnosing their own vehicles after warranty, not because they don't have good techs, because they do, but mostly as a result of no experience with and no "high mileage issue" training. Electric Vehicles are making that problem worse. Because the technology is fairly new and changing quickly, most aftermarket shops are not as up to speed as they may think they are. I'd stay with a certified independent Hybrid specialist. If you need a referral, I'll be be happy to help as all the good ones flock together, throughout the US.
     
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  9. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Who would you recommend in southern CA?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i know it's along thread, but if you look at o/p's avatar, you will see that she is in hampton cove, ALabama.

    if you can locate a certified reputable hybrid specialist nearby, it might be the best post in almost 100.
     
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  11. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Possible they are using a mobile device and it might not be showing, the same as Max experienced above.
     
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    ah, thanks!
     
  13. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    @bwilson4web
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    bwilson4web, but i don't like referring people without asking first, privately.
     
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  15. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    A good recommendation would be a godsend! Right now we are waiting to hear back from Toyota to see if they want to help. They already suggested a second opinion so if we knew of a good hybrid specialist we'd take the car there next. Whatever it needs, we need a specialist to handle it. Do you know of any specialists near Huntsville, Alabama? Thanks for your detailed post!
     
  16. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    Toyota.com called me back today. They were supposed to be checking with Bill Penney Toyota to make sure the dealer had exhausted every other avenue before recommending the $5K transmission repair. She said Bill Penney Toyota reported they thought it was the trans axle because of the record of 12 V battery failures; I think she said "they saw the battery had been replaced a few times." We replaced it in June, and it had been replaced 13 months earlier. Other than that, I see no 12 V battery replacement in the Toyota records. She did confirm that the 13-month-old battery we replaced had been under warranty only for one year (so it was a month out of warranty). I wonder now if that 12 V battery should have been charged up instead of being replaced for $300+ in June, and perhaps they should have diagnosed it themselves instead of letting us diagnose and then telling us they saw no other problems with the car? The records show CUSTOMER THINKS THAT AUX BATTEYR ISBAD CHECK AND ADVISE... ~|~ ~|~101987 100 REPLACED AUX. BA TTERY. CLEAREDCODES. Toyota.com has asked the service mgr or customer relations manager to call me. Should I ask what codes were cleared at that time? I am going to ask him what they did to rule out the other possible problems that also would have shown that code.
     
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  17. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    I thought I posted an update today but apparently an error kept it from posting. Toyota.com called me and let me know the dealer thinks the transmission is the problem because of the car's history of 12V battery failure. I believe her words were because "the battery had gone out a few times." It was replaced in June and it was only 13 months old (one month out of warranty). I double checked the records on toyota.com and those are the only two battery replacements I've seen for the 12-volt, so we're really talking about only one unusual replacement in the life of the car. The June 2017 Toyota records now show that "the customer thinks the battery is bad." They replaced battery and cleared codes. And, that's when they told us that the car seemed to be in good mechanical condition with no other problems. I hate to say it, but I almost think that because we told them we thought the battery was bad, they just changed it without even checking if something else was wrong. Maybe they could have just charged it back up since it was so new.
    Anyway, the Toyota lady told me that she had arranged for the customer relations manager or the customer service manager to give me a call so that I could talk to them directly to find out if they have explored every avenue to determine what the problem is before we determine that it's the transmission. She did say that sometimes after toyota.com calls the dealer, the problem gets resolved in a different way. He was supposed to call me either today or tomorrow. And he did not call today.
     
  18. gamma742

    gamma742 Member

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    I still say spend $15.00 and buy the Mini VCI.. I have the latest software.. I'll send you a PM
     
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  19. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Suzy, Although I don't have all the answers for you on your symptoms, I can tell you that your HV battery has a manufacture date of January 14, 2016, as shown by the sticker in your photo with the H141T as the first 5 digits. There's no guessing, or opinion, it is fact.
     
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  20. SuzyGS

    SuzyGS Member

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    That is fantastic news! I'm so glad you posted this!