Red triangle plus check engine light came on after hitting the brakes hard.

poly just a glitch. keep an eye on it, if the light comes back on, you'll have to have the codes read. might need some work in the near future, how many miles on her?

 

do a bit of searching here. rebuilt batteries are not for the faint of heart. only as good as the company standing behind them, and likely will involve downtime when the warranty is needed.

 

I would verify that the battery is indeed the issue. Did they provide any trouble codes?
We have seen extremely low oil level in the engine trigger the Check Engine light during sudden vehicle movements. It should be easy to get a friend to check the engine oil level.

The general experience here is that any used / reconditioned battery is not usually reliable regardless of the warranty. Many times the warranty only covers the part & not installation too.

Other than a battery from a dealer or from a dedicated hobbyist here, the only other good option is the New Cell kit listed in my signature but you are unable to DIY. The battery companies cannot spend the time & testing to properly repair, recondition, & test a battery.

Perhaps @TMR-JWAP has some ideas. He sometimes comes across good battery deals and has been known to deliver & install.

 

"Rebuilt/Refurbished/Reconditioned/Remanufactured/etc" will never last as long as a new OEM. Remember, the chemicals "wear out." The original HV Battery was warranted for 8/10yrs (depending on State), by design; few liabilities during warranty period. The best warranty is one you never need. A "rebuilt" you will.

You may want to get another vehicle. Other costly components will fail down the road. A "rebuilt" would make sense here to have a temporarily functioning vehicle to sell/trade, to get something else.

Member 2k1Toaster's company is a viable option for a new HV Battery (via kit), if you can NOT find a dealer to sell you the HV Battery at a price you deem reasonable. NewPriusBatteries

Cheapest online price for a genuine OEM HV Battery, from an actual dealer is $1699.70; Conicelli Toyota. A member recently acquired one for his daughter; Post #24 Verified $1700 HV battery purchase and no Tax (out of state billing address): 07 Prius pulled p0a80 code "Replace Hybrid Battery" - What are my options? | Page 2 | PriusChat. You will still need to verify that local dealers will sell you the HV Battery, as not all dealers will do so. Also, see if local dealers will beat or match the cheapest online dealer part price.

Amortize the cost over the likely life expectancy of 10years, then it might not be so expensive for you.
$1699.70/10years = $169.97/year = $14.16/month = $3.54/week = $0.51/day
Give-up 3 Starbucks latte a month, for the next 10years, you just paid for this HV Battery.

The car could be worth $zero. But, the HV Battery gives you flexibility . It can be transferred into a younger/lower mileage Gen2 (2004-2009), or into a Gen3 (2010-2015) via module swap (Gen2 modules into the Gen3 HV Battery case), and possibly into a Gen4 (module swap into Gen4 case). Also, you could sell this OEM HV Battery, recovering a fair amount of your expense, if a cost prohibitive auto accident or future repair bill occurs.

A new OEM HV Battery requires some work for installation. ECUs from the old battery need to get transfered over and all the posts need to torqued correctly, not tightened by feel.

AVOID Hybrid Battery Experts!
1) $1249 installed with a 5 Year Warranty (GUARANTEED failures) vs $1700 new OEM HV Battery (8-10yr trouble free operation).
2) CRAP 5year Pro-rated warranty:

0-12 Months – Free Replacement With Installation Included
12-36 Months- 50% Credit Toward Replacement With Installation Included
36-48 Months- 25% Credit Toward Replacement With Installation Included
48-60 Months- 10% Credit Toward Replacement With Installation Included​

3) Anyone can call themselves "Experts."
4) Marketing hype:

Who says you are a trusted brand? (they do)
Who says they have top quality? (they do)
Who says they are a best seller? (they do)​

 

With either the $1700 part option or the kit you need somebody to install. The member here said they are recovering after an accident so I assumed they cannot install a replacement battery.

 

Do you have an OBD2 code reader? If not can you maybe swing by an AutoZone, Advanced Auto, or O'Reilly's and have codes read?

There's a possibility it's coincidental - I've personally seen check engine lights come on due to oil consumption causing degradation in emissions system performance. Also, some people have the red triangle come on from electrical issues with the parking brake (this is accompanied by a message about the "P Lock mechanism").

 

Please understand that I fully empathize with the fact that $2700 is a lot of money. I'd just like to add a consideration; the Toyota battery is pretty much a known quantity - you know it'll probably last, barring other issues with your car. There's lots of data to back that up since those same batteries are installed in millions of still-running Priuses. Now, there's a whole lot less knowledge surrounding third party batteries and you don't really know if they really will last as long as the originals save for a handful of people going "it worked for me", and rarely are those people around long-term. My feeling is that the price difference is at least a little warranted given the relative guarantee of quality from the OEM part.

I should add that our own car is similar to yours; a little newer, but with higher mileage. We have a number of issues as well and are considering retiring it (despite the fact that we're pretty attached to it). I'll also add that I am a cheapskate and I kind of hate to spend money.

That said, I saw that new Chevy Malibus are selling for $13k. Yes, it's a GM (which I consider to be a low-quality product that isn't going to last past 4-5 years), but it's still hard to ignore the fact that you can get a family-sized brand new car, with a warranty, for $13k (which works out to ballpark $250/mo with a $2000 down payment given good credit) and you can basically throw it away after those 4-5 years. I mean, if CarMax gives you $2000 for it, then you've done decently.

 

If you are referring to NewPriusBatteries.com, perhaps @2k1Toaster here can direct you to some of his documentation.

 

$1700 is the cheapest price for a new OEM HV Battery, found so far. Unfortunately NO Toyota dealer will ship it due to cost. Thus the need to find a local dealer who will beat or match a Toyota dealer's online price, for pick-up, unless you don't mind driving. If you have an out-of-State billing address/CR card, you will likely pay no sales tax.

The ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that need to move into the new HV Battery are visibly obvious, when you have the old and new HV Battery next to each other. You CAN NOT miss this; only blindness will make you miss the ECUs.

I believe you can do this, if you wanted to, as you indicated you have done some work on the wife's car. Working on the HV Battery just requires you to be very careful. A torque wrench is a must. Also, it is a very good idea to have high voltage lineman gloves (rubber) and the exterior leather cover for the rubber gloves; however, some people have skipped using the gloves.

That dealership is mis-informed. Toyota changed the warranty on HV Battery a few years back. Before it was a ONE year warranty/unlimited mileage (installed by Toyota or not). NOW, it is a THREE year warranty/unlimited miles when installed by Toyota. ONE year/unlimited miles when NOT installed by Toyota. Realistically, the warranty will not be needed. The original HV Battery that came with your car has lasted 14years! You will likely get 8-10+years w/ a new OEM HV Battery.

Taxis and commercial vehicles only get ONE year warranty w/ a new OEM HV pack.

The HV Battery is definetly failing. That is a hallmark symptom: Master Warning Light (Red Triangle w/ !) and hearing the HV Battery fan. You can continue to drive, but it will get worse over time, and the ECUs will bring the car to a stop, possibly leaving you stranded.

A temporary solution (horrible IMO) is to replace the dead/dying modules w/ stronger, working modules. Many postings of people doing this and all sorts of problems and lack of reliability for obvious reasons.

 

@2k1Toaster ships his kit to your house for $1600.

Both the OEM battery & the kit are "some assembly required". With the OEM you need to return the properly packaged core too.

 

Battery to your door In stock now and more coming.