The traction battery of our 2006 Prius has been officially declared as dead by the Toyota dealer. As this is a California car, they are replacing it with a new (not remanufactured) unit under the warranty. The warranty happens to be 150,000 miles. In terms of leading indicators: Over the past couple of months, we definitely noticed a drop in gas mileage; from a nominal 42-44 MPG down to consistently 37-39. 4 days ago, the Triangle ! , Check Engine, (!) lights and VSC lights came on. Engine was revving higher than normal. Tried turning car off and restarting; but nothing really changed (slight variation as to which warning lights came on). Car stayed that way through the next day also. Two days ago, all warning light still on - was hoping for a "fluke" that would go away. But it did not - within a half hour, car went to slow creep mode (drove at less than 20 mph). Crept all the way home. (this was a Sunday, so just parked it.) Monday morning: Called dealer, asked if I should drive or tow it there - they said tow. Later that afternoon they called and said there was a bad cell and battery needed to be replaced. Car will be ready this afternoon. The car is well maintained, and I can't provide a reason for why the traction battery died this soon. Given the warranty that Toyota provides, I am still planning on buying a plug-in Prius this spring.
Sorry to hear your car's battery went kaput. However, it isn't a Toyota warranty, it is a requirement warranty because California is a CARB state. If CA wasn't a CARB state, your warranty would have run out at 100,000 miles and the tone of this post would likely be a bit different. Still, congrats on getting a new battery and potentially a new car in a short while!
Out of curiosity, are there steep hills in your commute? Is the car parked out in the sun most of the time? Good to hear that they're replacing it for free under warranty. It would be good to know the codes listed on your receipt.
No steep long hills (~1 or 2 blocks is all). Mostly freeway driving. Car is parked in garage and our operating temperatures are very moderate. I can't answer you regarding the codes.
You are right that my tone would be different. Actually, I would just not buy the plug in prius in a few months. I fully expect any car to last 12-15 years and 200,000 miles+. I would not hold a Hybrid to a lesser standard. However, given the solid warranty provided, I feel secure in buying the next car.
Seems Toyota is shooting themselves in the foot by not having people in the field that can test for bad cells and replace only the damaged components, not the whole assembly. To the OP, as simple a question as this seems, are you running your original 12v battery?
How about when parked outside, like when at work? So Cal isn't exactly the coolest part of the US during the summer. Well, it's a whole bunch of work and perhaps Toyota does rebuild/remanfacture packs. See http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ack-how-many-cells-does-need.html#post1385864 and few posts down for the work involved. As for the 12 volt, I doubt that'd be the cause for the OP's symptoms but if it is the original, it should definitely be changed pronto.
It's a whole bunch of work to replace the complete traction battery, and they cost...for parts and transportation, testing for the bad component and replacing it instead of the whole shebang would be a win-win situation, the public would breath a lot easier (most think the traction battery is going to die and cost 5,000$+ to replace) and Toyota itself wouldn't be shipping whole units out the door, just components. Methinks Toyota is grinding teeth thinking about battery failures. 12v battery wise, weird things happen to this digital device on wheels when the 12v is weak or dying.
This means that Toyota would have to train at least one or two techs at each of its 1,300 US dealer locations (not to mention international dealers) how to do this without killing themselves. That might not be so easy compared to having a central depot do the work of remanufacturing the battery assemblies. Also, it is questionable how long a single battery module replacement repair will last. Adjacent modules may fail due to overheating caused by the failing module.
There's no easy way to do this, to identify a bad cell that is not yet a dead cell. And the hard ways are time consuming while not always definitive. It is not in Toyota's interest to identify marginal batteries for warranty replacement. A marginal battery can limp along for quite a while, and they hope past the mileage or time warranty, before it finally gives up.
The 12V battery was replaced about 8 months ago with a Toyota battery. The battery would no longer hold a charge overnight -forcing me to replace it. The old battery had accidentally fully discharged a couple of times during its ~4 year life (doors ajar, etc...) I asked the service rep if the new traction battery is a re-manufactured or brand new unit. The answer I received was that they use both; depending on what they have in stock. She looked mine up and it was a new one with "improved revision". Don't ask me what the revision / enhancement was - but that's what was stated. I don't have any way to confirm whether the unit in my car is NEW or Re-Manufactured - Any experts out there know of an easy and quick way to tell? (codes or part # stamped on some visible portion of the pack)? For myself, I am glad it is new. I think the cells age... and I would obviously want the new pack to last at least 5-10 more years (next one will not be free!). By the way, I also asked about the replacement cost (if it was not warranty) and was told $3500-$4500....
New doesn't always mean recent. How long was the battery sitting in a warehouse? If it isn't the same pack as the Gen3 the last Gen2 rolled off the assembly line in late 2008 or early 2009. How many replacement batteries do they assemble? Some car collectors search for "New Old Stock"--original parts that were never installed.
Trying to make feel better.... heh? Those batteries are like a fine wine... do better with age! I actually don't know how old they are... so, we will just enjoy the new battery pack!
Sorry for the looooong delay. Here is what we know based on the receipt: "Checked and found HV Battery codes. Found P0A80 Replace Battery. P3012 Battery Pack #2 Low Voltage. Inspected live data and verified battery voltage below 1 volt compared to highest. Removed and replaced battery pack assembly. Interchanged ECU with SMRS. Ran vehicle and checked battery voltages. Road tested and verified proper operation." In addition, the part number for the replacement battery is shown as: "G9510-47031 A0 Battery Assembly, HV SUP"
