Selecting the Proper Equipment for the Job
It is not necessary to spend a lot of money to find the appropriate instruments to inspect your hybrid battery. Getting an OBD2 adaptor is the first thing you should do. Check out this post on the Carista OBD2 Tool if you need help choosing one that will work for you.
Once you have this practical tool in your possession, you should download the Dr. Prius app for FREE from the Google Play or App Store (whatever your flavor). Open the app, plug your device into your Prius, and operate it. Many folks may become confused at this point. Check out this post on how to use the Dr. Prius app for additional in-depth information.
The fundamentals are that you must search for weak blocks and determine whether you have Delta SOC. You can detect if your battery is questionable based on these two factors. The battery life test in Dr. Prius is another cool feature. Expect that it is paid, yet it is really accurate.
In This Article...
How can I check the health of my Prius battery?
Absolutely! These steps can be used to check your Toyota Prius’s battery life:
- Check your Prius’s battery level after starting it.
- Start your engine and drive. Keep an eye on how long it takes your battery to discharge.
- Next, locate a hill and let your automobile roll down it. Keep an eye on how quickly your battery charges.
- You are in stage two of three battery health stages if your battery level fluctuates quickly. This indicates that if you want to keep your automobile in good condition for a long time, your battery may need to be reconditioned. However, you can be confident that your battery will continue to work properly for a while.
As an alternative, your vehicle’s battery may be deteriorating if:
- Less gas is being consumed by your car.
- Your battery’s charge status undergoes abrupt changes.
- When you park your car, the battery is full. When you go back to it later, it is empty.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should have your automobile examined to make sure your battery is the problem.
Why not check your auto insurance prices while you’re checking on your battery? The Jerry app makes it simple to find the best deals. To obtain a list of estimates from renowned providers like Nationwide and Allstate, simply download the app and respond to a few short questions.
How can I tell if the battery in my Prius is low?
Ever since the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle debuted in the automobile industry, it has revolutionized the industry. The car gives drivers the best of both worlds because it has both an electric motor and a gasoline engine.
However, unlike a typical combustion-engine vehicle, a Prius’ batteries do eventually fail after being in use for a while.
- decreased fuel efficiency.
- issues with the charge state.
- not able to hold a charge for very long.
- More often than necessary, the combustion engine is running.
- Several odd engine noises
Then, we’ll even look at a few more subtle symptoms that you may use to determine when it’s time to replace the batteries in your Prius.
How can you tell if the hybrid Prius battery is failing?
No matter the brand or model, you’ll probably notice at least one of the following signs when the battery in a hybrid car starts to fail.
A decrease in fuel economy
If you’re not receiving the recommended gas mileage, the battery is probably on its way out. The hybrid vehicle’s battery serves to supply power to power your car. Therefore, when the battery starts to fail, your automobile switches back to using the gas combustion engine as its power source. An obvious symptom that the battery is failing is an increase in gas station stops.
Fluctuations in the state of charge
Does your display indicate a fluctuating charge? Does this mean your battery is fully charged at one point yet critically low at another? The battery in the car can be overcharging or unable to maintain a charge.
The battery’s not holding a charge
A clear indication that your hybrid vehicle’s battery need diagnostic care is when you park your car overnight and leave it charged, only to find it has a low battery when you get back in the morning.
The internal combustion system runs more than it should
An internal combustion engine that starts running more frequently than it should or starts up at odd times is trying to tell you something. It’s time to schedule a battery inspection for as soon as possible.
How can I tell whether my hybrid battery is in good condition?
Standard cars, vans, and SUVs work differently from hybrid-powered vehicles. When your hybrid automobile is getting close to the end of its useful life, it will offer you lots of warning signs. If you are unfamiliar with the warning indications, though, you could not detect a problem until the day your car won’t start.
Your hybrid battery may be on its last legs if:
- You frequently use your internal combustion engine.
- Your miles per gallon are declining.
- Your battery is struggling to maintain a charge.
- Unusual engine noises can be heard.
The lifespan of hybrid batteries is limited. After between eight and 10 years of use, most batteries eventually fail. Your battery may be covered by a warranty if it fails before eight years of use. The cost of repairing a dead hybrid battery, though, is often your burden outside of that.
Can a Prius be operated even with a dead hybrid battery?
In the event that the hybrid battery fails due to a P0A80, your Prius will still run, albeit more often. Since we lack the necessary amount of battery energy, the car will still run, but with less power. The automobile won’t start easily and won’t stop smoothly either.
Prius is a parallel hybrid, which means that even if one part breaks down, the car can still run until the problem can be fixed properly.
Yes, the Toyota Prius can continue drive even if the hybrid battery fails, to give you the quick answer. However, you will experience a worse drive and poorer fuel economy. Visit your dealer or a qualified company that can assist you in getting it back into working order if you run into this problem.
I sincerely hope that this is helpful to anyone who has experienced a bad hybrid battery. For extra assistance, feel free to contact us through the Toyota Prius Owners Club Facebook group.
How can I tell if the 12 volt Prius battery is damaged?
- Inability to start up or no reaction while pressing the power button.
- Before starting, turn on the interior and exterior lights, which will then brighten once the Prius is in “Ready” mode.
- radio presets disappear when you power on your Prius.
- Pump for the coolant reservoir that starts out slowly but picks up speed once the Prius is in “Ready” mode.
- Failure to enter “Ready” mode while the odometer display shows flashing gear selections.
- The multi-function display (MFD) is displaying an error warning that reads, “The transmission’s “p” lock mechanism has a malfunction. Put the parking brake all the way down and park your automobile on a level surface.”
Note that there are additional odd problems that can arise when the 12-volt battery becomes low; this is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
What occurs if the hybrid Prius battery dies?
Unbelievably, the affordable Toyota Prius has been available in the United States for 12 years.
The traction battery packs in early automobiles are nearing the end of their expected 10-year, 300,000-mile lifespan, yet many of these initial 2000 Priuses are still providing their owners with the same gas mileage they did when they were new.
Your Toyota Prius’ battery pack will be replaced for free if it fails before the end of its 150,000 (or 100,000) mile guarantee. However, if your vehicle has passed its warranty, you will be one of the 500 or so owners who experience an expired nickel-metal-hydride battery pack each month.
They must decide whether to purchase a new battery pack or a new vehicle after seeing decreased performance and a dashboard warning light.
The number of malfunctioning Prius battery packs is still incredibly low, as Gary Smith, corporate manager of product quality and service support at Toyota, is quick to point out.
It’s also important to note that even though battery packs have a 150,000-mile (or 100,000-mile, depending on the state you live in) warranty, many battery packs have a lifespan of at least twice that.
The number of instances involving malfunctioning battery packs will increase over the following years, though, considering the 1.3 million Toyota hybrids now on American roads.
You have two options for out-of-warranty cars: replace the battery or the vehicle.
The price per unit for a Toyota Prius battery pack ranges from $2,300 to $2,590, as we’ve previously mentioned. Installing a fresh pack will probably cost you extra money. However, as a point of comparison, the price of replacing a battery pack is a little lower than the typical engine rebuild on a car with a comparable age and high mileage.
While there are less expensive alternatives to a dealer-supplied battery pack, the majority of Prius owners will want to go back to the dealership where they bought the car to avoid damaging it themselves or by having a local mechanic who isn’t knowledgeable with hybrids do it.
A Prius owner with a failing hybrid battery pack is a welcome customer for retailers.
“According to Mike Sullivan of Multiline Toyota in Santa Monica, California, “We tell them, “Here’s what’s going to happen in the next year or two.” “No one gets angry. They are aware that the life cycle lasts seven or eight years.
Many owners opt to trade in their vehicles for a new model Prius rather than continuing to drive a vehicle with a failing battery pack, some of whom are already ready for a new vehicle.
“The Prius is a good entry-premium vehicle, and when this occurs, we can convince customers to upgrade to the following hybrid, according to Sullivan. ” For us, it’s a worthwhile tale.
Thanks to a battery recycling program Toyota started in 2010, old battery packs aren’t wasted no matter what the owner decides.
The spent lithium-ion battery pack from Tesla is delivered to the same company, Kinsbursky Brothers, for recycling after it has been removed, located in Anaheim, California.
Battery packs are disassembled upon arrival at the specialist facility; nickel is smelted for stainless steel used in refrigerator doors, while rare-earth elements, plastic casings, and electrolyte are all recycled into the relevant industries.
In the end, everyone benefits from the process: dealers receive more business, and customers can select between a newer model with even higher gas mileage or a new battery pack. Perhaps more crucially, not a single traction battery pack is disposed of in a landfill, demonstrating that batteries are still the most recyclable consumer product regardless of their composition.
How frequently should a Toyota Prius battery be changed?
How long do hybrid batteries actually last as you relax in your hybrid while listening to the buzz of your engine?
A hybrid battery has a different lifespan than a car battery, which you may already be aware of. Read on to find out how long your hybrid battery should last and what you can do to prolong it.
How Long Do Hybrid Batteries Last?
You will save tens of thousands of dollars annually on fuel thanks to a hybrid battery. Others rush to fill up at the petrol stations. You use the garage outlet to charge your car and go to the gas stations half as often as your neighbor.
However, you will eventually need to pay money to either fix or replace the pricey hybrid battery that has been so helpful to you for thousands of miles.
The majority of hybrid vehicle producers claim that a battery will last 80,000 to 100,000 kilometers. However, hybrid owners have reported that some batteries live up to 150,000 miles and even up to 200,000 miles with the proper maintenance and fundamental vehicle repairs.
An owner typically keeps a hybrid vehicle for 5 to 15 years when the battery mileage is high.
What Affects Your Hybrid Battery Life?
How frequently you drive your automobile directly affects the battery’s longevity. For instance, if you drive for Uber or Lyft, you probably log several hundred miles in your car each week. The same holds true if you work as a salesperson or are a road warrior who uses their automobile as their office.
Compare a salesperson who logs 100 miles per day in his automobile to a person who commutes 20 miles per day. A long commuter won’t put as much strain on a hybrid battery as a road warrior. The battery will age more quickly if it does more cycles in a shorter period of time.
Your battery will appear to last considerably longer if you merely cycle it a few times per day while you commute.
Age Matters
In as little as five years from the time you first bought the battery new, you could need to replace your hybrid battery. The length of time, though, mostly relies on how you utilize your car.
In as little as five years, the battery in a car that is used often on lengthy trips will need to be replaced. However, if you use your car exclusively and don’t frequently take it on lengthy drives, your battery may endure for 10 or 11 years.
Milage Matters
It’s only a number, age. Battery life depends on both age and the number of miles you put on it.
In principle, a battery in a 2005 Prius with 150,000 miles will be better than one in a 2011 Prius with the same amount of miles. The 2011 automobile has completed more cycles in a shorter amount of time. This indicates that the 2011 Prius has experienced faster, more intensive cycling.
Because the 2011 Prius was driven more vigorously than the 2005 Prius, its battery has suffered more damage.
Is Your Battery Balanced?
Several factors can cause hybrid batteries to malfunction. They frequently fail because the equilibrium of particular cells with other cells is off.
For instance, a standard Toyota Prius from the 20-series has 28 separate cells that have about 6500 mAh. Over time, the battery’s capacity will decrease to as little as 1500 mAh.
However, the disintegration may not always occur equally. Some batteries can go as low as 1500 mAh, while others can still reach 5000 mAh.
The hybrid battery will wear out more quickly if you have unbalanced cells than if you have a battery with balanced cells.
Do You Service Your Hybrid?
In hybrid automobiles, an electric battery and a gasoline engine are two separate power systems that cooperate with one another. Your engine will consume more fuel than necessary if it is not operating efficiently. You’ll get better fuel economy.
If your engine isn’t working properly, your hybrid battery will have to put in more effort. As a result, if you don’t give your engine routine maintenance, your hybrid battery will wear out sooner.
Ironically, you could be tempted to forgo routine maintenance on a car like a Prius because its mechanical condition is normally rather good. After all, the engine will sound nice and appear to not require routine maintenance from a mechanic.
But as a result, your Prius battery can degrade more quickly. Your battery will last longer if you place your automobile on a regular maintenance schedule.
You should have your automobile serviced every 5,000 miles if you use it for business purposes, such as driving for Uber, or if you frequently travel great distances for work. Have your car serviced every 6,200 miles if you only use it for short commutes.
According to Toyota, a hybrid battery will last for roughly 8 years. The battery’s lifespan will most likely depend on how you treat your car.
You could be deterred from sending your automobile to the mechanic on a regular basis by the cost of routine maintenance. Consider the price of a new battery, though. This should motivate you to frequently invest a few dollars on maintenance in order to extend the lifespan of your hybrid battery.
Consider getting your battery refurbished and rebalanced from the start if you’re going to buy a secondhand hybrid. Giving a hybrid battery a proactive reconditioning and rebalancing will ensure the longest life possible.
Recharge Responsibly
Your hybrid battery’s lifespan is also impacted by how quickly you recharge it. A hybrid battery will degrade more quickly the more you recharge it. On the other hand, your battery depletes more quickly the more you drive.
The manufacturer’s recommended charging time should be followed. Never charge less or more than what the automaker suggests.
Think of your car’s battery as being similar to your phone’s. When you originally bought it, it operated perfectly, keeping a charge for more than a day. By mid-afternoon, you must plug it in because the battery is running out of power.
The battery on your car is no different. It will lose charge over time and require extra charging. Charge it only as much as necessary, though, to make the most of what you already have.
Weather Matters
A hybrid battery’s longevity is significantly impacted by extreme cold and heat.
Owners have found that hybrid engines perform less effectively in cold temperatures than they do in settings that are more comfortable. If you reside in a chilly area, you are aware of the necessity of starting your car to warm it up before leaving on a trip. Car owners often let their vehicles run for 15 to 20 minutes before pulling them out of the driveway in really cold conditions.
In bitterly cold temperatures, it takes a while for hybrid engines to warm up. However, an early start will merely warm up the gas engine. On very chilly mornings, hybrid owners claim that it takes them longer to warm up their vehicles than the average motorist.
Even then, the engine often operates below its optimal fuel efficiency once the automobile is ready to move.
Hybrids generally struggle in the snow and ice. Snow calls for a vehicle that is heavier and has more rolling resistance than a typical hybrid tire.
Because of this, a hybrid needs to work more to go through snow, and its owner will need to fill the tank more frequently.
Additionally, to keep the roads dry and clear in a snowy environment, road workers utilize snow-clearing chemicals. These substances will accumulate on the car’s exterior and may clog the grill. Due to the engine’s reduced ability to breathe, the hybrid once more experiences low fuel efficiency.
Your battery won’t freeze even if you live in a very cold climate. Your battery might not last as long as it would if you lived somewhere with a constant temperature, though. Hybrids also dislike conditions that are too hot.
At 110 degrees, a hybrid battery can start to lose its effectiveness. Ensure the ventilation of your hybrid battery. Some hybrid vehicles include batteries underneath the passenger seat; as a result, the ventilation system in the vehicle keeps the battery aired.
As a result, you must always ensure that your car has a clean air filter.
How to Extend Your Hybrid Battery Life
While a battery typically lasts 8 years, some batteries can last up to and even past 10 years. The lifespan of your battery could easily be impacted by how you handle it.
Maintain a Schedule
Regular non-hybrid cars require the same amount of maintenance as hybrid vehicles. So follow the same maintenance regimen for your hybrid as you would for a non-hybrid vehicle.
When a car seems to work smoothly or when money is a little tight for a month, owners are more likely to ignore a maintenance schedule.
Don’t skip out on routine maintenance. A hybrid battery replacement might cost between $1,000 and $6,000. Compared to a routine maintenance visit for your hybrid, this costs a lot more.
Have your battery evaluated once it has been in your car for more than 80,000 miles or 8 years. then make a plan to bring your car in for a regular battery checkup once every 12 months.
Keep the Battery Cool
In order to keep your hybrid’s battery cool, you should have an auxiliary battery system. Regularly clean this auxiliary fan. The fan blades normally have an oily coating, and dust adheres to the oil. Dust will build up as a result, obstructing the airflow to your battery.
A battery’s life is reduced if it is warm as opposed to cool. To extend the life of your batteries, keep your auxiliary fan clean.