The Motorcells™ Guide to Toyota Prius Battery Problems

Real-world, practical experience with Toyota Prius HV battery issues is paramount when dealing with an aging Prius. Here is some wisdom after renewing thousands of Prius batteries for customers.

Firstly, do any of the following symbols look familiar? Is your mechanic telling you that they are reading a P0A80 code from your Prius?

1) Prius Dashboard Lights & Reduced Performance

Your check engine, VSC, triangle of death, and exclamation mark just came on. Your gas mileage has plummeted. Your Prius has over 100,000 miles and you’re afraid that the problem is your High Voltage (HV) Prius Battery. The big one.

A sense of panic comes over you – because this is the problem you’ve been dreading. Is your Prius’s time up?

First, take a deep breath. Your Prius may very well have a lot more time and miles left before going to the junk yard.

Second, remember that most Prius vehicles drive for 200,000+ miles without any major problems. These are amazing cars.

Now, practically speaking, where do you go from here?

2) Professional Diagnosis

First, it’s very important to accurately diagnose the issue. The Toyota Service Shop is a great place to start – but not the only place. Well-qualified and well-reviewed, reputable hybrid battery repair shops are another option. (ie. You can always give us a call). The key to diagnosis is to make sure that the mechanic has a powerful vehicle scanner that can pick up all of the correct codes. Most repair shop scanners do not pick up the appropriate codes – they only pick up very general-purpose codes (like a P0A80 code) – and diagnosis from these codes can be highly problematic and lead you to spend thousands of dollars without solving the true underlying problems with your vehicle. This is where experience and specialization are key.

Frankly, your local Toyota dealership is the best bet for Prius diagnosis if you’re not in or near the state of Indiana or Chicago where we can properly diagnose the vehicle for you. When requesting a diagnostic from Toyota, you need to request UPFRONT a detailed print-out of the diagnostic codes when they are finished. This should be included in the diagnostic fee at no additional cost. Make sure they hand you the print-out before paying for the diagnostic. You have to fight for your own interests as a consumer. If you are interested in a no-cost diagnosis, you can request a complimentary ODB II code reading from your favorite auto parts store – Autozone or O’Reilly’s, for example – then give us a call and tell us the codes. We can diagnose many issues right over the phone and are happy to talk you through your options.

3) Prius HV Hybrid Battery Repair or Replacement

After a proper diagnosis removes the possibility of a separate underlying issue (like an electrical fault, inverter water pump, or transmission issue), we can now – with confidence – replace your Prius HV battery with a Motorcells™ renewed high voltage (HV) battery. We perform a 10-step renewal process on all of our batteries, which culminates with actual drive time in a test vehicle. We are so confident in our process, that we offer an excellent Warranty on Prius and Camry hybrid batteries.

The critical aspect for consumers is a proper, honest diagnosis of your Prius. We have heard about far too many people paying for a new Prius battery from the dealership, only to discover that the problem was not, in fact, the HV battery. Please, please, please – when in doubt – give us a call and we’ll give you a second opinion at no cost to you whatsoever.

WARNING: Toyota Service usually gets it right, but we have seen them misdiagnose underlying issues as HV battery issues.  You should call us to get a second opinion – we can give you some insight over the phone after a diagnosis from Toyota.

CONTACT US NOW OR SEE BELOW FOR YOUR REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OPTIONS:

Renewed Prius Battery+ Mobile Installation & Warranty


Renewed Prius Battery
+ Mobile Installation & Warranty

$995.00*

12-MONTH WARRANTY

*PRICE MAY VARY SLIGHTLY BASED ON YOUR LOCATION

*A core charge APPLIES FOR non-oem BATTERIES

CALL FOR A QUICK QUOTE

Renewed Camry Battery+ Mobile Installation & Warranty


Renewed Camry Battery
+ Mobile Installation & Warranty

$1295.00*

12-MONTH WARRANTY

*PRICE MAY VARY SLIGHTLY BASED ON YOUR LOCATION

*A core charge APPLIES FOR non-oem BATTERIES

CALL FOR A QUICK QUOTE

Call to speak with a hybrid battery technician

(On Mobile, Click to Call)

Quote

Contact Us

Our Service Area

We can typically offer same-day or next-day mobile service in Indianapolis, and offer service throughout Greater Indiana.

Mike Whitaker
17:41 14 Apr 21
emma M
14:00 14 Mar 21
Chad and his services are trustworthy and transparent. He takes the time to list out options, prices, and important, detailed information of the whole battery process. He educates you and makes certain that you understand everything and answers all questions before proceeding. Even most important, he takes the additional time out of his busy schedule to build a relationship and connect. I appreciate the fast but quality worth work... not to mention the grand or two he saved my bank account from 🙂
DCMA beyond
14:01 19 Mar 18
I owe these guys my complete gratitude. Very responsive and great customer service. They even drove two hours to replace my hybrid battery. Not to mention the great warranty they offered me, as well as saving me from the ridiculous price Toyota quoted me. I will be seeing them again if I have any issues, but hopefully that won't happen. Thanks!
Robert McGaha
19:32 09 Aug 18
Chat Donnell diagnosed and replaced the faulty hybrid battery of my 2005 Prius with a refurbished battery very quickly and with high quality. He explained all details of the process which was very interesting and helpful. Highly recommended! You save a lot of money as opposed to letting Toyota replace the battery with a new one.
Dirk Tomandl
01:52 26 Mar 21
Was able to get my hybrid battery replaced for 1/4th of the dealer estimate and battery is working great. They also went above and beyond solving a safety problem with my back seat that was discovered in the course of replacing the battery.
Shannon O'Dell
14:02 10 Oct 20
I was calling and and asking for information before I even bought my Hybrid. Chad is great , honest and was very helpful. I really appreciated that he spoke with me even though I had not purchased the Hybrid Truck Yet.
David Hazen
17:46 09 Jan 19
Our Motorcells experience was amazing. After a brief phone conversation, he was able to come to the car with the all the tools and parts needed for a complete repair. The work took about an hour. I would definitely recommend this service and would use it again.
Adam Yoder
12:44 22 Mar 21
Chad provided quick efficient service and is a great guy all around. I felt like I was having my best friend over for a huge favor! Excellent pricing, I saved over 4000 dollars! Vs Toyota’s ridiculous quote!
Sigmund Brewer
00:43 14 Mar 21
Josh Holtz
22:32 01 Apr 21
After a diagnosis at the Toyota dealership of failed hybrid battery on my 2007 Prius with 140K miles and an estimate of $4500 to replace , I took a week to research options. Found Chad at Hybrid & EV Battery Repair, an Indianapolis area local shop that repaired my hybrid in 24 hours at a huge cost savings of several thousand dollars over replacing with a new battery from Toyota. With an 18 month warranty and GREAT customer service, I am very pleased and recommend CC Motors highly.
Emily Mattler
19:28 21 May 18
Great and friendly service! Also quick on changing out the battery! Thank you Chad!
Norman Kelly
23:08 30 May 20
Great experience, great price and great convenience. They got us in quickly and came to us for the battery replacement- for a fraction of the price of a dealer. Highly recommend!
Drew Myers
22:32 12 Aug 21
Hi Chad! I wanted to let you know that I am very pleased with the service that I received on my 2006 Prius. Tim worked quickly, was very knowledgeable, thourough and professional. I'm thrilled to have my Prius up and runnin in no time! I would recomend your services to anyone. Dawn
Dawn Murphy
21:27 15 Apr 19
My wife and I made two trips to visit with Chad and Tim before the purchase of our vehicle. Both gentlemen were genuine, honest and a pleasure to get to know. There were no high pressure sales tactics, or incessant sales phone calls, which unfortunately we had to deal with some other dealers. It's been about a month since the purchase of my car and I love it.
Michael RoBards
20:23 24 Jun 19
Chad provided quick efficient service and is a great guy all around. I felt like I was having my best friend over for a huge favor! Excellent pricing, I saved over 4000 dollars! Vs Toyota’s ridiculous quote!
Sigmund Brewer
00:43 14 Mar 21
Great honest service. I recommend Chad to do any hybrid battery work you may need. We got one day service. His expertise brought my 2007 Toyota Prius to new car performanc. Couldn't be happier. The best warranty I've ever seen in writing.
Betty Blankenship
15:01 17 Mar 18
My wife and I made two trips to visit with Chad and Tim before the purchase of our vehicle. Both gentlemen were genuine, honest and a pleasure to get to know. There were no high pressure sales tactics, or incessant sales phone calls, which unfortunately we had to deal with some other dealers. It's been about a month since the purchase of my car and I love it.
Michael RoBards
20:23 24 Jun 19
The dashboard of my wife's 2007 (with 185K miles) lit up with all of the classic signs of "hybrid battery failure." I got a sticker shock when I asked the Toyota dealer the price for a new battery. Then I called and spoke to Chad who was great. He explained the process that he uses to replace any bad cells then recondition the battery. He provided mobile service, picking up the battery the day after I called, returning to his shop, and returning to my home the following day to reinstall my refurbished battery. He also did a road test.Now my wife's Prius is happy again. Also the Engine Display page frequently shows a green, fully charged hybrid battery. I am still on the first tank of gas following the battery repair, but I am also seeing significant improvement in the MPG.Thanks, Chad!
Don Gutt
21:50 05 Aug 20
They make you feel wise choice.
Steven Briggs
23:05 07 Jul 21

Other Common Prius Maintenance Issues

In Indianapolis, we can handle most Toyota Prius repairs for you – typically at least 30% less than the dealership.

Inverter Water Pump

Gas Gauge Issues (’04-’06 Prius)

Don’t let your Prius run out of gas.  ’04-’06 Priuses can say you have 2-3 bars of gas left, when in fact your on empty.  Not having enough gas causes your HV battery to do all of the work – this runs down the battery and causes HV battery failure.  One simple fix to try is filling the Prius gas tank, jumping the vehicle, and see if it resolves your “battery” problem.

Prius Brakes & Struts

Prius Screen / Monitor Replacement

Cosmetic Damage

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