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Hybrid Battery possibly failing?? What to do?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by JacksonMs, Oct 3, 2009.

  1. JacksonMs

    JacksonMs Junior Member

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    I have a 2007 prius touring edition...

    When the car was new, I paid a lot more attention to the charge of the hybrid battery... as I have gotten use to the car, I don't notice it as much.
    Lately, have stared paying attention again, and have noted that the hybrid battery does not seem to reach the "Green" level nearly as much as it use to.
    This may be my imagination, but I also don't think the the car operates in electric driving mode nearly as much as it use to ( the gas engine seems to stay on all the time. )

    does this mean that the hybrid battery in my car is failing? How do I tell if it is going bad? How much will it cost to get a new one?

    Thanks in advance for any answers.
     
    #1 JacksonMs, Oct 3, 2009
  2. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Probably not. There are a few factors that affect SOC and how much the ICE runs including how you have the A/C set.

    If you get a red triangle and you (or someone with Toyota diagnostic software, e.g. the dealer) reads trouble codes that indicate that one or more cells have low or abnormal voltage.

    If you are still under warranty (8 yrs/100k , or 10 yrs/150k depending upon where you bought and registered the car) you shouldn't pay anything. Even if you aren't under warranty for some reason, you can probably get a good used replacement for ~ $500 or so.
     
    #2 dogfriend, Oct 3, 2009
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Agree w/ Dogfriend. Actually, when the HV batt is failing it often shows radical swings from full green to one bar of pink in very short periods of time. When functioning normally the battery will stay at about 6 blue bars with very little variation except under specific circumstances.
     
    #3 efusco, Oct 4, 2009
  4. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    My sight unseen diagnosis would depend more on driving style. I rarely see green because I glide a lot and stealth a lot. There are times, however, when conditions force me to keep a steady pressure on the accelerator. This puts some charge into the battery which eventually reaches green.

    Here's where I think it affects you: many new drivers maintain the conventional foot-on-gas driving approach. It takes a little while for them to break that habit. Is it possible that your driving styles have changed over the last year and a half? I would suspect that the change in driving would also be reflected (rewarded) by increased mileage.
     
    #4 TonyPSchaefer, Oct 4, 2009
  5. spinkao

    spinkao New Member

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    Agree with previous posts. Failing traction battery is usually indicated by wild changes in SOC, but this does not seem to be your case. Also, note that when the battery is cold or overheated, the HSD computers prefer the ICE to reduce the strain on it.

    Is your mileage affected? I would pay attention to the MPG - if you can get the same as usual, I wouldn't worry.

    Does your battery hold SOC overnight? If so, you likely have no problem.

    Do you get any error indication? I suppose not, as you would mention otherwise, just want to make sure :).

    How does the battery look visually? Are the contacts corroded, are there any residuals/debris around?

    You might try to check the voltage of individual cells and see whether they are reasonably equal.

    You may also try to force-charge the battery by holding the brake pedal firmly and flooring the gas simultaneously when in the D mode, and once it gets all green, check how far you can go in the EV mode.

    Perhaps you might also ask your dealer to check the battery if you wanna be sure.

    That's what I would do if I had any doubts...
     
    #5 spinkao, Oct 4, 2009
  6. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

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    II have a boxed new one on the sales page make me a offer :)
     
    #6 Sandy, Oct 4, 2009
  7. brick

    brick Active Member

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    It's fall. It's getting colder. The engine has to run more because it takes longer to warm up (and cools down faster). Temperature has an impact on how much charge the battery can take, too.
     
    #7 brick, Oct 4, 2009
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