Hi folks,

Pat gave me the OK to post this:
>From: Patrick T.
>Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2006 2:12 PM
>To: 'Wilson, Robert J'
>Subject: RE: Prius
>
>Hi Bob,
>
>Thought you might be interested in this bit of news on my Prius. Turns out
>I am getting the first replacement batteries for one here in Huntsville. I
>had been noticing that my car was driving funny the last month or so, but
>nothing really that you could take in to a dealer and complain about. What
>I could feel, which most people probably couldn't since they didn't drive a
>Prius all the time, was a sort of stutter when driving at highway speeds.
>It was almost like the transmission had a slight chatter to it or that the
>gas engine and electric were not in sync. It was very slight and I noticed
>my mileage had dropped about 10% too.
>
>Two days ago I was sitting in the ATM window and the warning lights came on
>(the big! in the triangle) and the check engine light. The car wasn't
>doing
>anything different, but I drove it straight home.
>
>The next morning I got up to drive it to the dealer and it would not go
>into
>reverse. It acted like the transmission would not engage. Finally after a
>bit, I got it backed out of the garage and drove it on to the dealership.
>(This was at about 5:00 AM to avoid any traffic). I avoided stopping and
>the car kept driving like the transmission wasn't engaged all the way or
>something.
>
>Along the way, the brake warning light goes on (coming down Monte Sano on
>Governors) and I worried that I had no brakes, but after applying the
>brakes
>and finding them to be okay, I figured out that the regenerative brake
>system that charges the batteries must have failed.
>
>I managed to get it to the dealer without further problems. Yesterday I
>checked on it and they told me they were still getting codes out of it and
>trying to figure out the problem. Today when I called they said it was the
>battery that has to be replaced. They said the high voltage was spiking
>which was causing all the problems.
>
>It turns out that the batteries are warranted for 8 years or 100,000 miles.
>Guess what, I have 99,920 miles on my car! So Toyota gets to replace the
>batteries for me. I thought that the batteries were supposed to be
>warranted for 150,000 miles, but I must have heard wrong.
>
>The service advisor told me that the price on the batteries was $2800.
>Don't know what the labor would have been had I had to pay for it.
>
>Looks like it may be tomorrow or Monday before I get my car back, but with
>new batteries I should be good for another 100,000 miles. I wonder if the
>new batteries carry the same warranty. I will have to ask.
>
>Pat

 

Wow! That description of what happens when the battery fails should be included somewhere (maybe the FAQ?) for all Prius owners to see.

 

Hi,

I'm sharing it with 'the usual suspects.' If I put it in the FAQ, it will just be link to his note.

I met Pat about two months ago. He has a white, 01 or 02 Prius, and I saw it headed down a road that also leads to my work. I followed him and pulled up along side in his parking lot. He was intially a little nervous until he realized I'm a harmless nut. <grins>

We're in Alabama, hot summers, and he later said I drive a lot slowers than he does. But I noticed he also parked in the Alabama sun whereas I always look for shade.

Bob Wilson

 

Wow, he was lucky! It doesn't take very long to go 80 miles.

 

My HV battery nightmare….

OK, here we go. I can’t get help from any national Toyota rep so I need the support OF customers.

I bought my 2001 Classic from Carmax on March 31st, 2007 and drove it over 500 miles in 3 days. It easily averaged 50 mpg overall, up to 60 mpg at times, with no problems or warning symbols that I could detect. Then I took it to a the largest Toyota dealer in the state for a full checkup, and now it’s been in their shop ever since.

They said they found a stored trouble code and it needed new spark plugs, gasket, injectors, and a new computer, all for free under Toyota warranty. They did the work, and replaced the aux battery, too, and now it won’t start. So they loaned me a new free Camry and I’m still driving it, but I can hardly afford the doubled fuel cost.

I’ve talked with 4 levels of the dealer’s mechanics and managers, and they say the HV battery is basically dead, and they’ve been trying to start it every day, but the ICE won’t start. They’ve been trying to get hold of the only HV battery charger in the region to try charging it, and if it can’t be, they’ll replace it free. But they may not get the charger until May 2nd, because it has to be accompanied by a trained technician.

I trust this dealer because a friend has been satisfied with their service on her Corolla for 15 years, but I need my Prius back and running, and the dealer isn’t making any progress. They don’t know, or won’t say, if the HV battery was drained during their work. I want to be driving my Prius when I’m making loan payments and buying an extended warranty this month. The Carmax 30-day warranty runs out soon, but Toyota doesn’t seem to be following through on its responsibility to fix the hybrid system. They just say, “We’ll make it right. Keep driving that free Camry. You’re going to have a great car.” But WHEN?

I have a document of the crankshaft position sensor recall repair, but from reading internet posts, I think it has missed out on a number of recalls, such as the steering box.

Here is data from a live laptop printout of the car’s computer that the mechanic did for me April 19th. The printout says “2003 Prius 1NZ-FXE” and I don’t know why it says 2003. Some values were cleared when disconnecting and connecting the 12V battery. The charge indicator on the Energy touch screen shows maybe ¼ charge. He showed me that it would not go from Ready to ICE mode. He expects the ICE will start once the HV battery is charged. He says he has charged several on other cars. I guess all I can do is trust them to do what they say they will do, and fix it right, for free.

Battery SOC 0.0 %
WIN -20.0 KW
WOUT 0.0 KW
Delta SOC 20.0 %
IB Main Battery 0.00 A
Battery Blck Min Voltage 8.07 V
Min Battery Block No 8 #
Battery Block Max Voltage 14.06 V
Max Battery Block No 19 #
Battery Temperature 1 68 F
Battery Temperature 2 64.4 F
Battery Temperature 3 66.2 F
Battery Temperature 4 68 F
Battery Inside Air Temp 66.2 F
Normal Status Yes
Pre Onboard Charge No
Onboard Charge Status No
Outer Charge Status No
Cooling Fan Lo OFF
Cooling Fan Mid OFF
Cooling Fan Hi OFF
VMF Fan Voltage 0.000 V
SBL Fan Stop Request OFF
Auxiliary Battery Voltage 10.937 V
EQTR Charge Start Sig OFF
EQCO Front Relay OFF
CCTL ON
Estimat of Ex Charg Hour 0.0 Hr
Battery Blck Voltage 1 13.48 V
Battery Blck Voltage 2 12.11 V
Battery Blck Voltage 3 10.31 V
Battery Blck Voltage 4 9.70 V
Battery Blck Voltage 5 9.21 V
Battery Blck Voltage 6 8.56 V
Battery Blck Voltage 7 8.63 V
Battery Blck Voltage 8 8.09 V
Battery Blck Voltage 9 9.14 V
Battery Blck Voltage 10 8.51 V
Battery Blck Voltage 11 8.73 V
Battery Blck Voltage 12 10.12 V
Battery Blck Voltage 13 10.47 V
Battery Blck Voltage 14 10.80 V
Battery Blck Voltage 15 11.65 V
Battery Blck Voltage 16 12.72 V
Battery Blck Voltage 17 12.76 V
Battery Blck Voltage 18 13.51 V
Battery Blck Voltage 19 14.06 V
Inside Resist 1 0.024 ohm
Inside Resist 2 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 3 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 4 0.023 ohm
Inside Resist 5 0.023 ohm
Inside Resist 6 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 7 0.023 ohm
Inside Resist 8 0.021 ohm
Inside Resist 9 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 10 0.023 ohm
Inside Resist 11 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 12 0.024 ohm
Inside Resist 13 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 14 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 15 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 16 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 17 0.022 ohm
Inside Resist 18 0.021 ohm
Inside Resist 19 0.022 ohm
Onboard Charge Time 0 times
Battery Low Time 0 times
BC Inhibit Time 0 times
Battery HI Time 0 times
IG OFF Hour 0 Hr
IG ON Hour 0.04 Hr
The Stored DTC Num 0
ECU Code 47030A

The mechanic says he’s charging the small battery, and Toyota won’t let him replace the HV battery without trying the charger, even though the pack charges range from 8 to 14V. He says he’s employed the charger on a few Prii, and he expects it to level out the voltages, and if it doesn’t, they can get a new HV battery overnight. He is scheduled to get the charger May 2nd. He says he will let them know their delivery date for the charger is unacceptable and will try to get it sooner. He says he’s doing everything he can to go to bat for me, but still no theory on what happened to the HV battery.

I hope this isn’t the beginning of the end of the 2001 Prius. I’d appreciate any advice you guys can provide, and I’ll keep you posted.

 

Hi,

First, you are lucky this is all being done under warranty. Looking at the different cell voltages, the traction battery needs to have the cells equalized. It it gets replaced, good deal.

I understand the frustration with having a great car that 'gets caught.' Unfortunately, loaner Prius are rare. You might check to see if they have something smaller you could us in the meanwhile.

Based upon the voltage for the auxiliary battery, I hope he is able to get a charge on it. However, if not, Toyota battery is pricey, $100+. Not much we can do unless you bring your own and the options are not very attractive. For DIY maintainers, we've found that sometimes they just need water.

So how many miles were on the car when you bought it?

Any idea how long it had been 'sitting' before you picked it up?

What part of the country?

Bob Wilson

 

While driving, crossed 60K miles. Could have been sitting several months at Carmax - NC.

 

How can the cells be equalized?

 

Please find out. I seriously doubt it, though. They'll probably only be warrantied for 12 months/12,000 miles. It would be great for us, and a detriment to the auto manufacturer, to get another 8 year/100 mile warranty out of the new batteries!

 

Thanks Bob!
The dealer says the work they have done is all the remaining TSB and recall work my 2001 should have.
What are the total TSB and recall jobs it should have had, or should have?