Hybrid longevity
- Thread starter jhiller
- Start date
Just consider the battery a maintenance item like a timing belt replacement. By the time the battery needs to be replaced, it won’t be that expensive. Toyota knows hybrids better than anyone
Many years ago when the tech was new, having a battery go bad in a Toyota hybrid was the kiss of death. I knew someone that was quoted $10K for a whole new battery, and this was +10 years ago. The car was worth maybe that? Now, they replace the 'bad cell' and not the whole battery, or replace the whole thing with a reman'ed battery (bad cells replaced). There is a cottage industry of folks that do this as well on older hybrids. Drastically cheaper, think >$1000 vs. $1,000's. The battery tech has improved by leaps and bounds as well.
On longevity of Toyota hybrid, we’re still driving our 2012 Pirus with 215k miles on original hybrid battery pack and so far, the only the major work has been brakes at 185k and water pump at 205k. Battery pack is still holding decent amount of charge and averaging 48mpg on regular commute.
When battery pack does go, we’ve got $2k budgeted for replacement at our local shop and refurbished battery pack is readily available.
When battery pack does go, we’ve got $2k budgeted for replacement at our local shop and refurbished battery pack is readily available.
Im doing a battery delete kit when it goes south. We will be using nuclear fusion by then....
The reason for my Cruiser is because someone totaled my 17 Camry Hybrid with 174k. I owned a Prius before that. Toyota batteries last much longer than other hybrids, and are serviceable (can replace cells) as others have stated. I would not worry about it.
However, what you can control is ventilation to the battery. IIRC, just open your rear doors and look at the vents behind the seats on the side. You'll want to check the "filters" or "screens" in them annually or semi annually. They can get clogged with dust. Do this and you should be good for a long time.
However, what you can control is ventilation to the battery. IIRC, just open your rear doors and look at the vents behind the seats on the side. You'll want to check the "filters" or "screens" in them annually or semi annually. They can get clogged with dust. Do this and you should be good for a long time.
Notwithstanding battery life concerns, I’m not sure why we should be overly concerned about Toyota electrical systems. I owned my last LC for 22 years, having bought it new. Over that time period, I paid a fair sum of money to replace worn parts but very little on electrical items.
My dad always viewed car options / features as “one more thing that’s going to break”. Though I was glad that the 1958 lacks the cool box, it was not because I was worried about its longevity.
My dad always viewed car options / features as “one more thing that’s going to break”. Though I was glad that the 1958 lacks the cool box, it was not because I was worried about its longevity.
I sold a 2012 Toyota PHEV Prius I had for 12 years and over 150K miles to get money for the LC 
. I think it was a first generation plug in at the time and it was flawless. Replaced nothing but fluids and consumables on the maintenance schedule and never had a single issue.
If I remember correctly, the LC has an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the hybrid sub-system so I am not very worried. Keep in mind the Prius hybrid system is very different than ours. The I-Force Max was specifically selected for robustness and the ability to still use the well proven drive trains from its traditional 4WD/AWD systems. (gear boxes, transfer cases, drive shafts, differentials etc.)
If you haven't seen it already, the video link below from Toyota provides a nice summary of how the two hybrid systems work, and why they are different.
Toyota Hybrid Video
. I think it was a first generation plug in at the time and it was flawless. Replaced nothing but fluids and consumables on the maintenance schedule and never had a single issue.If I remember correctly, the LC has an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty on the hybrid sub-system so I am not very worried. Keep in mind the Prius hybrid system is very different than ours. The I-Force Max was specifically selected for robustness and the ability to still use the well proven drive trains from its traditional 4WD/AWD systems. (gear boxes, transfer cases, drive shafts, differentials etc.)
If you haven't seen it already, the video link below from Toyota provides a nice summary of how the two hybrid systems work, and why they are different.
Toyota Hybrid Video
The “longevity” of a car is the difference between the remaining value and maintenance cost of a car. The equation is still the same, not much is changed. Only considerations are weighted slightly different for Land Cruiser.
I have a first gen Prius Prime, which is the second time Toyota ever put a Lithium in a production car. The cost to replace it would be $10-11K. I expect this number would be slightly higher over the years instead of cheaper given the labor and inflation. Prius Prime is a cheaper car that after 10 + years its remaining value would drop to less than $10K. This would still mean that once the battery go bad, it is a kiss goodbye event.
For Land Cruiser, I would expect the battery to be significantly cheaper. It uses the same type and capacity of battery from regular Prius. Which we know well today that replacement would be $3~4K. This number with inflation would still be less than $5000 10-15 years from now. Land Cruiser is a luxury vehicle especially for higher trim like First Edition or these that has undergone huge aftermarket mod. I assume a reasonable LC after 15 years would still has 1/4 of its original value, which would be around $15-20K give or take. So the death of hybrid battery would be significant still, but not enough to kill an old Land Cruiser.
Having that said, I would worry more about the turbo engine. It might actually be the weakest link in the whole car. I estimate the cost to replace it would be $15K by the time we need to do so, and it is still not a proven component from Toyota. So the remaining value of our LC might be largely depended on the result from test of time of this engine. If it holds well, our car would worth just as much as other LC like J200/J150/J100. If it turns out to be a disappointment, the market value of our J250 will sink considerably and any major component failure would mean the end of life cycle for this car.
