Hybrid Battery keeps failing?

I'm suspecting that the perfectly good Toyota battery was replaced with a mediocre remanufactured battery.

 

If there is a brand new OEM battery in there, this won't happen

 

welcome!
yes. all refurb batteries are suspect, and only as good as the warranty. have you gone back to the dealer?
if you like your car, and intend to keep it awhile, you might want to invest in a new toyota battery, otherwise, it's a crapshoot.

 

yes, never heard of it. you can read hundreds of posts here from people having problems with rebuilt batteries.
they replace the battery cells that test bad, but all the remaining cells are old and can go bad at any time.
the worst are fly by night guys who aren't around anymore when your battery dies under warranty.

you might get lucky on the next one, and get a few years out of it, you never know.

 

no, but it's always worth testing it, because a bad 12v can leave you stranded. it can cause a lot of lights to come on because the computers aren't getting minimum voltage. but it cannot damage your hybrid battery.

keep in mind, you're not getting a 'new' battery.

if it's true that toyota put a new battery in and he replaced it, then bhtooefr is probably correct in post #2.

i'm assuming this isn't tampa hybrids.

 

Ah, Dorman (or any "remanufacturer", for that matter). That is your problem. If the sales yard took out a genuine new Toyota Battery and replaced it with a Dorman, then that is most certainly what is causing all your issues. No matter what the processes of the re-manufacturter, a re-manufactured battery is still an old battery. Unless they replace all the modules in the battery with new, which they don't, as only Toyota can buy them, then it is a crap shoot as to quality and the longevity of the repair. Two failures in six months seems bad, because it is. But, it is par for the (re-manufacturing/refurbishing) course. Even though you can have the battery replaced under warranty, you still have a ($100) labor cost each time, so it is not really free and there is the cost to you of the inconvenience of your car being out of action for at least a day while they "repair" it.

If it was your original computer, yes, it would be low, but with a Dorman you will have received somebody else's second-hand computer as part of the battery package. Although these are normally quite reliable, problems can develop at the connection point and it is usual for Toyota to recommend changing the computer in any case, just be be thorough, more than anything else.

As bisco said, no. There can be weird symptoms cause by low or inconsistent voltage to the various car computers (of which there are at least 11), but it will not damage your HV battery in any way. It will not hurt to check the voltage and condition of the 12 V battery and remediate as appropriate, in any case.

bisco has given you very good advice and I'm commenting more to add support to his advice.

The best way forward, as I see it, is if you can make some kind of deal with the used car dealer to have a new Toyota HV battery installed with the used car dealer contributing to the cost, depending on how they represented the battery to you (if they said they put in a new battery, then you probably have a good case) as I doubt the one they took out originally is still around.

Good luck getting this sorted, and, if you don't mind, let us know how it turns out.

 

glad to hear it, i figured it wasn't. all the best!

 

You're getting excellent advice from Bisco and Dolj.

If you're thinking long-term with this vehicle, you should pursue ways of getting a new Toyota battery.

I'd be asking the dealer why in the world he would have replaced a 1 year old NEW OEM Toyota battery. Just a guess... but I bet it found its way into the owner's or lead mechanic's car.

 

I don't see how that is profitable to do unless you paying a minimum of $3000 above private party value.

 

He's installing rebuilt Dorman batteries that he's buying wholesale -- probably paying less than $1000.

 

For the record.

I NEVER install rebuilt batteries in the cars I sell. If a car needs a replacement I will installed a retrofitted 2010-2015 used battery and give a one year warranty or occasionally a brand new Toyota battery.

Rebuilt batteries rarely last more than 6 months even if they come with a 3 year warranty. Avoid rebuilt/re manufactured batteries regardless of who the manufacturer is.

Todd thompson
Tampa Hybrids Inc.

 

Any idea why most rebuilt batteries fail so quickly, does it have something to do with reconditioning or lack thereof ?

Would it be a good idea to charge/balance a newly purchased rebuilt battery before initially installing it? (is that even possible with a Dorman, or would that void the warranty?)

Any opinions on the Hybrid Automotive Prolong product line?

 

REbuilding batteries and warrantying them is a challenge.

There are 168 cells in the pack.
6 cells in a module
2 modules make up a block
14 blocks in a Gen 2 Prius pack
This means each block has with 12 cells in it.

What are the chances when you take a bunch of random modules and put them in a pack that it will perfectly match?

Here is some things to consider when matching modules
- Capacity
- Internal resistance (How much power can flow in and out of it. Or if using a pipe example, how constricted the pipe is.)
- Self Discharge (How much drains out of it when it is resting unused)

It's really, really hard to get all 168 cells to match.
Even for the big guys who have access to thousands of modules that have been catalogued and sorted by the parameters.

And don't get me started about the guys who throw 1 random module in their already failing pack and expect the "fix" to "last for years".
It ain't gonna happen.

 

You have a couple of typos, they should read 168 cells.

 

Thanks. Fixed.