Hello there,

I just recently had the error come up on my 2010 Lexus HS 250H that said “Check Hybrid System”, as soon as that happened the check engine light came on, as well as the (!) warning. And some others. I will post some pictures below that show all the different warning signs that I am getting.

Anyhow, when this happened I went into my energy consumption screen and it showed that there was no arrows, and from what I read in the owners manual this means that there is no energy flow happening. But there is still “juice” in the battery according to the energy consumption screen. I will post a picture of this too.

So my question is, does anybody have any clues to what this means? Or any “easy fixes” or “cheap fixes” to get me back up and running. I know that a lot of the time the issue is the hybrid battery, but I had my hybrid battery replaced about 4 years ago (no longer under warranty) and I would like to not have to do that again. Especially because I would have to spend $2,000+ to get a new hybrid battery and the car is probably barely worth that now. LOL!

Could the issue possibly be a bad 12V battery? Or some sort of fuse blown? I have read as much as possible but haven’t been able to find to much about it unfortunately. ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

Jeff

Here are the warning lights and check hybrid system message I got.

This is the energy consumption screen.

 

You may need to get a hybrid shop to inspect your car. There are independent ones, including a national franchise. I linked one in Phoenix below.

How many miles are on it?

First get your 12 volt battery tested, or just replace it if it is the original. They do usually last 8 to 10 years, but when they fail, the low voltage can trigger all kinds of apparently random warning lights. Your only source is a Lexus dealer or maybe a Toyota dealer, although a Batteries Plus may have something. You need the right battery as it sits in the trunk area, behind a cover behind the rear passenger seat. There is not much room. Call the closest couple of dealers and give them the part number below. It is around $300!

Vehicle Battery
Part Number: 2880028100
https://parts.lexus.com/p/lexus_2010...880028100.html


If that does not help, you should find an independent hybrid shop as they can test your battery and replace individual cells. Usually a battery failure is just a few bad cells. Or something else broke but you probably need professional diagnosis.

Or your cooling fan system is clogged with dust etc making the battery run hot. Keeping that ductwork clean keeps the battery cooler. There is a vent at the base of the driver side rear seat foot area. You can pull out the rear seat cushions, I did this a few years ago. There are a couple of bolts/screws, then you can take the ductwork apart and clean it out, or at least check for dust as we do not have a filter like they put in newer Lexus/Toyota hybrids after they figured out this was a problem!

There are also shops called - Tucson Hybrids, Hybrid City, AZ Hybrid Repair, Arizona Hybrid cars, Phoenix Hybrid Batteries, etc in Tucson & Phoenix. They will be a better option than the dealer who will overcharge and oversell what is needed.

https://toyomotors.com/hybrid-repair-phoenix-arizona/

 

Thank you so much for the reply. There is about 260,000 miles on it. We had a bunch of work done on the car about 4 years ago to try to keep it running for another 200,000.

I am really hoping that it is one of the cheaper alternatives. But I will have the 12V battery tested to see if it needs to be replaced.

Thanks so much for your reply. I will update once I get some answers.

 

Thanks and good luck.
This forum does not get much traffic since they only sold about 20,000 HS250h vehicles in the US.

 

Hi Jeff, any updates on your vehicle? I just received the exact same warning lights/message on my 2010 HS250h with similar mileage. There are no traffic arrows on the energy monitor, but my battery has a little more juice than yours.
Thanks!

 

It is usually caused by a bad 12 volt battery since they can last over 10 years in these vehicles. It is the cheapest repair and the most likely cause of your problems. Just get a new 12 volt battery. If that does not work you are only out a few hundred dollars and have eliminated one potential source of the issue, however I suspect that a weak old battery is your issue. The Toyota hybrid system is very reliable.

 

Thanks, Clutchless. I had my friend use their BlueDriver OBDII scanner on my car yesterday, and it came back with four codes: P0A80, C1259, C1310, and C2121.

Sadly, the first one seems to point to replacing the Hybrid/EV Battery Pack. Do you still think the 12v could be the culprit behind it all?

 

You may need a hybrid battery, but do need to check the 12 volt battery separately using a battery tester as it may also be bad, or be the sole problem. Do not do anything else until you know for sure the 12 volt battery is fine. Advance Auto, Auto Zone etc will do a free battery test although you may have to take it out of the car and into the store.
If it is the original battery, and I bet it is, just get a new one and hope that takes care of it.

Although your hybrid battery may be the problem, you cannot just take codes and start replacing parts as that may not solve your problem and gets expensive quickly. You need an experienced hybrid shop to check it out, not a Lexus dealer.

A hybrid battery can have individual cells replaced by an independent hybrid specialist shop. Do some searching as they are popping up all over the country, there is even a national chain of them. It may be some other component related to the hybrid system and not the battery. I am sure you have some nearby in California!

You can learn a lot by Google searching those codes and reading the results on Prius Chat as they get a lot more traffic. From reading this it appears you may need a hybrid battery.
​​​​​​https://priuschat.com/threads/p0a80-...-c1310.222768/

 

Well, the dreaded day has come. All the warning lights and "check hybrid system" lit up my dashboard like a Christmas tree this morning. I'm visiting family in the Sacramento area and a family friend who is a service manager at a Toyota Dealership did the diagnostics for me. He quoted me $4200 plus tax to replace the Hybrid Battery. I just need to get through another year or so to figure out what car to buy next. Just can't justify spending almost $5K for a new battery.

Has anyone tried any of the indie companies like GreenTec or Hybrid2Go? Altho, Greentec told me it would take 2-3 weeks to get a battery, which is not an option. I need to get back home to the Los Angeles area soon.

My 12V battery has been replaced 2x already, so not the original. I'm mentioning this because of the previous posts.

I mean the car is 15 years old so I knew this day would come soon. 109,000 miles. It all makes me sad cause I really love this car.

Just looking for a little sympathy, I guess. Thanks.

 

Try some of the independents because they can replace the few bad cells for a lot less money than replacing the entire hybrid battery. There should be some in the area. Check Yelp and Google reviews.
FYI you can also ask their prices to replace the whole battery and I suspect it will be cheaper than the Toyota dealer.

​​​​​​https://www.yelp.com/search?find_des...cramento%2C+CA

 

Does the car run? My 2012 hs250h displayed the same message, and it died on the expressway with mileage at 151,000. The hybrid inverter unit needed to be replaced for $1k parts and labor, and once it was swapped with another used one from a 6th gen camry, it ran fine again. No chk engine light was involved with my issue however....

 

Yes, a failing 12 volt battery may cause the hybrid system to throw seemingly random codes.
No.

Have the battery load tested at your local auto parts store if it passes then have the car read for codes. You may simply need a new 12 volt battery, or as mentioned the inverter could be failing it's a known issue on these cars. Or the hybrid battery pack may have bad cells.

 

You could try Lexpert auto care in Queen creek. There are a few Prius /hybrid shops around the Phoenix area.

 

Hi! I'm going with Hybrid2Go for $2K and 3 yr warranty for a refurbished battery. They are mobile only and cover the west coast. Right now I'm stuck at my brother's in Roseville, CA, but live in the Los Angeles area. I don't have a lot of choices. I don't want to go with a local shop in the event I have warranty issues. A family friend did the diagnosis at Toyota dealership; I need a need hybrid battery. I trust him and have the readout. GreenTec couldn't get me a battery for 2-3 weeks; the Toyota dealership would be roughly $4600. I'm sure the Lexus dealership would charge even more. I just need to get home and buy myself a year or so. I love this car, but it is 15 yrs old. Right now I can't close my trunk. The lock is jacked up, but it's the least of my worries right now. I know I will need brakes soon as I have 109,000 miles.

I will keep you all informed as to how the battery goes with Hybrid2Go in the event one of you on the west coast gets the dreaded P0A80 code.

As always, thanks for this forum!

 

any update? How did install go? How is it working? What MPGs are you getting?