What happens when battery fails - will I be stranded?

generally speaking, they just keep getting worse and worse. still, if you need 100% reliability, i would shop around for a new battery from a dealer.

 

Once you start replacing bad modules, you will be doing that seemingly forever.

If the car is in excellent shape otherwise, you should just replace the battery........or trade the car in.

Being near Atlanta, you should be able to find a company that sells rebuilt batteries with all new cells.
Still around $1500 though.

 

Yes, if your Hybrid Battery totally fails, you will be stranded.
I'd recommend a new battery from a dealer, if you can afford it.

 

Doesn't Prius throw a warning light before the Hybrid Battery fail completely? I never experienced this with Prius, but for HCH, IMA light came on when the battery was degraded bad enough while car was still operational. But of course that is for HONDA, and IMA hybrid CAN run without hybrid battery as I understood, so Prius is different, maybe.

 

It will often throw you a warning light. But by the time you get that light? IMO you shouldn't be driving it.
HSD....is Hybrid SYNERGY drive, which means the battery, electric motors are all designed to work in synergy with the ICE engine. Not as separate entities.
Some people think, the engine can fail...and the Prius can operate as an electric vehicle, and vice versa, the Hybrid Battery can fail, and the Prius can operate as a ICE vehicle. Which is why I warn...no if your Hybrid Battery fails...you will be stranded.
The warning period for the OP is IMO, right now. Once the warning light illuminates, in most cases it's just telling you, you have struck the iceberg.
If I could "not afford to be stranded", and was charged with daily drives of 60 miles or more? I wouldn't feel confident in the vehicle, in it's current shape. It might go that 2 weeks, and get you from point A to point B, but it is a risk.

The Catch 22 here, is that the OP would prefer to wait until total failure to deal with repair or replacement, but simultaneously can not afford to be stranded or deal with the situation IF the battery does totally fail. There is no easy way to reconcile these two approaches.

My advice is the priority should be, being safe, and operating a reliable vehicle. Which means, if you don't want to be stranded, fix it ASAP.

 

First symptom actually is often worse & worse mileage - which also happens when the 12v aux battery becomes mortally wounded.
.

 

Philosophically speaking, change your battery now. Worst case scenario is that you "waste" the remaining 3-6 months of your current battery's life. What's that worth, compared to the peace of mind knowing you won't get stranded?

 

Herb,

If you decide you'd like to replace your HV battery, shoot me a message. I'm sure I can provide you with better options than any typical rebuilder. I currently have two Gen 2 HV batteries in the shop that were built using modules from very low mileage 2016 wrecks. I've been to Atlanta a few times already for other forum members.

 

So 4th gen modules can be used in 2nd gen cars? Out of interest, what do you charge for a replacement battery consisting of these newer modules?

 

Roger,

Some Gen 4 HV batteries are NiMH and some are Li-ON. Although the Gen4 NiMH modules are slightly different on top visually, dimensions and capacities are identical to the Gen2/3 modules. Not all 2016 Prii used the Gen 4 modules. I've built Gen 2 HV batteries using 2016 Gen 4 and 2016 modules that are visually identical to the Gen 3.

I was mistaken about the two batteries I have in the shop right now.

One is built using modules with a manufacture date code of 24YQ which is November 24, 2015. These were from an HV battery removed from a wrecked 2016 Prius with ~9.8k miles. This one is available for $1500 installed with 3 year guarantee + the old battery.

The second was built using modules with a manufacture date code of 097P which is July 09, 2014. These were from an HV battery removed from a wrecked 2015 Lexus with ~19k miles. This one is available for $1400 installed with 3 year guarantee + the old battery.

Included in the replacement is:

1. removal and cleaning of the fan ducts, installation of a clean/tested HV cooling fan if desired, or basic cleaning of yours.
2. testing of your 12v battery using an electronic 12v battery tester, which will provide CCA capacity of the battery compared to new
3. techstream health check of the car prior to HV battery swap.

Not included in the replacement, but available for $150 is installation of a new Toyota inverter cooling pump.
Not included in the replacement, but available for $80 is changing the Toyota WS fluid in the transaxle

Obviously, extra services are also dependent on availability of space to perform the work.

 

TMR - I'll keep you in mind when my battery finally bites the dust. I'm just North of Atlanta. BTW - is there any risk for your batteries to sit around without being used. Surely likely that the battery from the 2016 Prius with under 10k miles has already sat unused at least a year?

So as long as a Gen4 car has a Nimh pack, the battery modules can directly replace those in a Gen2? Does anyone have any idea what a junkyard would charge for a battery from a Gen4 or late model Gen3 Prius?

 

Roger,

All the modules are tested prior to building. The batteries I build also get installed in my 2007 and driven for several days to get real world testing. Usually, once I put word out they don't last real long. If demand isn't high, I have no problem swapping them into my car now and then to run them for a while. I don't even keep an interior in the rear of my car anymore. Sometimes the batteries I build end up going into Gen2 prii that I purchase (with failed batteries). I currently have a loaded 2005 that I recently purchased. I put one of my batteries into it that was built with modules from a 2015 prii wreck. That car has leather, nav, HID etc. Just haven't decided 100% what I'm going to do with it yet. It may end up in the For Sale forum