I'm thinking about making my first hybrid purchase. I've been looking at a 2007 Prius with 85K miles. I think I can get a good price on it, but I'm a little concerned about the battery replacement. I've heard good and bad stories, but I'm worried about it since the warranty will run out at 100K. I was hoping somebody on here would be able to answer some questions for me. I know there are several threads on battery replacement cost, but they all seem to be a year or so old. Does anyone have a current estimate as to what it would cost to replace the battery? Also are they any third party warranty places that would include the battery in the coverage? I've also seen some Prius battery modules on ebay. Is all you need the one module (seem to be in the $600-1100 range) to replace? How difficult is it to replace the module? I apologize for all the questions. I just want to be sure I make the right decision. I don't want a $3-4K repair in the first couple years I own the car. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

• Quote:

  Originally Posted by mm5300

  I'm thinking about making my first hybrid purchase. I've been looking at a 2007 Prius with 85K miles. I think I can get a good price on it, but I'm a little concerned about the battery replacement. I've heard good and bad stories, but I'm worried about it since the warranty will run out at 100K. I was hoping somebody on here would be able to answer some questions for me. I know there are several threads on battery replacement cost, but they all seem to be a year or so old. Does anyone have a current estimate as to what it would cost to replace the battery? Also are they any third party warranty places that would include the battery in the coverage? I've also seen some Prius battery modules on ebay. Is all you need the one module (seem to be in the $600-1100 range) to replace? How difficult is it to replace the module? I apologize for all the questions. I just want to be sure I make the right decision. I don't want a $3-4K repair in the first couple years I own the car. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks.
  First, The Traction battery (200v - 6.5 AH) in the 2004+ Prius has been shown to be very reliable in the field with very few failures (My 2004 is still strong at 144,000 miles) so you should not have a short term concern. As to the cost of replacement:
• A Toyota dealer would currently charge between $2500 and $3000 for a new traction battery installed.
  The wholesale cost is about $1100.
• A used battery salvaged from a low mileage wreck costs about $1000 (sometimes less) and can be installed with about 2 hours of labor, but your dealer will refuse to do it so you will have to find and independent tech.
• It is possible to determine the failed module (or modules) in the battery pack and replace it with one from a salvaged battery pack. This requires finding someone with spare modules and the willingness to spend the 2 or three hours to do the work. There are people on this and other discussion groups that have experimented with this procedure.

In all cases the individual(s) working on the system need to follow careful procedures as the battery can deliver a lethal electric shock. If You or anyone else actually has a traction battery problem a good contact is Bob Wilson. He is active in the Prius_Technical_Group on Yahoo and at the new myHybridCar web site as bwilson4web. He was the editor of the Prius FAQ sticky (see above).

JeffD