I think I screwed up... Purchased the nightmare Prius.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by bigrob, Jul 7, 2025 at 2:08 PM.

  1. bigrob

    bigrob New Member

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    New member here,
    I guess I bought what could just about be called a lemon Prius. It's got a lot of error codes regarding the brake system, and on top of that the battery pretty much quit working altogether near the end of the drive home, it's stuck in limp mode. The one code I didn't find listed in this readout was p3014, cell block 4 is weak. The battery is supposed to have a lifetime warranty from green bean, but they're giving me trouble transferring it.

    Anyway, could someone with more experience with these cars take a look at these error codes in the attachment and give me a roadmap of all the things I have to do to get this thing working again? This is my first Prius.

    Thanks for any help.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    That's lots of info, but I'm more curious as to what comes back when you disconnect the 12v for a few minutes to start it up fresh... Some of those error codes might be super old / no longer relevant and which ones come back right away will make it easier to know what to focus on first.

    Also a weak 12v battery on its own can create all kind of madness like this so make sure you got that covered.

    And as always when you get alot of error codes it can mean alotta wires / plug is not connected anymore and that's a straightforward fix.

    Are you doing the work? Or is someone doing the work for you?
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Start by making sure the 12v is healthy
     
  4. fragglestickcar

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    Well, you couldn't be that bamboozled. After all, you're savvy about Techstream which most unsuspecting lemon buyers wouldn't know about.

    P0A80 is the big one which means, as you're aware, the Greenbean's not cutting it. There was a bloke on here a few years ago who complained loudly about the company's policy of giving new owner's just one week to transfer the lifetime warranty. After that public blowup, Greenbean wisely terminated their lifetime warranty policy.
     
  5. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

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    greenbean warranty states that if there are other error codes (other than HV battery) it's void..

    common for Prius to ultimately get ABS problems and it's not cheap.
     
  6. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

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    the history codes can be cleared but I bet the current ones on the ABS will surely come back. Try clearing all the codes first and see what comes back.
     
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Sounds like a perfect clause (for them), considering when you have an HV battery code you'll also always have an HV system (P3000) and brake system (C1259 / C1310) codes....
     
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  8. bigrob

    bigrob New Member

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    I'm planning on doing as much of the work myself as possible. I cleared all the codes a few times and drove around a little, I attached the new readouts.

    Battery is less than a month old, Toyota TrueStart.

    My issue with GreenBean is (imo) way more irritating than that guy's. I made sure to give them everything they wanted within the 7 days. I bought the car from a couple, the car was in his name, but the name on the battery invoice was hers. Because the names don't match they're trying to deny me my warranty. Dealing with this is ongoing. Based on the readouts I'm getting it's maybe just a few cells that are bad, but I can't pull the battery apart to replace them because that would void the warranty for real.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

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    that's not always the case, you can have a HV battery code and no ABS codes.. they're basically looking for a purely reconditioned battery fault. ABS codes which affects the regenerative braking and emission/ecm codes can affect how the HV battery is being charged.
     
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    C1259 is the ECB code that means "hey, you have some code(s) for Hybrid Control, go look there". C1310 is the VSC code that means the same thing. They don't mean there's anything wrong with the brakes or stability control at all, just letting you know that coordination with Hybrid Control won't be happening because of the code(s) reported there.

    In the OP's Techstream screenshot, you can see the P3000 Hybrid Control code (reported because of the P0A80 battery code), and the C1259 and C1310 ABS/VSC/TRAC codes (reported because of the P3000).
     
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  11. bigrob

    bigrob New Member

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    Update:

    After clearing codes and running a health check this morning, sitting in my driveway, one of the battery cells exploded - spectacularly. Nasty fumes everywhere, seeping through the upholstery.

    I spent two hours on hold with Green Bean today during normal business hours, only to get the call dropped just after the two hour mark. These guys are the worst. Don't think I'll have a working car for the next month or two.
     
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  12. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    GreenBean got bought up by LKQ Auto Parts,

    According to Google AI: "LKQ Corporation, a leading provider of alternative and specialty auto parts, is a large company with a global presence. It employs over 44,000 people worldwide and operates in 25 countries, with over 1,600 locations. LKQ's operations include aftermarket, recycled, refurbished, and remanufactured parts, as well as self-service retail businesses and specialty vehicle equipment."

    Keep trying with GreenBean... If you can escalate the complaint as much as possible and then express interest in spending money they will probably give you a big discount on a brand new pack as they're moving away from doing NiMH rebuilds, which are a money loser for them.
     
  13. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    You might want to open up the battery case and confirm that it contains OEM NiMH modules and not some cylindrical cell or hobby alternative chemistry battery modules that someone has retrofitted to a Greenbean case.

    If they are not OEM modules, Greenbean is not going to do anything for you.
     
  14. bigrob

    bigrob New Member

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    I am fairly sure it's a genuine Greenbean, it was purchased recently enough that I trust it wasn't messed with. Also, opening the case or trying to fix it myself at all would void any chance I have of getting that warranty.