Toyota customer service HORRIBLE experience 2007 toyota prius dead HV battery experience

In all the years I raced Ford and GM vehicles, their warranty departments were no better. There is nothing more gut wrenching than having to purchase a new $4000+ transmission (4L60E) on a 70,000 mile supposedly tough truck. We had a number of people in my car clubs that had issues just out of warranty and most were not taken care of in good faith. It's just how the ball bounces so I always try and research replacement parts online before letting a dealer do the repairs.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience and bad luck. But yeah, you're unfortunately a bit out of warranty and Toyota isn't obligated to help you. $4560 is a ripoff in light of Prius Battery Change is No Big Deal - Newsroom : Our Point of View Post / Toyota.

So, you're getting it fixed at Mellors Automotive and then selling it afterward?

I don't know what Chevy hybrids you'd buy. The Malibu mild hybrid is dead (and was slow and barely got better mileage than the non-hybrid), so that leaves you w/the two guzzlers: Silverado and Tahoe then PHEV Volt that you'd have to wait a long time for and is ~$42K, before $7500 Federal tax credit.

Before you jump to Honda or GM, I suggest you take a look at the maintenance histories of Honda hybrids vs. Toyota ones vs. GM ones at Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity - Hybrid Electric Vehicles. The GM ones are quite bad (example: some had multiple HV battery pack replacements and even one needed a new engine).

Also look at Civic Hybrid - Fix for Civic hybrids' dying batteries may hurt gas mileage, acceleration - Los Angeles Times. There seems to be a lot of mixed experiences w/the update at Got the latest June '10 software update! - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars. I haven't followed closely since I've never owned a Honda.

If fuel economy is important, you might find http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/buying-advice/most-fuelefficient-cars-206/index.htm, http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...s-best-worst-lists-april-2010-auto-issue.html and http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...rts-fuel-economy-vs-performance-106/index.htm interesting/useful.

The OP already has two other running threads on this problem. For the benefit of others here, they're at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-died-101-000-miles-will-toyota-warranty.html and
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...n/89865-2007-gen-2-prius-dead-hv-battery.html.

There might be more details there.

 

So, is there a reason you aren't looking at alternative sources for a hybrid battery? or did you just decide that you wanted to vent vitriolic on our boards?

If it were mine, and it was out of warranty, after inquiring (not demanding, scheesh) as to what Toyota could offer, I would then be looking at other sources of replacement. There are some. Frequently mentioned here, on these boards. Where people might even be helpful, if you sound like a reasonable person.

But, oh wait. You don't. Sucks then, don't it.

 

If I had this problem with my Prius and was blown off by Toyota customer service, I would not give up & go to the top. This seems to work in most cases. Try contacting the following:

Dave Zellers
Vice President - Customer Retention
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.

(310) 468-4000


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go away already...

 

Perhaps.

Gen II is the most robust hybrid model on the road. I hope you and the Captain here get your problems resolved. The problems that you are having are very unusual.

 

Stuff happens. Most other makers have poorer products and service. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

 

Bad stuff does indeed happen. It was your bad luck that it happened to you. But the fact is, the car was out of warranty. It would really be nice if Toyota was your mommy and made all the bad things go away. But they are not your mommy. Toyota has their own problems and being super generous to you is evidently not one of them.

As to being professional, I guess you equate professionalism with agreeing with you. And it seems to me, you are exhibiting the unfortunate and annoying cultural trait of expecting instant gratification.

My '06 has 105k on it and I know that one of these days I will have to replace the battery pack. If Toyota wants to contribute to the bill, I would thank my lucky stars and shop around for a dealer who would do the job for the least cost.

I've owned cars for nearly 50 years and owned plenty of GM, Ford and German products. I can't say that any of them ever covered anything out of warranty.

I had to replace a clutch on a Porsche 911 once and neglected to show my Porsche Owners Club card (which offered a 10% discount on repairs) when the work order was made up. When the job was done, the dealer denied the discount because the card wasn't show earlier. This is the real world.

My Prius has been the most trouble free car I have ever owned, by far. But it is a machine and machines do wear out. I take a lot of pleasure out the knowledge that my car has been trouble free, gotten excellent mileage, and a whopping tax credit to boot. I am content with that.

By all means, go buy a Ford or GM product and run it for 100k miles and let us know how you're doing.

 

There are two schools of thought here:

1. They have to end the warranty sometime. If they cover the repair for you at 101k miles...how about failures at 105k miles? The warranty has to end, they can't cover the car forever.

2. From a PR perspective, this was a pretty poor decision, and one that you could have or may be able to turn around to your favor.

When dealing with things like this, you have to stay patient, calm, professional, and stern yourself. If you don't get an answer that you like, ask to speak to the person's supervisor.

Tell them about your long history of owning Toyotas, and that if you had 110,000 miles it would be one thing, but at 1,000 miles over you simply cannot believe that Toyota, a company you have been a customer of since you could drive, and that you would like to remain a customer of, wouldn't stand behind their customer and their product and honor the repair. Tell them that if they can't work this out with you, you don't see how you could ever purchase or recommend their products again.

Don't get an answer you like or get someone rude, ask to speak to their supervisor.

I bet if you do that and stay persistent, without threatening them or being rude yourself...they will cover this repair...

This is a situation where having used the dealer exclusively for service and having a good relationship with a service writer and service manager would help a lot.

The good news is that there are aftermarket solutions for this repair and its really a $2k job.

I can't say I blame you though. I think I'd have a hard time buying a Toyota again after something like this myself. The good news? Lots of other great cars to buy out there nowadays. Who needs Toyota. I can't think of a single Toyota branded product where there isn't a competitor out there that is just as good, if not better in practically every way right now. Perhaps the only model where thats not the case is the Prius. But think about it...what Toyota model leads its class in anything right now?

See I think thats stupid on the dealer's part. That action would ensure that dealer never got $1 more of my business...ever...and I would have told the service manager that before I left.

Thats just incredibly poor customer service instinct there.

I don't think he'd have any problems. IMHO the current vehicles available from GM and especially Ford are of considerably higher quality than current Toyotas.

 

Bah, apparently I missed the rest of the thread... where's the delete button when you need it?

Move along... move along...

 

these aren't the droids you're looking for...

 

I don't know, I'm really torn in how to react to this entire thread.
I agree that customer service is questionable, variable, and disappointingly marginal not JUST from Toyota but from almost all new vehicle manufacturers. They will not admit it, but almost everything is basically designed to get you to purchase the vehicle...once you have? Then everything enters a gray area, and sometimes outcome can vary widely by variable factors as simple as who you happen to talk to, at what mood they might be in on that day....

So I'm sorry for the OP.

Maybe the most disturbing fault is it evidently took them a week to get back to the OP...that's not really excusable...poor form Toyota....

But basically saying the warranty has expired?.....well it has. Being a 2007 that would put the battery failure at a typically very early point in comparison to many Prius, but out of warranty is out of warranty...100,000 miles is a 100,000 miles...and really? While I know I'd want more if I was the OP....that's not bad.

What can Toyota do? If they continually set the bar, that they pro-rate the battery and failure? Then the parameters of their warranty become a joke.

Unfortunately they have a product, they offer a warranty with given parameters. You can personally site product and brand loyalty, getting others to purchase Toyota's and that's all great...but is it REALLY a valid reason why YOU or anyone "Deserves" a special "deal" outside of warranty?

At some point, the only fair thing for everyone is for Toyota to draw a line and stick with it. If they blur the line with individual compensation from case to case...then you just have more and more people being disappointed when they feel the deserve compensation because they heard, or read or know somebody else in a "similar" situation that did receive it.

I mean, for example, let's say I'm paying for an extended warranty...yet I read how Toyota is REALLY supporting their batteries beyond warranty with pro-rated discounts....then is my extended warranty that I decided to pay extra for as valuable as it should be?...

I commiserate with the OP, and NOTE to Toyota....making a customer wait a week to hear back is poor, poor customer service...BUT..I also think Toyota has to stick to a defined set of parameters with the application of their vehicle warranties. Even if occasionally that means a customers product fails...just outside of those parameters.

 

MY 2 cents:
What did you pay for your Prius? $30K?
Now HV battery conks out to tune of $4K which is 1/7th cost approximately.
Assuming that all the rest of car is OK I would change battery (yeah $4K is big hit on your bottom line). Otherwise you will shell out $30-35K (or more) on new car with no gaurantee that it won't crap out or a money sucking lemon when 3 year warranty expires.

As for wife and I we plan to trad/sell Prius BEFORE the 10 year/100K mile HV battery limit is reached. Been putting money aside each year towards new car.

 

You know with a little bit of work you can have the battery replaced for approx. $2k or even as little as $750 if you get a used battery.

 

What would go bad in a traditional car comparable to a Prius ($25k or so, 4cyl engine) that would cost $4k to repair or replace? Nothing...not even a new engine.

The argument that a $4k repair is not a big deal or that he shouldn't be upset about it at 101,000 miles is absurd.

if the only reason you would sell it before 100,000 miles is out of fear of the HV battery failing, thats also absurd. Modern cars can last WELL past 100k miles without significant repairs if they are well maintained. We're talking any car...let alone a Toyota or Honda or a super reliable car like that. Your overall cost of ownership for the Prius vs a traditional comparable car is completely out of whack with this approach. Again...assuming if it were not a hybrid you would keep it past 100k miles.

 

Sure would be nice if they would soon make the 10yr/150k miles hybrid warranty effective anywhere in the world.

Kinda sucks to see a double standard where some states get 8yr/100k and 13 (?) others get 10yr/150k

I hope he can get it fixed for under $2k. Who would want to spend $4k ish to get a car with 100k miles?

... and that new battery from Toyota would only have a 1 year warranty on it. That's what I was told by Toyota.

btw, isn't the parts/labor job at Toyota closer to $3.5k? His quote for 4.5 is high.

Hope a shop like Lucious can get him on the road for $1k ish or so.

 

I don't think anybody asked this yet or I missed it. Did you add EV button?

 

Yes a new engine at a dealer would most definitely be $4k. They are called stealerships for a reason. Options:

$300-$500 -- Get a used pack and install it yourself
$1.5K -- Get a new rebuilt pack and install it yourself
$2K -- Get a new pack and pay someone to install it
$3.5K -- Normal Toyota dealership price for a new pack and install
$4.5K -- Whatever dealer he is at now

I have a few friends who buy "reliable built ford tough" cars and trucks. One of their vehicles, some crossover looking thing, had the engine blow up around 65K miles. Dealership quote was about $6K to replace. I think he had it fixed at a local no-brand shop for a little over $4K (new engine, installed, and warranted).

If you don't shop around, you deserve the price you pay.

 

i dont agree on that
a automatic transmission can fail at 101.000 or even less
i got my car ( from work ) fail its automatic transmission at 90.000miles ( it was a american )
ofcourse out of warranty.
so in this case its the HV battery shame is that the prius is so well build that if the HV battery where not there this car can outlife the owner.
also the maintanince is a lot cheaper then my caar before the prius.
also if i wuold drive a lot i would also save in fuel cost almost in half.
braking discs and so on last longer.
so maybe when you have a failing HV then you lost uyour savings but you stil are not higher in cost then your non hybrid car.
and if you lucky and most people driving a prius are...... wel....

the area where the prius ggot 10years the price is also higher then other areas so its not really a double standard
but i would like to see that i pay extra to get that same 10 years.