Hybrid Battery Failure and Replacement

[PowerEngineer]

My 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid has proven itself to be totally reliable transportation for a dozen years and over 110k miles -- but that all came to a sudden end on (my own black) Friday when the dashboard warning lights lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree. The car still ran but not very smoothly. In my heart I knew it had to be the hybrid battery. The local Toyota dealer confirmed my fears on Monday.

Your normal 12 volt battery may give you a warning that it is failing through slower cranking or even needing a jump start as the weather gets colder. There seems to be no similar warnings for a failing hybrid battery (perhaps some decrease in gas mileage?). It comes on as a sudden death. One moment the car is running fine; the next it is limping along on just the gas engine (and not happily). So (much like a failed water heater does) a failed hybrid battery launches you into a sudden crash course into replacement options.

The Toyota dealership provided me with a $4100 quote for a battery replacement (including installation). This is actually lower than the $5000 that others were charged in previous years. This $4000-$5000 cost happens to be about equal to the trade-in value of the car, making this a pretty unattractive option.

There are a number of third-party businesses that offer "renovated" (refurbished) hybrid batteries. My understanding of the renovation process is that they find and remove failed cells from a failed battery and then replace them with "good" used cells pulled from other failed batteries. These cost around $1500 and come with an 18 month warranty. While inexpensive, I could not draw much comfort from relying on "good" used cells drawn from other failed batteries.

Thankfully there are also some options for new third-party hybrid batteries. Bumblebee offers a higher capacity, lower resistance replacement battery that costs around $3300 (that now includes a tariff adder!) which is about the same price as the OEM replacement. Greentec Auto offers a standard capacity battery for about $2500. These new batteries typically come with a 36 month warranty.

It seems that many people just have the replacement batteries shipped to them and then take on installation themselves. There are (of course) YouTube videos. If you are lucky (like I am), you will find local buying options that also offer installation services. Installation at your home seems to add anywhere from $300 to $600. I decided to limp my Camry a few more miles to a Greentec Auto location, where installation added only $150 and took less than 90 minutes (well worth it to me!). With a Black Friday discount, my Camry was back on the road for just under $2500. Now I would like to think I am good for another dozen years (or at least three).

I hope that you other hybrid owners out there will benefit some from what I learned while going through this ordeal.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that battery costs are based on returning your failed battery to them.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Those prices seem a bit high (refurb'd Prius batteries could be had for ~$1500, last I checked) but assuming you've done your research, the "cheap" option would obviously be to rehab your own battery by finding the bad cell(s) and just replacing that.

 

[HarryLui]

I completely abandoned and removed the hybrid battery and installed a close ratio and shorter FD civic hybrid manual transmission in my 1st gen Insight. Cost $550 with parts and a new clutch. Still get over 60mpg on highway and over 50mpg in the city. I understand this is not a route for other hybrid cars.

I read too many reports from people that the new cell battery will die right around 3 years warranty mark. $2500 every 3 year is a lot in repair bill and $2500 can buy me almost 40k of miles at 50mpg.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I completely abandoned and removed the hybrid battery and installed a close ratio and shorter FD civic hybrid manual transmission in my 1st gen Insight. Cost $550 with parts and a new clutch. Still get over 60mpg on highway and over 50mpg in the city. I understand this is not a route for other hybrid cars.

I read too many reports from people that the new cell battery will die right around 3 years warranty mark. $2500 very 3 year is a lot in repair bill and $2500 can buy me almost 40k of miles at 50mpg.

Cell phone batteries vs. Hybrid batteries are a completely different ballgame, though. (And OP's car is 12 years old.)

 

[HarryLui]

Cell phone batteries vs. Hybrid batteries are a completely different ballgame, though. (And OP's car is 12 years old.)

What I said has nothing to do with "cell phone batteries". Inside each hybrid battery are a bunch of small batteries called "cells".
https://greentecauto.com/product-tag/camry-2007-2011

The new "cells" are made in China, and are known to fail around the 3 year mark, at least for the Insight.

 

[fr]

I just watched this video a few days ago and it gives me confidence to be able to replace my own pack in my Prius if/when the time comes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3RCdrh666w

 

[Yuriman]

It's not uncommon at all to replace just a stick or two in a Toyota battery. Cost can be as little as $2-400. They don't typically all fail at once.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Yes, in my case the indications were that I had two failed cells.

I briefly considered taking on the challenge of finding and replacing them, but decided I wasn't up to the challenge of another learning experience. I also have to take the cell failures as an indication that other cells in my battery have also been degrading, and this could mean that I would be signing up for additional rounds of cell replacement every few months.

This same concern over the remaining lifetime of the "good" used cells had me shying away from those refurbished battery options. It was worth the extra $1000 to get a battery with all new cells (even if made in China) and to have it installed quickly (next day after diagnosis).

 

[Thump553]

You may want to check what your state mandates for hybrid battery warranties-apparently some states mandate 150K miles/15 years:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hybrid-cars-show-they-can-go-the-distance/

Maybe you'll get lucky.

My 2008 Prius just went over 275k miles still runs great on the original battery. I suspect the ICE will die before the battery-it's been going through a quart of (synthetic) oil every 1-2000 miles for the last couple of years, mileage starting to slip (presently running about 44 mpg, winter gas).

BTW the 12 volt battery can fail without any warning too. My four year old replacement 12v battery failed a few months ago 40 miles from home. No prior indication of problem at all. Forty miles from home it wouldn't start, no lights, etc. Had it jumped, drove home no problem (the normal ICE engine cycling off and on). Next morning the exact problem. That battery you can test yourself-look on youtube for how-to videos.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Unfortunately my state (Washington) didn't become a CARB state until 2009, and even then they chose not to include the 150,000 mile/10 year warranty requirement. (Not sure about the reference to a 15 year warranty.) My Camry is a 2007 which came with a 100,000 mile/10 year warranty that has lapsed on both counts.

I am under the impression that the heavier Camry may be harder on its hybrid battery than the lighter Prius, but that may not be true (in fact, my neighbor's Prius of roughly the same vintage required a battery replacement last summer). Everything else about my Camry is seemingly fine.

Funny you should mention the 12v battery. Mine is still the original and the dealer insists that it doesn't need to be replaced yet.

On reflection, it is sadly obvious that the savings I have enjoyed as a result of better mileage over the years has been more than offset by the premium I paid at the time for the hybrid option (~$2000) and now the cost of the hybrid battery replacement ($2500). I would have to think long and hard before buying another hybrid. Still, the Camry has been rock solid reliable all these years and had only required wear-and-tear maintenance (e.g. oil, filters, brake pads, tires).