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Dealer replaced HV battery 20,000 miles ago with a new one...problems return

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by crazyirv, Jul 10, 2018.

  1. crazyirv

    crazyirv Junior Member

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    So I thought I was gonna get at least 100,000 more trouble free miles from my 2007 Prius when the dealer replaced the battery under warranty a couple of years ago. Today I was driving and first the ABS light went on and then the whole dash lit up red triangle, brake light, hybrid system and more.. Brakes went out and she died at a busy intersection. Took the fob out and reinserted and it started up again. Drove to a safe spot and parked and called local dealer who told me to call dealer who replaced the battery (who I moved 60 miles away from). called them and was informed no warranty on new battery (it's been about 2 years). After sitting about 40 minutes started the car back up and turned off all non vital electrical (AC was cranking when she died). Now only the hybrid sytem light, the red f'n triangle, and the check engine lights came on. Was able to drive 2 miles to home. So.......Wth? Can it be the almost new HV battery? Should I go to the dealer or a nearby "prius fix" place which I've been to and it doesnt seem super together......Let me add that I am flat frickin broke and i'm gonna have to borrow money to fix this..
     
    #1 crazyirv, Jul 10, 2018
  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Most likely it's not the battery which BTW has a 3 yr warranty if installed by the dealer.

    Since it started again after a brief cooling off period, I'd suspect the inverter coolant pump died and the inverter overheated too quickly shutting the party down. Also big fuses may have blown which would be a good thing as they help protect the inverter from more harm. Worse case is the inverter fried but I'd think it wouldn't restart. If so, replace with a used one (and the pump which caused it with a new pump; they're cheap). Best case it's just the pump; common failure.

    That's my guess.
     
    #2 fotomoto, Jul 10, 2018
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  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's probably not your battery, it'll be something else. Read the codes and you'll know the problem
     
    #3 JC91006, Jul 10, 2018
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  4. crazyirv

    crazyirv Junior Member

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    Would it be ok to drive it 5 miles to be looked at?
     
    #4 crazyirv, Jul 10, 2018
  5. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Sounds like you have a failed or failing Inverter coolant pump.

    You can check for this by looking inside the reservoir for movement on the liquid surface while the vehicle is 'Ready'

    You can also touch the coolant pump housing with your hand (or a stick/rod) and feel for any vibration.
     
    #5 SFO, Jul 10, 2018
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  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Assuming the pump is the problem, letting it cool off completely and don't drive hard or high speeds, it should make it OK.

    Like has been said, getting the codes read will tell the tale. I really doubt it's the battery.
     
    #6 fotomoto, Jul 10, 2018
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  7. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Did you get the vehicle scanned for what the codes are behind the dash lights?

    Do you have a way to do that?

    Getting those codes will lead to the next steps.

    A failed inverter pump as pointed out above sounds logical, but the codes will narrow down the next steps.

    Good luck and keep us posted (y).
     
    #7 Raytheeagle, Jul 11, 2018
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  8. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Depends on when the battery was installed.
    For many years it was only a 1 year warranty.
    This changed to 3 years January 2016.
     
    #8 ericbecky, Jul 11, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2018
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  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The fact that the brakes went out leads to believe it may be the ABS Control Module. There was a TSB out for that but its warranty just ran out. Hope its not that as its very expensive to repair.

    Use the search forums button up top and search for ABS as there are many posts about it.

    How many miles on the car now?
     
    #9 edthefox5, Jul 11, 2018
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  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Looks like that inverter water pump needs replaced about every 80000 miles or so. Looking for PA093
    Ours just went bad a few weeks ago at 175000 miles. We had the warranty replacement job back at 81000 miles.

    The dreaded Red Triangle is not always for a dead HV battery, it turns out.

    I am not worried about my HV battery...I think it's a keeper. I am worried about the brake actuator issue, combo meter issue, and stuff like that. Also inverter is a concern given our pump went out....fingers crossed
     
    #10 wjtracy, Jul 11, 2018
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  11. crazyirv

    crazyirv Junior Member

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    It was the inverter water pump. I wonder if it wasn't fixed when the recall happened (Ive only owned the car since 2015). I ran my vin number and there are no open recalls on my car tho. The shop charged me $80 for the diagnostic and $396 for the repair. Also told me the engine water pump and belt are starting to go I declined though Starting to wonder if I should have bought a Corolla..........Thanks a lot to everyone here who gave info it was much appreciated and most useful! I think my main takeaway from this is that if you get the red triangle and the hybrid system signal it does not necessarily mean the HV battery is kaput. Since THAT happened to me only 2 years ago I think when I saw that line down that little car symbol I had some post traumatic panic, as it turns out, for a much lesser problem!
     
    #11 crazyirv, Jul 12, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
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  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The pump was probably recalled early 2010 or 2011, so it's due to fail again
     
    #12 JC91006, Jul 12, 2018
  13. crazyirv

    crazyirv Junior Member

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    Well, the recall notice said that there was a specific manufacturing defect that was the cause. In any event, seems like 165,000 miles like I have is in the prime zone for this failure.
     
    #13 crazyirv, Jul 12, 2018
  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The recall didn't fix anything, many replaced pumps shorted out and stranded drivers. That was the reason for the recall
     
    #14 JC91006, Jul 12, 2018
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