It's been several weeks since our 07 TCH started behaving badly, with just 79K miles. MPG started going downhill and then the traction battery monitor would show 7 bars falling to 1 bar instantly. Instantly, as I would be looking at it and it just dropped that fast. It would get parked with a full charge indicated and then the next morning one bar. Sometimes it would drive in EV mode like normal other times in ICE only. Finally,,,,the ECM throws a warning, "Check Hybrid System". I borrowed an Actron scanner that had the capability of basic hybrid codes and one code was present "P0A80". Also, Check VSC would show up occasionally and go away. Somewhere I read this is normal with P0A80 as the ECM shuts down the VSC to conserve power.. Anyway, off to the Dealer tomorrow to hopefully get a new traction battery under warranty. So much for the 150K mile traction battery. I guess I should mention this all started after it was parked for a couple of weeks. First thing I did was replace the factory 12v Battery with a new Optima but that did not seem to be the problem.

 

This sounds like a weak 'cell pack' in the traction battery. The dealer should be able to find this type problem as your seeing it happen on the graph and the way the car then performs. This seems early for a traction battery to have problems but I do remember another having traction battery problem after maybe 110,000 miles. I forget how that worked out.

Good luck with the dealer..

 

Well, then why complain at warranty (btw, why do you even complain at it?) if you drained the traction battery yourself? All hybrid forums are FULL of posts warning not to leave hybrid vehicle without engine run at least once a week or so to charge traction battery.

 

Go easy....this was OP's first post at this forum.
One can't assume that all hybrid owners are fully aware of all the nuances of ownership, nor that they spend their time reading forums, blogs, etc.
Some owners just drive the cars

(I'd be willing to bet that most owners aren't aware of this battery issue ....or that they'd think about the fact that the car needs to be exercised when they're planning a vacation)

 

So this so called expert "ukrkoz" is blaming me for ruining the traction battery for not driving the car for 12 days. Over the last seven years this car has been parked in airport parking lots this long with no problems. According to "ukrkoz" all the hybrids in long term airport parking lots are toast...I don't think so,,,Yes, the forums are full of posts recommending the car be driven every two to three weeks. Not one week. Regardless, if this is the negative condescending response one gets for posting on this board I will gladly be moving on..........

 

I think the traction battery sits idle when parked for a long period. It's the 12-volt battery that has a slight drain from the ECU when it's in it's sleep-mode.

I have driven my TCH home in EV the last 2 miles to our house on a paved country road. Then due to illness and recovery the car sat for 7 days. I did check the battery using the scan gauge II and it read low like 10.85 volts. The car started right up and this was after the car was 5 years old. I was worried about the traction battery being down to 20% but after a few miles it charged right back up just like normal.

The 12 volt battery read 11.25 to 11.35 volts each day I would go out to start the car. So I traded up to a new '12 TCH XLE and never found if they replaced the 12 volt battery or not. The Toyota dealer did sell my car as a Certified pre-owned car. Man I wish I could got all the money they sold that clean car for.

2007TCHPICTURES-A-1.jpg

 

Randy,

That code (P0A80) is a 2 part code that will require a better scanner than you have access to. If you have a pro level scanner, you must clear the code and drive the car for 10 minutes to see if a P0A80-123 code is set. If it is, then you either have a problem with the battery or with the battery smart unit.

The reason for the two part test is exactly what you have experienced. The battery is showing too much of a voltage differential between battery blocks and that can be caused by having the car parked for an extended period. By making you drive the car for the second part of the test, if gives the computer time to recharge and balance the battery blocks.

For the test, you compare the voltages between the 17 battery blocks (odd to even) and is one set compared is off by less than .3 volts, the battery will need to be replaced. If the voltages difference is greater than .3 volts, the smart battery unit will need to be replaced.

That test is ONLY done however after clearing the codes the first time, driving the car for 10 minutes and checking to see if P0A80-123 is showing up. If it doesn't, you are fine and can go back to driving your car as before.

To save a trip to the dealer, clear the code and see if it returns, if it does, go the dealer

 

The code has been cleared three times. The third time the car is driven after the code has been cleared it starts up and goes a few hundred feet when the warning lights come back. (Hybrid and Vsc) The Check VSC goes away in a few miles and the check hybrid stays until cleared....

 

The dealer will need to run the voltage check on the battery and replace either the smart battery unit or the battery in that case. Sorry to hear it happened to you as very few Camry's have had an issue similar to yours. Hopefully the dealer will get you back on the road quickly.

 

It goes in Monday morning. The dealer actually called me back with a lot of questions as I think they are looking forward to diagnosing. From what they say this is rare. This is a large dealer in a large metro and they can not recall replacing a Camry battery pack. As goofy as the battery charge display is, swinging wildly, I bet it is the battery smart unit controller. I assume the smart unit has got to be considered a hybrid component, warranty still good for that.