Camry Hybrid Battery - Lifespan & Warranty?

[Crazy Dazz]

Ok, so when hybrids first came on the scene, all the doomsayers predicted the batteries wouldn't last, and would cost more than a new car to replace.
Toyota apparently offers an 8 year warranty, but I don't know the details.

Test drove a Camry Hybrid today. It appeared as good an example as we're likely to get. just gone 5 years old, 70,000km.

Sitting in the car yard, turned it on, and whilst it initially silent, within 20 seconds or so it started the engine because the battery was low. Could not engage EV mode because the battery was low. Drove it around for a bit, and the battery was on 4 green bars. After parking and turning it off, it dropped to 3. Within minutes it was down to 2 BLUE bars, and when I checked again a few minutes later, it was down to ONE.
Surely that can't be good or normal?

I can sit in a normal car and run the radio and even lights for hours, and it doesn't flatten a regular 12V battery that quickly.

To put this in context, it also shows the fuel consumption for the last trip, and it was over 10. Now for a brief test-drive, with a flat battery, that might be ok. On the assumption its charging the battery, and you recoup the savings later. But if the battery can't hold its charge, then its money and fuel wasted.

Now I have seen ads for a new battery, installed, for under $3k. If that gives us another 5 years of motoring, then its a good investment, but I'd rather have a diesel.

[Bushbasher]

The drive battery I couldn't tell you but the starter battery does an awful lot of work and would die prematurely compared to a petrol car. Just from my experience of driving one, these are my observations.
The one I drive is under 2 yrs old with 190k now. At 180k it had to have the starter battery replaced as it wasn't holding enough charge to reliably run the electronics. The first sign was the bluetooth suddenly dropping out and requireing the car to be rebooted to bring it back online.
The drive battery doesn't seem to run the car, the starter battery does, just like a regular car, the only difference being, when the car is sitting, the drive battery suppliments the starter to run the electronics and when voltage drops too low it starts the car to top up the starter battery and put about 2 bars on the drive battery. If you sit for extended periods, the car seems to start itself about every 10-ish minutes if you have the headlights on. Once you start driving the engine will charge the battery to 75% or so after about 10 minutes of running. It helps if you are running down hill as well as the ERS charges the battery.
It EV mode, as long as you're on flat ground it cuts out at about 45-50kph as long as you're REAL gentle on the throttle. The car will run on the battery at just under 60kph so long as it's flat ground till it's depleted. To take off and keep it on battery you will be just tickling the throttle and will probably be annoying whoever is behind you as they look for the lawn bowls on the parcel shelf and to see if you're wearing a hat.
If you live and work primarily on the flat you'll probably go 5-6 l/100 if you're easy on the loud pedal, but if it's hilly I personally wouldn't bother because your fuel costs are still going to creep up to between 8-10% of your gross and considering how quickly they chew up tyres and the other servicing costs, you might as well go for the Mondeo or an LPi Falcon.

Again, just my thoughts and observations of driving one ,as a taxi, around a hilly town where the car is doing about 100k a year.

[Crazy Dazz]

The problem I can see is this. In any normal car, when she is parked, she will switch off the engine, and if necessary put down the windows. Maybe have the radio on, but that doesn't amount to much. In a hybrid, she may just sit there in EV mode, or even worse run the a/c when she doesn't need to, and the motor will keep cutting in to charge the battery.

[BENT_8]

Just get a petrol version, they use about 2.5l per 100km more without all the drama and are virtually bullet proof with no timing belts to worry about and they'll go forever on a regular oil and filter change.

My Wife's 2010 Sportivo (135k's, bought at 95k) hasn't missed a beat in the 3 years its been in the family, we were seriously considering trading it on a new RZ, just to get a new one before they close shop here but after detailing hers to take it around the dealerships she fell in love with it again and wont part with it, its just too comfortable and reliable and I believe a far better looking car than any of its successors

[GASWAGON]

7 news this morning showed what looked like to be a Camry Hybrid Taxi in Sydney that caught on fire last night or early this morning.

Was hard to tell cos there was heeeeeaps of smoke pouring out the front but the rear end shot looked like a Silver Camry Hybrid to me.

Can't find the article on yahoo yet?

[Crazy Dazz]

Yeah, it seems to me that the problem with the car I test-drove was probably the 12V auxiliary. And that makes sense.
Not sure if it is included in the 8yr warranty?

[theunfairadvant]

Sounds like the Hybrid battery is gone and needs to be replaced,
it is about 2,500 after market fitted by taxi base and
3,500 original both prices are fully fitted prices.

Once the Hybrid battery is gone it drinks the fuel like water.
Once you change the hybrid battery it will go back to normal.

[Phildo]

I've got a 2010 Camry Hybrid taxi that's currently on 435,000km and still using the original hybrid battery.

The Camry batteries normally die before that, so I'm on borrowed time.

I've been reading through US Toyota hybrid forums, trying to learn how to repair the hybrid batteries.

The Prius has 28 modules in the battery pack, and the Camry has 34.

They're all linked up in series, which means that the pack is only as strong as the weakest module.

So, when one module dies the pack stops working.

Identify and replace that module, and the hybrid battery pack works fine again.

There's a bunch more to it (ie recharge and discharge all the modules three times each and then balance them out), but it can be done at home with as little as an $80 charger.

Meanwhile, I've got a 2007 Prius with 148,000km and one of the modules has gone bad.

[GASWAGON]

Forklift batteries are EXACTLY the same design/system. (All in Series)

Once one ''cell/module' dies......there's sure to be another very soon after!!!