Toyota Prius Batteries

[Rick Kent]

I have a friend who has been driving his Prius since 2005, 169k on it and he bought it new.



He was at the Toyota dealer today for diagnosis of loss in power and low battery charge levels and was told he had some bad cells in the battery pack.....



$4200 to replace.



No warranty on the battery pack at this age and mileage.



With the Prius seemingly so popular I have not heard much about battery pack failure in the 10 years they have been around.



Anyone else experience this or know someone who has and what did they do with the car?

 

[Brian Hill 2]

Never used this before but if I had one of those battery cars I would try this route.

$4000 is it worth it with that many miles? No for me.



http://www.hybridbatteryrebuild.com/?hop=reviewtips

 

[Richard L]

Like anthing that runs on rechargeable batteries, eventually the batteries will have to be replaced. This applies to Cell phones, laptops, and even hybrid vehicles.



Battery life and replacement cost has always been an issue with electric and hybrid vehicles. The earlier models required new batteries every 5-6 years which appears to be the situation in this case. I understand that new models of Prius have a little bit more advanced battery technology and claim that the batteries should last about 8 years...but I don't know if the guarantee the longer-life batteries.



The good news is that there is very little in labor charges to swap the batteries since the battery back pops in and out easily with only a few bolts and cable connections. Less than an hours labor, however I think we all know the dealers will claim they have to run tests, and diagnostics to insure the new battery pack and charging systems are performing up to standards, or they cannot provide any warranty...yada yada yada. :grin:



I know the EPA estimated fuel mileage only includes the actual city/hwy mileage, but does the Total Cost To Own or Cost per mile expenses include a $4200 battery replacement cost??



...Rich

 

[scott ripp]

I have a Hybrid Camry and this was one of my biggest concerns when purchasing it. I talked to a few local Toyota dealers in the area and none of them had a hybrid return due to a battery. They said even if they needed to be replaced, most likely it would be 1 of the batteries, not the full bank. Estimated replacement cost for 1 battery was about $300 (3 months ago). I am no expert, but wanted to pass along some info from my local dealer. **BTW I did not buy the car through the dealership, it was my fleet vehicle from work which i bought out.

 

[David Ponder]

So how much has he saved on fuel, vs the cost in a normal Camry for instance? Will the difference cover the cost to replace the batteries? (Just curious thinking...)

 

[Jacob Dryer]

I didn't look up real numbers but

30 mpg vs 50 mpg $3.78 a gallon 15,000 miles a year, 5 years is a savings of $3780.

 

[H D]

And while we're also trying to save the environment, how do you dispose of the dead battery?

 

[Kevin Palmer]

When the battery packs first started to fail, they were 7000 dollars to replace if they were not covered...



The technology was/is too new for most mechanics to be able to fix these type of cars.



Thus, it forces most to go to the dealer and pay the big bucks both for the parts and the labor...



It will come down, just a matter of time...

 

[Bud Williams]

Saw the local paper today, a local family won a Georgia Natural Gas contest for a Honda civic with a home refill station. Natural gas seems like a better alternative for local commuting than total electric...especially since batteries are so expensive to replace....and natural gas is in many homes in the south...and its abundant right here in the USA....

T Boone Pickens for next Sec of Energy...

 

[TrainTrac]

T boone pickett for next Sec of Energy...

Better yet, abolish the Dept of Energy!

 

[gary s]

the prius battery only charges 60% at best.



battery warranty on the new prius is 10 years/150K.





older prius did not have this long of a warranty, but expected life is 8 years and over 150K.



the technology is much better and toyota is the industry leader in hybrid vehicles.

R&D is constantly improving and if battery failure occurs you still are ahead of the game by replacing it. fuel savings and residual are proof of that.

 

[Tom Schindler]

R&D is constantly improving and if battery failure occurs you still are ahead of the game by replacing it. fuel savings and residual are proof of that.

At 4200 for a set of batteries, there is no way residule and gas savings will ever make up the difference.





Tom

 

[rob chaw]

Hi, i'm curious, this just popped in my head...



what about tax breaks doesn't the Prius and other Electric/Engine or Total Electric cars get some sort of tax break or something each year also?



rob

 

[scott degroot]

$4200 for the battery...run, these can be purchased for about $2500 and it's about 2 hours of labor to replace it...unless the customer has the back end loaded with crap and you have to unpack the vehicle...don't ask

 

[TrainTrac]

what about tax breaks doesn't the Prius and other Electric/Engine or Total Electric cars get some sort of tax break or something each year also?

If I remember correctly, it's a one time tax break for the year in which you purchase the eligible vehicle. I got a tax break in 2004 because my '04 Sport Trac was eligible as a Flex-Fuel (E85-capable) engine-equipped vehicle.

 

[gary s]

"there is no way residule and gas savings will ever make up the difference."



your opinion from your cubicle. :sad:

 

[Jacob Dryer]

Prius - 51/48 mpg (49.5 avg) starting price $23,500

Camry - 22/33 mpg (27.5 avg) starting price $20,200



Focus - 27/37 mpg (32 avg) starting price $16500



Using 10 years since thats the new battery warranty.. gas consumption alone.. (using $3.65)

Prius - $11061

Camry - $19909

Focus - $17109



2001 Prius - 122,000 miles - Good condition, private party - $5,185

2001 Camry - 122,000 miles - Good condition, private party - $5,245

2001 Focus - 122,000 miles - Good condition, private party - $3,035



Cost of ownership (purchase + gas - sale cost = final cost)

Prius - $29376

Camry - $38164

Focus - $30574



No opinions, just numbers. I tried to compare as closely as possible, but I'm not going to spend hours making sure each price listed has the exact same options and such. I'd say it's pretty damn close and boils down to preference. And we all know both Tom and Gary's individual preferences..

 

[H D]

I still factor in vehicles' appearance. None of those three really appeal to me personally but I'd have to say that I'd pay the extra $1,200 (based on JD's #s) to own the Focus over the Prius.



Still, I wonder, what happens to the battery of the Earth-saving-Prius when it has run it's cycle?

 

[mookie]

...what happens to the battery of the Earth-saving-Prius when it has run it's cycle?

They can be recycled.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

I'm not sure how credible this source is but here's some interesting info..

Battery recycling is energy-intensive, and it takes 6 to 10 times more energy to reclaim metals from recycled batteries as it does to produce the materials through other means, including mining. Lets explore who pays for the recycling of batteries.