My 2007 got the dreaded red triangle of death this week. Got this car around 194K earlier this year and barely 3 months into ownership and about 3K miles driven. Retrieved the codes P3000, P0A80, and C1310 and car was running on ICE only. The MFD battery bars were erratic going from green, down to purple rapidly. While powered on and ICE not running, the bars disappeared within minutes. I cleared the codes and they the RTOD returned within 5 miles of residential driving. Now only P3000 and P0A80 codes. Up to this point, I was averaging 44 mpg over the last 6 fillups and 1500 miles. MFD battery gauge generally stable above middle bars to all green so this recent event out of the blue caught me off guard. I knew from previous work cleaning the battery fan that the battery top cover appeared stock. Last night after I fully gutted the rear and pulled out the hybrid battery, to my surprise after I removed the cover I stared at 14 of http://www.PriusApp.com R&D in USA Assembled in China bank of modules. It took a few minutes to register in my mind but I finally realized this is the infamous Project Lithium built pack. Model DP001. Oh boy. My heart sank. The module visually appear fine. I don't see any meltdown. A few modules' top cap seams have some black foam (hopefully not soot) and some tan looking glue. The ECU appears original and all the pieces seem intact. I don't see anything resembling a "signal smoother" device onboard. The ECU has a black label instead of a newer red label. No corrosion or scorching on the orange main harness plug or the connector. Can I assume the battery ECU is functionally good? Would there be any problems moving the controller etc out of my pack and installing into a brand new Toyota OEM NiMH pack and move forward with life? I am definitely missing the original black rubber vent tubing that runs along the top vent outlets of the OEM modules. Is the vent tubing critical to vent the gas/fumes from the OEM NiMH or can it be safely omitted? To be continued...
Perhaps but I doubt there will be any warranty coverage on this pack. Seems the DP001 were V2 and my guess these might be > 1 yr. Plus I'm not the original purchaser. Nothing against his business or his new v3 sodium tech but it seems he EOL all the Project Lithium and any references to his V1/V2/V2.5 products, I'm not sure I'd throw $600 or any money to install a sodium pack into an old Prius that was designed to run reliably >200K on its OEM NiMH.
Welcome to the sinking rowboat. Warranty is out of range of 1 year DIY and 2 year authorized install. Unless you can provide purchase information. Options are 1 go OEM for $3,150 ish. The new sodium V3 for $2,100 ish or aftermarket china for $1,900 There have been very good results with the sodium ion V3, OEM is a sure bet just very pricy.
I called around a few dealers in my area and prices ranged from $2049 to $2800 after the $1350 core charge. The $2049 dealer does not sell to DIY, only installed by them or to certified shop. Back in March a dealer quoted me $3400 for the battery but they are now down to $2300. Guess the prices fluctuate or based on erratic US trade and tariff announcements on social media. At ~$2000 range for a new Toyota OEM battery, I can stomach that any day over unproven community projects. $2000 factory Panasonic NiMH vs $2100 chemistry project .
