Our 2005 Prius battery died during a service at the dealer

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by go2Wilbur, Sep 11, 2015.

  1. go2Wilbur

    go2Wilbur New Member

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    Our 2005 Prius has been running perfectly for 10 years. The check engine light went on last week. Our Toyota dealer did the diagnostic computer check and the problem was the coolant cap. Several other minor problems were fixed. 5 minutes before we arrive at the dealer for pickup we are told that our car ran out of gas (the gas level was low), and a repeat diagnostic showed multiple lights and the battery was now dead and needs replacement. We are 6 months out of warranty. The Service Dept said they have seen this happen before when the car runs out of gasoline. The Service Department admits that the battery was fine when we arrived at the shop. What happened here? And how do we solve the problem other than buying a new battery. We are waiting to hear back if the dealer will cover part or all of the cost. Thanks!!!
     
    #1 go2Wilbur, Sep 11, 2015
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    How old was the battery?

    They likely pushed it to extinction due to doors left open for protracted time. But your recourse hinges a lot on how new it is. I mean, if it's over 4 years old, I wouldn't get too riled: it's getting close to replacement time anyway.

    That reminds me, our's is closing in on 5 years now... :whistle:
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Sep 11, 2015
  3. go2Wilbur

    go2Wilbur New Member

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    10.5 years old
    unbelievable that the battery died while the car was being serviced
    something must have happened during the service that caused the problem
     
    #3 go2Wilbur, Sep 11, 2015
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Whoa: the battery is 10.5 years old?
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Sep 11, 2015
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Which battery died?
     
    #5 JC91006, Sep 11, 2015
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  6. go2Wilbur

    go2Wilbur New Member

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    It was the original battery on the car that died, from 2005. Car has 120,000 miles. P0A80 Code due to block # 14 low in battery came up at the end of the day at 6pm while car was being serviced. Battery was fine when I drove it to dealer at 10:30am and an initial diagnostic review at Noon revealed no battery issues. What did the service technician possibly do to cause the battery to die?
     
    #6 go2Wilbur, Sep 11, 2015
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    No, who's on first, lol. Ok, starting to emerge, that's it's the car's hybrid battery, not the 12 volt battery.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Sep 11, 2015
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  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This has nothing to do with the Tech, the battery was ready to go.

    The good news is you are already at the dealer and they cannot charge you another diagnostic fee for this. You can request they call Toyota HQ to ask for a goodwill warranty and see what they can do for you. Chances are, they'll pay for a portion (or all of it).
     
    #8 JC91006, Sep 11, 2015
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  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You answered this question in your OP - you allowed the fuel level to get so low that the car ran out of fuel while it was being serviced.

    Same answer as above. It is not really the job of the service tech to fill your gas tank...

    A failure of the traction battery due to an out of fuel situation is normally considered owner abuse - so do not be surprised if you do not receive any financial assistance on the traction battery replacement.
     
    #9 Patrick Wong, Sep 11, 2015
  10. go2Wilbur

    go2Wilbur New Member

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    It's a hybrid...when it's not using gas, it goes to electric, right? So, if it ran out of gas, wouldn't it convert to electric, not destroy the battery?
     
    #10 go2Wilbur, Sep 12, 2015
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    How does the battery prevent itself from depleating? Oh yes gas engine has to kick on
     
    #11 JC91006, Sep 12, 2015
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The likely issue: 2nd gen's are happy to run the battery right down if the car runs out of gas. This has I believe been rectified on gen 3, but that's cold comfort for you.

    They can get a special charger in, that may rectify it.

    Another possibility: doesn't a dry car need at least 3 gallons added, before it'll start? Maybe they're not aware of this, put in maybe just one gallon?
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Sep 12, 2015
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Dealer got code p0a80 block 14 bad.
     
    #13 JC91006, Sep 12, 2015
  14. Dino33ca

    Dino33ca Member

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    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember hearing it was only the '04 and '05 that had this problem.
     
    #14 Dino33ca, Sep 12, 2015
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  15. IMkenNY

    IMkenNY Im just being nosy

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    I don't think its likely the dealership did anything incorrectly to damage your battery, It most likely hit a unusual low state of charge while being serviced.

    Since it did go down at the dealership, perhaps the dealership would go to bat for you and get you a really good deal on a new one through a Toyota goodwill gesture.

    As others have mentioned a whole pack grid charge may bring it back or you can have the code reset and take it on a long drive with limited AC use. (have an inexpensive generic OBD reader handy to reset a code if it comes on during the drive)
     
    #15 IMkenNY, Sep 12, 2015
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I can't, cause I'm just shooting from the hip, will defer to your info on the subject.
     
    #16 Mendel Leisk, Sep 12, 2015
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