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hybrid battery replacement second opinion? (!) triangle VSC check engine lights

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by betshsu, May 31, 2017.

  1. betshsu

    betshsu Member

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    Hi all,

    We have a 2006 Prius with about 98k miles on it. the (!) triangle VSC and check engine (? I think) lights went on the other day, so we had it checked out by a dealer. The dealer claims we need the hybrid battery replaced -- we are planning on getting a second opinion, but was curious if this seems right to folks with the set of warning lights (quick skim of threads seems like a lot more lights come on for hybrid battery issues). I also haven't noticed any other symptoms (eg, drop in MPGs), though I admit that I was close to home and only did 2 miles of city driving after the lights came on.

    Also, if anyone in the DMV area has recommendations for a good place to get a second opinion and quote on replacement cost, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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    #1 betshsu, May 31, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's always worth checking the 12 volt health. if you paid for the dealer diagnosis, there should be truoblecodes on your receipt. if not, call and ask for them, it will help to confirm the problem.
     
    #2 bisco, May 31, 2017
  3. betshsu

    betshsu Member

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    Thanks -- I wasn't the one to take it in, so I'll have to check on the trouble codes.

    We've had the 12V fail before, and know those symptoms. Plus the car started no problem after these lights went on.
     
    #3 betshsu, May 31, 2017
  4. stockdaddy

    stockdaddy Member

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    Forget the 2nd opinion, you can just buy a code reader yourself to watch the voltage of the battery real-time as you are driving.
     
    #4 stockdaddy, Jun 1, 2017
  5. betshsu

    betshsu Member

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    Codes P0A80 and P3000, so sounds like we need to look into a traction battery replacement =(. I think we'll try the Toyota goodwill warranty route first, and then look at rebuilt batteries/second-party installers.

    Edit to add: We installed a new 12V just under 2.5 years ago. Seems too early for the 12V to be bad and throwing faulty error codes?
     
    #5 betshsu, Jun 1, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2017
  6. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

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    Research rebuilt batteries on this site. I don't like the odds... but you have to make your own decision.
     
    #6 tvpierce, Jun 2, 2017
  7. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    I'm having the same exact issue; we have a 2007 Prius with 172k. It's been running fantastic with no dip in mpg that I could notice. Today out of the blue we were hit with all these error lights. I pulled the code P0A80 from it. I decided to do a reset and see if the codes come back. I'm also going to check the 12v health. I'm just surprised this happened out of the blue without any warning. Seems like I would've noticed some issues before it threw me.
     
    #7 Bgustafson, Jul 2, 2017
  8. Chodronish

    Chodronish Member

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    Wondering what ended up happening with these two situations - the original post from @betshsu and the post from @Bgustafson?
     
    #8 Chodronish, Oct 9, 2017
  9. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    I ended up having to get a new battery put in. See the entire thread here.
     
    #9 Bgustafson, Oct 10, 2017
  10. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    .
     
    #10 exstudent, Oct 12, 2017
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