how can I tell if the batteries are about spent, or shot?
With the limited info you gave I will leave you with this…
For the 12volt battery you can go to any Autoparts store, and they will check it for free. OR…
How to test your Camry Hybrid‘s battery, step by step (startmycar.com)
for the main Hybrid battery…
How to Check if Your Hybrid Battery is Failing: Ask the Toyota Expert! (youtube.com)
Toyota Hybrid Battery – Everything You Need To Know – ProVsCons
Why do you ask? They often last for 200,000 miles or more.
Here’s good info from a hybrid battery sales firm:
Green Bean Battery Support | How Do You Know The Hybrid Battery Needs To Be Replaced? (tawk.help)
Are you asking about the 12v battery?
Reads as both battery’s to me…
Unless he is talking about the individual cells in the high voltage battery…
I guess we’ll never know…
Probably right. That repair cost of $9750 seems WAY high, Camry hybrid batteries sell for around $3000.
If we’re talking about the hybrid/traction battery pack, a poorly performing hybrid battery will pop various error codes - your indicator will be warning lights on the dash. The best way to evaluate one is with a Toyota TechStream scanner (aka Toyota Information System (TIS). These are expensive (though there may be ways around that if search Toyota hybrid car discussion boards).
But there is also a cheap and effective little app called “Dr. Prius” - but it should work on all Toyota/Lexus hybrids. You pair it with a cheap little bluetooth OBD II dongle and it has battery health checks that it can do. It will also read your error codes.
Battery death will go more by time than miles, and 2016 is plausible for a hybrid pack acting up. But that partly depends on how it is driven - how often and whether there are lots of short trips involved. Batteries hate sitting around doing nothing for long periods of time. (Oversimplification, but…)
Unless I’m mistaken that battery pack is still under warranty for 2 years. Toyota used to warranty their HV batteries for 10 years or 150K miles.
I looked it up and I’m pretty sure you’re NOT mistaken. That’s actually pretty awesome. I’m one of those old-car-buying guys with an '03 Prius - long out of warranty from Toyota, so I never looked. Of course, the OP didn’t say enough to give good advice, but if there are indications of an HV batt issue, it’s the first time I’d say “take that to a dealer…”
Just as an aside, I bought the '03 with a year left on a 3-yr reman warranty from Dorman. And I ended up benefiting from that because, against all odds, it started throwing DSOC codes a couple/few months before the warranty ended. I’m not a Dorman fan, but to their credit, I got on a tech support chat, sent them the paperwork on codes and DSOC readings, and with no fussing around, then just sent me the paperwork to swap it out. I was surprised.
The high voltage battery warranty is 8 years/100,000 miles.
For the 2020 model year the warranty changed to 120 months/150,000 miles.
I am seeing 2013 and 2014 Lexus ES300h vehicles in the shop for high voltage battery replacement. If you are buying or keeping an aging hybrid vehicle, be prepared.
Any idea how many miles on those ES300h’s? My 2011 MKZ hybrid, 100k, doing ok for now…
Seems a slippery number, but I think generally speaking, in 2016 it was actually 8yr/100K. Increased to 10yr/150K in 2020. (https://support.toyota.com/s/article/What-hybrid-warranty-7722?language=en_US)
But then there’s the " hybrid battery may have longer coverage under the Emissions Coverage. Refer to your Owner’s Warranty Information booklet for details." OP better hurry…
About 125,000 miles. This is probably a hotter environment with more city driving.
Below is an inlet filter for the HV battery cooler, looks like a clothes dryer filter. On this car the filter is located just inside the rear door opening, the trim panel was removed for access. Cleaning the HV battery filter was added to the maintenance schedule a few years ago.
I’ve read that California requires hybrid batteries to be covered 10 yrs/150k miles, that would be worth checking out if it applies to our silent OP.
Are you trying to tell us that proper maintenance of your car will make things last longer?
Don’t be silly. “Maintenance” is fake dealer talk for “give us money”…isn’t it?