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Toyota Camry Hybrid Battery Pack Questions
OK I have conflicting reports as to whether the batter pack in the Toyota Hybrids is covers by the 8 year 100K warranty. Bumped into a Prius owner that said they were told $4-$5K to replace batteries and that Toyota told them the batteries are a "normal wear item" thus not covered by the 8 year 100K warranty. Does anyone have anything in writing to show this as true or false? Was this perosn being taken by their dealer?
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... if one has a Hybrid for 14 years and the Hybrid battery refuses to charge, dies, or is removed ... then can one just drive the ICE until you replace the Hybrid battery?
I assume there are two batteries, one for the Hybrid and the other for starting the car.
Gampa
Ron
What are other people on the forum seeing?
I've seen no indication that there is any problems elsewhere so I'd get more miles on the car.
What we don't know, other than you have not driven it much, is:
What's your current avg mpg? Do you drive on level ground at low speed limits? Have you went up any long or down any long steep grades? I guess what I'm getting at you may live in an area that is "in balance" with the nature of the car. No extreems may keep your car in the sweet spot.
Find a steep grade (1 mile or so_up or down) and watch the battery. It should either discharge more or charge more.
Mine has been fully charged (on looooong steep grades) and down to the purple level when I was cruising at 35mph on a 10 m ile strech of raod, mostly without the ICE running. Both were the extreems of the driving parameters for the battery use.
Remember the battery is a boost not a total replacement for the ICE
You're probably right.
Find a steep grade (1 mile or so_up or down) and watch the battery. It should either discharge more or charge more.
I did that, and the battery was charged to all the way to Level 8. After I got on back on level ground, everything settled back to Level 6 again.
Thanks a lot for your help!
Just so you're comfortable with this, find a spot where you can "coast" on battery for a long time and watch the battery level. On a long drive it will turn purple if you go low enough before the engine will kick on to charge it.
You are in good shape.
The Toyota HSD system cannot run without traction batteries.
This way you can drive the car until you have the money to buy the more expensive Hybrid battery.
Does this sound correct?
Gampa
This way you can drive the car until you have the money to buy the more expensive Hybrid battery.
Does this sound correct?
No. You're not going anywhere without the high voltage 'hybrid' battery. Toyota hybrids work in a totally different way than other non-HSD hybrids.
If your traction battery doesn't hold a charge, the Toyota Hybrid system will not work. The car will not run at all.
The 12V car battery is a "normal wear item" but the traction battery system (the hybrid battery) is of course covered.
Hybrid-Related Component Coverage: Hybrid-related components, including the HV battery, battery control module, hybrid control module and inverter with converter, are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. Refer to applicable Owner’s Warranty Information booklet for details.
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/faq.html
I presently own a 11 volt Li-po battery of only 1100 mil amp hours for a much smaller application. It charges rapidly, discharges up to 20 amps for a short time with no appearant damage. Any comments?
As others have posted, the NiMH battery pack is covered by the 8 year 100K warrenty AND in some states (California for one) by an 10 year 150K emissions warrenty.
We are probably at least three years out. In the meantime, I will fully enjoy my Camry Hybrid (4 days old) as it was such a better choice than just another ICE.
ps With the Imperial Gallon being bigger, I am enjoying over 50 MPH in mixed driving so far!
Cheers, Tom
I do not know of a larger application like a prius yet. Like you I am certain it will happen.
I've had it top off (all green bars) in various scenerios. One is on a very long downhill grade and the other is in driving situations where the grade is slight (up and down) and the car is running along with the ICE on, getting about 50 to 60 mpg on the Instant FE gage and there is excess hp than needed from the ICE so the NAV shows the ICE running the wheels and chargine the battery at the same time. I have actually gotten it to the top green mark like that as well.
When it gets to the lower levels of charge it will turn violet.
Cheers, Tom
cheers... Tom
Thanks, in advance.
They are engineered to last the life of the car - somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 miles.
Toyota takes precautions with the software to lengthen battery life by controlling the charge levels, keeping the battery cool, etc.
The TCH is definitely an upgrade from the HCH in virtually every way though - the MPG aside.....
Very comfy and roomy inside.
Rear A/C vents are MUCH APPRECIATED by my two kids.
The larger trunk opening means I can carry my Segway in the trunk.
The A/C is much better than the A/C in the Honda hybrid - gets cold much faster.
Had the car up to 95 MPH and it was as smooth as 45 MPH. (will not admit that in a court of law)
I LOVE having the EV mode available and being able to cruise along in electric mode only - something the Hondas don't have.
Quiet/ QUIET engine - even when the gas engine is running, this car is very well insulated for sound.
Good Luck !!
Thanks,
MidCow
That was my response. :shades:
Also question to the current 2007 TCH owners... besides the fuel economy was there any other reason the TCH was chosen over a 2007 Camry V6?
Oh, and the fact that gas prices are not going down, and I'm getting over 38 mpg....
mel :shades:
It's a mystery wrapped in a conundrum?
The real story...
Since the Prius I came out in 2001 no Toyota NiMH battery has failed except due to misuse or abuse. On Toyota's website now they state that the batteries in all the HSD vehicles are expected to last the life of the vehicle, which as larsb noted above is somewhere in the 150,000 to 300,000 mile range. Effectively at this point, say 225,000 mi, what is the value of any vehicle? $500? maybe $1000?
A Toyota representative on another site quoted a price of about $3000 to replace an entire battery, but also said that they have never had to do so yet. For all intents other than the extremes consider that it will never fail or need replacement.
There is no 'cost' to dispose of it. Actually Toyota will pay you, or a salvor, $200 for the battery. It's printed right on the battery.
joannps
(incidentally, my wife and I have three very well maintained cars here in the USA including two collectables and the new camry, and we have two new daily-driver-toyotas in Panama - one, a dielsel pickup that gets 25 mpg - wake up please, congress and America)
OK, I bought the Hybrid knowing that I could count it to be a reliable vehice for my wife, a "relatively new" driver, and that Toyota would back the car, in terms of service if we did have issues. Boy, was I dissappointed.
Having owned the car for 4 days, we took it to NYC with 65 miles on the odometer, from Providence RI. We stayed in a Hotel on 45th St in Manhatttan. I showed the Garage worker hw to t operate the Hybrid car - turn it on, and how to turn it off, and he took the car to the garage.
Two days later we called to have the car delivered to the hotel door man, and hot the bad news. It was "dead", I went to the garage and indeed, it was. The interior light BARELY lit wehn I opened the car door; no horn, and NO desplay wehn I pushed the start button. I follwed instructions the exactly in the manual for a jump start, and nothing. All of the dash lights and warning lights lit up (very encouraging) but nothing. The Hybrid battery pack display read almost "0"
I called the National Toyota 800 Service number in the Hybrid service manual. The "hybrid woman" was very nice but knew nothing (admittedely), and had no helpful hints other than to "call the dealer".
Now I must add: the car was wedged inside the underground floor of this Manhattan Parking Garage, and had been literally wedged between 2 pillars,
by a skilled NYC garage attendant, and there was NO WAY that any tow truck driver would have touched this car - it needed a 12 point maneuver to get it out of the parking spot iit was in, so it was not easily towable.
OK, the car is 5-6 days old; Toyota says call the dealer (IE: you'reon your own). So I called the Manhattan Dealer on 47th st - 4-6 blocks from where I was located, They put their service manager on, whose only question was, DID YOU BUY THE CAR FROM US ? - I was perturbed of course, then asked for his "hybrid" person. The NYC hybrid expert had no suggestions excecpt to get it towed. They refused to send a guy over because " "the union would kill us". according to the service manager. God Bless the Unions I thought,
I was very unhappy. Subaru has an on call road service. My Bmw does, I buy a $30 k new technology Toyota and I am stranded 200 miles from home.
I finally called Boch Toyota in Attleboro MA, where I bought the car; They put their young Hybrid Mechanic on the phone, Steve. He was not only sympathetic, he seemed content to stay with me on the phone until my problem ws resolved.
Long Story Short: and one question for TOYOTA:
1) Steve, The Boch Toyota Mechanic and I, determined that when the car was parked, the garage employee must have left the headlights on or the ignition.
2) I charged the starting battery for 30 minutes using a car comandeered from the garage manager and went out for a coffee
3) we got back and the Camry "started " normally. I drove off in the mid day sun toward Rhode Island and watched the MAIN BATTERY level guage rise from 5% charge to 90% charge over the course of 90 minutes.
My (largely rhetorical) questions: 1) Why on earth doesn't toyota install a simple electronic sensor that will cut off the main battery, if the car does not move for 2 hours ? This could prevent this type of episode and risk to the HYBRID BATTERY unit if headlights or ignition are left on ?
2) why doesn't Toyota have a) a knowledeable person on their hotline, and b) a roadside service assistance policy for owners of new cars like this one ? The dealer's service policy at Manhattan Toyota are not to my liking - shame on them - I was 4-6 blocks away and really stuck with an un towable car. They left me out in the cold !!
I am sending this post in letter form to Toyota USA and Bock Toyota - ,maybe they'll have a suggestion for my next trio to a parking garage
Tough story, but I don't plame the car or Toyota for dead batteries unless there is a short or something physically wrong. I believe I would have simply tried to jump the car before I called anyone.
When I returned, I opened the car door and the interior lights turned on. So I followed the usual starting procedure - put on seat belt, depress Brake, and press the START button. After the usual brief pause, the HSD said Ready and I backed the car out of the garage.
I usually leave the headlights in the AUTO position, and note that the headlights remain on for a while after the HSD is shut down.
All this leads me to suspect that in Ocean99999's case, the parking attendant probably did not shut down the HSD system, and that triggered his unfortunate experience.
If there's any silver lining in his very dark cloud, it's that he could recharge the starting battery and eventually extricate his car.
Unable to do this, I did try to jump start the car, following the instructions in the owner's manual prior to calling anyone for service or support.
My dissapointment is in two areas:
1) Toyota did not support its customer (me) adequately with this new techniology - if they say thay have a service line, they should have one...a real technical support line - with someone who would have TOLD me the simple solution to my problem (a 30 minute charge)
2) Toyota has no built in device in this car's electrical system to protect against total dischage of the batteries - this technology is available and inexpensive ....and this is a Hybrid, which has a power system COMPLETELY dependent upon having a working battery - in a regular car with a dead battery, its no big deal - a total (or 95% ) discharge.
My suggestion: If the car doesn't move for 2-3 hours, the battery cuts out...and when the car is "started" again, it simply requires the owner to push the start button a second time, to reset the system
I can't figure how your battery was drained unless the attendant left it in the ACC position. Instead, if it was left in the ON drive position, the motor would have started periodically, as the battery drained down.
But the response from Toyota is appalling. At least your dealer tech acted appropriately.
Perhaps a card to remind folks not familiar with hybrids would help. Shift to Park then Power Off