1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Toyota Increases Warranty on Replacement Prius Hybrid Battery. Now 3 years, Unlimited miles

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ericbecky, Jan 6, 2016.

  1. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    As of 1/1/2016 all purchased Toyota OEM replacement Prius hybrid batteries (non-fleet) come with a 3 year, Unlimited mile warranty. (EDIT: Corrected mileage to Unlimited instead of 36,000. Updated title as well)

    This is an increase from the 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty previously being offered on replacement Prius hybrid batteries.

    While I currently do not have any written documentation, I independently confirmed this information through several Toyota sources, including calls to multiple dealers, Toyota Corporate, and Toyota Warranty Department.

    The Prius hybrid battery warranty increase information originally was identified in an email that went out to dealers in late December 2015. Admittedly, some dealers may have missed the email or inadvertently been left out of the mailing, so don’t be surprised if you find a dealer that is initially unaware of the Prius hybrid battery update.

    The hybrid battery warranty increase applies to more than just the Prius. All Toyota hybrid batteries are included: Prius hybrid battery, Camry hybrid battery, Avalon hybrid battery, etc.

    The first hint I had about the increase in the Prius hybrid battery warranty was because a user here on Priuschat mentioned it in a post. Hat tip to Mark and his eagle-eyed parts department folks!

    At first when I started making calls I got plenty of conflicting info and it was kind of disheartening. But I'm glad I persisted to get to the bottom of this.

    I added the info to my Facebook page and put a blog post on my web site too since I'm sure people may need a reference for this warranty update. If I can get a hard copy of the info I'll post that as well.
     
    #1 ericbecky, Jan 6, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2016
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,470
    8,383
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Great news!! I wonder if the prices of the battery went up?
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,801
    48,998
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    great work eric, thanks for staying on it.(y)
     
  4. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I posted this in the Gen 2 forum, but it actually applies to all Generations. Not sure the best way to get work to the Gen 1 folks without spamming double posting.
     
  5. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2006
    11,314
    3,588
    1
    Location:
    Northern VA (NoVA)
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    At the moment I am unaware of a single USA case on Prius Chat where a new replacement battery has gone bad, but it's good peace of mind. Some consumers look at warranty length instead of batt quality, so this should help new battery sales (assuming that's good thing).
     
  6. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I have installed plenty of replacement OEM Prius hybrid batteries over the years. None have gone bad.
    What I hope this addresses is the perceived lack of confidence in the quality of the OEM packs.

    In the past, too often I saw people incorrectly equating the quality of rebuilt batteries with a 1 year warranty to the quality NEW OEM battery with a 1 year warranty.
     
    Pointguard11, m.wynn and mark010101 like this.
  7. jpr0930

    jpr0930 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2015
    15
    7
    0
    Location:
    Wake Forest, NC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Great news! Thanks for the confirmation. I had a new OEM battery installed on Monday and forgot to follow up with what Mark had mentioned in the week or so prior. Put a call in today and my dealership said they didn't know about it, but I knew PC would come through with the real story. (y)
     
  8. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Considering how many Prius hybrid batteries are purchased through my local dealer (I bought two in the past week), I was surprised they initially did not know about the warranty increase. But they were great about following up and helping verify the info. As an independent hybrid mechanic, I am always impressed with the level of service I get from my local Toyota Parts department guys.
     
    #8 ericbecky, Jan 6, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2016
  9. mark010101

    mark010101 Mark 04, 05, 08 Prius Owner

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2008
    65
    31
    0
    Location:
    East Central Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    No the list price is still $2,588.67 as of Jan 1, 2016.
     
  10. mark010101

    mark010101 Mark 04, 05, 08 Prius Owner

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2008
    65
    31
    0
    Location:
    East Central Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    As promised from my other thread here is the internal dealer memo detailing of the extension of the Toyota HV battery warranty extension from 12 to 36 months (unlimited mileage!).
     
    #10 mark010101, Jan 9, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2016
    Wayne likes this.
  11. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2015
    949
    879
    2
    Location:
    Maine
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Unfortunately, per memo: only if installed by a Toyota dealer. Over the counter sales still only have a 12 month warrantee. Kinda stinks! :-(
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,728
    38,255
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    How much would dealership charge for install? I'd guestimate around $300 from third party garages, based on what I was quoted for a Civic Hybrid battery replacement. Obviously different, I'd hazard not that different. And would Toyota authorize third party shops, like ericbecky?
     
  13. mark010101

    mark010101 Mark 04, 05, 08 Prius Owner

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2008
    65
    31
    0
    Location:
    East Central Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The dealership (Toyota of Danville, IL) charged me $99 for the install. To keep the cost down, I removed the interior panels but was going to do it anyway to clean the HV battery cooling fan. For $99, it was a no brainer.
     
    Haschwalt, bisco and johnjohnchu like this.
  14. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2015
    888
    494
    0
    Location:
    Cow-lee-fornia
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    I can speak for this because I had my HV battery replaced the other day. Calculating from the work order, the battery itself being $2588, the labor is about $640 at the dealer I took my Prius to.

    At the time of the install, 1/5/2016, the dealership didn't know that the warranty had been extended. I will be saving JPEG of the extended warranty page for future reference :D
     
  15. jpr0930

    jpr0930 New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2015
    15
    7
    0
    Location:
    Wake Forest, NC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Awesome. Thanks for the update and the pic Mark!
     
  16. Phil E Eagles

    Phil E Eagles New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2017
    6
    4
    0
    Location:
    Brownsville, TX
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Sorry if I am approaching this the wrong way. Not sure if I am supposed to start a new thread or not but I haven't seen a way to do that so I will attempt to post a comment/question as a reply to this thread. If no one responds I will continue looking for the way to start a new thread.
    I have a 2008 Prius that the dealer says needs a new hybrid battery. They are working with me on the price as we recently passed 100k miles in Tx which has not increased warranty to 10 years/150k miles. I sent the dealer the PDF from January 2016 that says the replacement battery warranty was increased to 36 months and unlimited miles and after 2 days spent by the dealer considering the PDF they called back to say that it is an old update and the current warranty for a replacement battery is 12 months/unlimited miles. Also they call it an OEM battery but when I asked if it was new they said it's remanufactured. They are offering to replace the battery for $1400. Are they trying to take me for a ride? I am currently waiting for a call back from another nearby dealership regarding the warranty but one dealer about an hour away claims 12 months/unlimited miles. Also, if they call it OEM should it be brand new or are they allowed to call it "remanufactured"?
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,801
    48,998
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome!
    yes, ride. there is a reman beta program in cali, but even there, around $2,000. you get all brand new modules in an old case and one year warranty.

    give toyota customer service a call, and ask them what's going on.

    also, you can call matt at texas hybrid batteries. he sells new and rebuilt, and is a straight shooter.

    this is fine, but if you decide to start a new thread, just go to the correct forum and click the new thread button near the top right.
     
    #17 bisco, Jul 5, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2017
  18. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2004
    4,365
    3,209
    1
    Location:
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Ask them what the Toyota part number is that they plan to install.

    That should clear up any confusion.

    $1,400 is about $2,000 less than what I have seen dealers charge for a battery that contains NEW modules.

    Their price seems too good to be true for a battery with NEW modules.

    You have a right to know what you are getting.
     
  19. Phil E Eagles

    Phil E Eagles New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2017
    6
    4
    0
    Location:
    Brownsville, TX
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks for all the responses so far. I will ask for the part number. The full
    price I was given was $2895.00 and they offered a 50% discount which means I would pay $1447.83. That seems more in line with a new battery but if it is new, why only a 12 month warranty?
    Unfortunately I live 8 hours from Texas hybrid batteries and the rental equipment I would have to obtain (truck and trailer) makes it cost prohibitive to take my Prius that far. I plan on calling Toyota customer service myself tomorrow to see what they have to say. I welcome more responses and suggestions as this is a big expense.
     
  20. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2006
    11,314
    3,588
    1
    Location:
    Northern VA (NoVA)
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Sounds like they gave you a very nice discount due to being fairly close to warranty period.
    The warranty is 8-yrs 100k miles so sounds like you were over on years too?
    Sometimes they are even more generous but this sounds quite good deal, assuming a brand new battery.