Hi Friends-- Just had rear struts done on my 2004 Prius with 160K miles. I then dove about 20 miles and ! light came on--after two trips and attempts at resetting computer, I was told that the main battery is not holding a charge and need to be replaced. HELP! I was told I could continue driving it on the regular engine but that a replacement battery was 5K. ANy advice out there? Thanks, LSP
Hi Lisa, 1. Who replaced the rear struts? 2. What DTC was logged by your car? 3. You should not plan on being able to drive the car with a bad traction battery. Eventually the battery will get to the point where it will not spin up the engine. 4. A new battery should cost ~$2,200 (not including labor.) I suggest that you call the various Toyota dealers in your area to see whether you can obtain better pricing. 5. An alternative to installing a new battery is to install a battery from a salvage vehicle. Those are selling for ~$500 or so, but you will have to find an independent mechanic who knows how (or is willing to learn how) to install it. Good luck.
Sounds strange to me that it failed so soon after work at the rear. You sure they didn't knock or bump something? Did they disconnect the HV battery and fail to click the breaker back into place correctly?
Hi LSP, It would be wonderful to get the DTCs, Diagnostic Codes logged by the in car computers to identify problems. That would tell folks what the car thought was wrong. If your HV Battery is bad, then a new one lists for about $2200, the dealer will have labor costs as well. I am having trouble with $5k however. Re-InVolt has rebuilt batteries, their installation tends to be under $300 as they have already done much of the labor before hand. Here is a sample damsel in distress being treated well by Re-InVolt: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-cry-05-prius-battery-died-2.html#post1178600 If you yourself plan to do the labor, (you need a VERY healthy respect for high voltage electricity) then used batteries are available on ebay, as is, for $200 and up. Prius Battery -ECU items - Get great deals on eBay Motors, Charging Starting Systems items on eBay.com! As it looks right now, driving to NC could save you $3000
Prius Battery Change is No Big Deal - Newsroom : Our Point of View Post / Toyota has stated "the MSRP for the battery pack for the second-generation cars, those from the 2004-2008 model-years, is $2,588." $2412 in labor + additional parts is absolutely outrageous. Agreed w/the advice from both Patrick and Jimbo.
Hi Lisa, because you are past the warranty period, no one yere has yet suggested that you should contact Toyota directly and request some post-warranty consideration. At least as far as sharing the overall cost. The tel. number (as you may already know) is 800-331-4331. You can open a "case file", mention that you are discussing this with your friends at PriusChat, and express the hope that you will be able to report here another example of Toyota's outstanding committment to its hybrid-vehicle customers. This used to happen with some frequency to the earlier model Prius, which had a somewhat inferior battery design. The failures have not been common at all 2004-after (the NHW20 model) so it is worth hoping that Toyota will assist, once again. Good luck.
