Battery Questions

A 2015 is very young to need a traction battery. Is the 12 volt battery good? That can cause strange errors.
@Raytheeagle @2k1Toaster @ericbecky @TMR-JWAP are some of our knowledgeable battery people here.
Toyota batteries are usually only available from a dealer. Some dealers will not sell one for you to install yourself. @ericbecky sells some he gets from a dealer.
If I needed a battery and was DIY I would likely try the kit of new cells from @2k1Toaster for $1600 shipped.

 

First, check basic things like the small 12v battery health.

It would be best to get the actual diagnostic error codes read. This can be done at a mechanic shop or dealer. Or some auto parts stores may do it for free.

I had a Camry come in with a check Hybrid error message. But when I read the code it turned out to be a sensor issue. The hybrid battery was fine.

If this is a car you plan on keeping a long time, you may want to invest $60 to get a good Bluetooth OBDII reader that can work with your Android phone and the Torque Pro app. Using these diagnostic tools you can read and clear error codes as well as watch data live to determine your Hybrid Battery health and more.

 

Welcome to Prius Chat .

162 k miles on a 2015 is a lot in a short period of time !

Some questions:

• What caused the hybrid water pump to be replaced?
• Does your Prius have an accident in its past? Sounds like the radiator was also replaced?
• Do you have a multimeter to measure the 12v health? If so, what were the readings and did you measure this after the car has sat for a bit?
• Do you have Techstream or know someone who does?
• Have you cleaned the Hybrid battery fan or checked it?
• When did the Hybrid warning message display? While driving? If so, during an uphill climb? How fast were you going?
• Does your Prius consume any oil?

Answers to these will help us answer your original question.

 

Thanks, Eric.

I missed answering part of the original post. Non-dealer batteries are not generally recommended although some people are able to get a battery from a wrecked vehicle. Non-dealers usually sell what the call "remanufactured" batteries. They just replace the bad modules in a battery with other used battery modules a,d, hopefully, rebalance the pack. The warranty is no real indicator of how long a pack may last. Warranty usually only covers the battery pack and not installation.

The only good non-dealer option I have seen is that offered by @2k1Toaster In fact, @ericbecky has already put several thousand miles on a battery kit. Eric is a Hybrid professional by trade.

 

Also, if it does turn out to be the traction battery, you may get help from Toyota since it's barely out of the miles part of the warranty. Especially if you had it serviced by Toyota.

But I agree that you need to check the 12V health first.

 

I was mainly focusing in getting a correct diagnosis first.

We may be jumping the gun in assuming that the hybrid battery is bad.

A battery failure seems a bit premature for age, though possible based on odometer.
We cant know for sure without a bit more data.

 

Agreed.

There might also be a back story.

So I’ll be waiting with my popcorn ready for those details to surface.

 

No, it's well out, at 162,000 miles:



Yeah, get the codes first. Simplest way is a trip to the dealership, shouldn't be over $100 for them to hook it up and check. "Check Hybrid System" is a catch-all warning, I've had it, and it was totally unrelated to hybrid battery.

That's a lot of miles for a 2015 btw. Cab or other business vehicle?

 

welcome!
none of those warnings specifically narrows the problem to the hybrid battery.
that must be all highway miles, which should be very easy on the battery.

 

We've had TWO hybrid battery fan failures in two different 2010+ prius in our family. The fan could be clogged, or just plain broken!

We've got a 2010 with 220,000 miles with the original hybrid battery. The engines been replaced but the battery keeps going stong! Who would have thought the battery would out last the engine?!

 

Understood and heartily agreed. Mine was a "just in case," comment.

Depends on if "LA" in the OP's location is short for Los Angeles or Louisiana. If in Los Angeles, it's only out by 12k miles. And, if not for those miles, would still be in warranty based on time.

But, as @ericbecky (and others) said, we don't know what it is yet and @MHH hasn't been back with more info.

 

Ah, forgot about that. Sorry for calling you on it.

 

That's no problem. You were backstopping me like a good baseball player. That LA abbreviation drives me a little crazy for exactly that reason. Out loud, it's no problem since no one says "LA" in place of Louisiana.

 

Yes, but see below.

If one cell has failed, it's almost certain that more will fail. That means that in anywhere from a few days to a few months, you'll be disassembling your battery again. Around here, we call it "whack-a-mole." The very best solution is a new battery. Next best is a used battery from a totaled car. That's the route I took on my wife's '07. Won't last quite as long as new, but less expensive than new and way better than whack-a-mole.

Not if done properly. There are several threads here detailing the steps. If you do just replace the bad cell, I would highly recommend getting a Prolong grid charger to get all the cells balanced once you get the battery back together, and then use the grid charger two to four times a year to keep it balanced. It's not exactly cheap, but it's not nearly as dear as a battery. And it may save you from falling into the Groundhog Day scenario that we call "whack-a-mole."

Hope this helps.

 

Your case definately sounds like a good candidate for some Toyota goodwill. Is the dealer that's diagnosed the problem the same dealer from which you purchased the car and had the service done? If so, they should be advocating for you with Toyota. A failure in a 2-3 year old traction battery is highly unusual.

 

My 2010 hit 153k and battery died, replaced it for 2300 installed, I posted in another thread about it. If had the time I would have checked cells, maybe next 100k will try it .

 

that's a great price, which dealer?

 

They are charging the OP well over retail for the battery. Battery for 2015 Toyota Prius | Conicelli