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Battery Questions (Warranty & Life)

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by turtlebud, Jan 9, 2020.

  1. turtlebud

    turtlebud Junior Member

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    I have a 2013 PiP base model with about 110k miles that my sister wants to buy, but she had questions about the hybrid battery, specifically about the battery warranty and what would happen if the hybrid battery dies after the warranty (assuming the cost to replace the battery is significant).

    I bought this car and it is registered in CA so I believe the hybrid battery has a 10year/150k warranty. Is that correct?

    In the event that the hybrid battery dies after it is out of warranty, what is the impact on the vehicle?
    • can it still be driven, just as a regular non-hybrid car?
    • what will the impact on the mileage be? (we don't charge every day and we average maybe 60-70mpg right now)
    Thanks!
     
  2. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    The cost to replace the engine following a head gasket is MORE significant.
    Have her read up on some threads about that....

    Correct. (for now, AFAIK)
    If it's like the wireless Priuses, a lot of pretty lights will illuminate and it becomes a 3300-pound stationary object until the battery is replaced.

    Nope. I do not think so.
    That depends on what you use to tow it with....but the impact will be quite significant.

    You charge your battery every time you use the car.
    That's the "hybrid" part of PHEV, or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
    Your car merely has the ability to use an external source to charge it with.
    As is true with cordless Priuses, your car's engine, regenerative braking and coasting will put some amps in the can for you, and your power splitter (CVT) will yank them back out as necessary and/or available.

    My advice??
    Sell the car privately if you think that there is any chance at all that your relationship with her will be strained if the car starts shedding parts and smoke on the road the day she buys it from you.

    Failing this, I would give her the "family rate" - and tell her in no uncertain words that it is AS IS, WHERE IS - presuming of course that you will not feel put out by doing so - it works the other way too!

    Cars come and go.
    Siblings are more of a lifetime commitment.....BUT....I've seen siblings' relationships go pear shaped over more trivial things than a car.


    Good Luck!
     
    #2 ETC(SS), Jan 9, 2020
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2020
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  3. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I believe that is correct. The warranty & service manual that came with your car will tell you for sure.

    The impact of a dead traction battery is that the car won't go -- warranty or not. So far, I've only heard of two PiP batteries failing. At least one was under warranty, iirc. Most likely, the battery would gradually lose capacity till no longer useful for EV driving although a cell could leak or corrosion set in on the wiring.

    There are other options besides a brand new battery from Toyota if it dies after the warranty. The main one would be a used battery from a totaled car. But my guess would be that if the car is still in great shape otherwise, a new battery is very likely worth the expense. Perhaps double the cost of a new NiMH battery in a regular Prius by the time you'd need to think about it? So far, Toyota's lithium batteries seem to be doing extremely well.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if she plans to keep it well beyond warranty, i would start contacting dealers now about battery replacement costs.
    we haven't seen enough failures to give good advice, but they will surely be coming in the next 5-10 years.

    agree with both etc and jerry above. any idea how many miles in hv mode? these engines are blown head gaskets waiting to happen aroun 100-150,000 miles.
     
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  5. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    Yes, subject to the other terms of the California Emission Control Warranty. As @jerrymildred kindly mentioned, see the Warranty & Maintenance Guide (PDF), page 25, footnote 2. The warranty transfers automatically to a new owner, by the way.
    It’s difficult to find a current price for the complete HV battery assembly (Toyota part number G9510-47091), but the stack sub-assemblies, despite what’s shown in catalog Figure 82-01, Battery & Battery Cable, are supposedly available. The list price is $2,460 each, and you’d need all four (part numbers G9508-49015, G9508-49055, G9508-49095, and G9508-49135) to replace the Li-ion cells in the HV battery and restore its service life.
     
  6. QuantumFireball

    QuantumFireball Active Member

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    Are the battery cells the same in the current generation Plug-in (Prime)? My concern is that Li-ion cells have a shelf life - they degrade even if not used - so if the battery does need replacing and we end up using cells that have been sitting on a shelf since 2015 or whenever, then you're still not going to get the same capacity as it was when the car was new.

    I'm hoping there will be more third party alternatives by the time the warranties do expire, as the cost of replacing the traction battery (going through Toyota) seems prohibitive. In Europe Toyota/Lexus have extended the hybrid system warranties to 15 years (if you get them checked annually), so they seem quite confident they'll last.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe not enough pips produced for aftermarket, idk.

    another hurdle is the size and weight of the battery. diy will be a lot more difficult than the lift back
     
  8. turtlebud

    turtlebud Junior Member

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    Thank you everyone for you input - very helpful. I'm going to pass along this information to my sister and then she can decide what she wants to do. It's likely they will be able to get at least 50-100K more miles (and probably more) out of this car before any major issues, but I feel better that she knows what potentially can happen and then make her choice.

    @bisco I only have the last 50k or so stats for EV/HV - I guess it is based on the trip? But it was at about 8000 EV/48000 HV for the past 56k miles. It said 14% EV and 86% HV. So based on the mileage, I'd estimate it has around 90K HV miles. What happens if there is a blown head gasket? Is that repair costly?
     
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  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's usually a couple thousand to five thousand, depending on where you guy. some just replace the gasket, but that can be iffy if not done correctly. most put in a low mile engine.

    first thing to do is check the egr circuit and clean it.
     
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  10. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    Replacing the Traction Packs in either the PiP or the Prime as one unit, probably near impossible without a lot of forethought.
    @QuantumFireball guessing that the cell configuration is different in PiP and Prime
    Pip traction pack has 4 banks of cells at 4.4 kWh
    Prime traction pack has 5 banks of cells. 96 cells total at 8.79 kWh and I believe the case is higher/thicker than the PIP's case.
    Prime 5 stack sub-assebly Part #'s are
    No 5 G950C-47030
    No 4 G950B-47030
    No 3 G950A-47030
    No 2 G9509-47030
    No 1 G9508-47230
    retail price is $3336.51 each.

    Since there is a question regarding the Traction Pack of the 14 PiP from daughter, and there is such little real world data to share presently, another option perhaps could be looking at trade in or sale value before there is any mention of traction pack issues.

    None of us really knows much about what will be available in a few years from now.

    2014 Grade A (not sure how that is determined) PIP battery assembly $750 San Jose
    14pip-A-4.4kw.jpg 14pip-A-4.4kWh-tag.jpg

    and there are 6 in Stockton 2012 - 2014 grades A and B prices ranging from $575 - $410
     
    #10 vvillovv, Feb 22, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2021