agie95

Is the battery warranty pro-rata or full replacement? Thank you in advance!

DDS62

Not sure of the details, have never seen the actual warranty. It is definitely not pro-rata (based on articles written about battery life - Google Prius battery life, HS same), but how valuable "that" is, is questionable. The warranty, as I understand it, is written to say Toyota will replace the battery if it is the cause of the car not starting during the 8 year warranty period (the 12V battery will not start the car alone). As long as the car will start, they will do nothing - which could mean the battery's ability to hold a charge has depleted to the point that there is little or no gain in mileage, but the car will still start so nothing will be done. I inquired at my local dealership and was informed the replacement cost would be $5,500.00. Battery life and replacement costs are major concerns for all hybrid owners, if for no other reason the value of the vehicle will drop drastically if the word gets out that the batteries on the cars need replacing after "X" years and the cost is outrageous. I recently noted in "Hybrid design" that Toyota is now stating that the new generation Li-ion batteries will be last for the life of the vehicle. Unfortunately we have Ni-MH batteries (and, they have never defined what they deem to be the "life" of a vehicle").

Magellan55

I was just reading somewhere (Consumer Reports? Motor Trend?) that so far Prius batteries have held up great, even the first gen models that are now 8-9 years old with over 200k on the odometer, and mpg and 0-60 times are almost as good as when the cars were new. Battery price was quoted at $3000, but batteries (at least for Prius) are plentiful in junkyards and go for ~$500.

That might not be the case for the HS when it's our turn, given the rarity.

RJQMAN

I recently read on a Ford forum that early hybrid buyers are dealing with batteries that do not hold as much charge as they once did, causing them to have to run on gas more than they anticipated and reducing their fuel efficiency substantially. No warranty protection from Ford kicks in until the battery fails, if I understand it correctly, so they are stuck with poor performance after a few years. I had not considered that possibility before I read the postings...