2007 Camry Hybrid Battery Problem or Electrical Issues?

Sounds like you need to have the computers on this vehicle scanned with the appropriate SCAN TOOL. I suspect a wheel speed sensor failure. There are some Auto Parts Stores which provide scan services for free. Is there an "AUTO Zone" in your area?

Thank you Tony for your insight. Yes I do have Advanced Auto Parts and AutoZone nearby to have it scanned. Also, I had it read at Toyota Dealership a while back and they told me I needed to replace my whole Hybrid Battery pack. I can never trust these guys which is why I am seeking others opinion on this.

Understand your concern about Toyota .....unfortunately the diagnosis of your Battery Pack requires the detailed data stream a Factory Scan Tool provides. Did Toyota write on the repair order the ID of the codes they found which led them to their diagnosis? They should have. The ID of the codes being set when that warning light comes on is key. Make some phone calls to various INDEPENDANT garages. Some...do invest in a Factory Scan Tool. They usually charge about $100.00 for a Scan diagnosis vs...What was the estimate for a Battery Pack from Toyota?

I actually never thought to look for a code that led Toyota to this conclusion. However, I pulled my receipt and there is no code shown. See attached photo. The battery pack is estimated at $4,920.00 before labor.

IMO...I would want a second opinion including the rational...eg..trouble codes stored in the computer....and the labor charge. Toyota used to claim these batteries would last 100,000 miles or 10 years. Since you are over this mileage....It might be interesting to do some shopping around for a "good used" battery pack. There should be some wrecked hybrids in the junk yards. Keep in mind there is a huge safety issue associated with this battery replacement. High Voltage stored in this battery could kill.

Recognizing this is 8-months old, hoping to help someone else maybe: Check the 12v battery in the trunk. If you don't have the tools yourself, drive to Autozone or Pepboys etc and ask them to test it (many of them will come out to the car). Apparently 2007 era hybrids can throw this code when the "normal" battery (not the big battery pack) goes bad. Try that first!

Gilbert....did you ever resolve this issue with your vehicle?

No, I'm still driving with the "Check Hybrid System" light on and I can see the gas mileage is progressively diminishing after I log my fuel assumption. I had the car read by an independent hybrid battery replacement mechanic and by Goodyear Auto, and they both conclude it's the hybrid battery. It has been over a year since the light came on, but the car is still driveable. I don't plan on taking any more actions unless you have a suggestion that involves not replacing the battery and save me my wallet. Thank You for responding. I truly appreciate it.

I would shop around for an aftermarket battery pack. I see battery packs for $1,000 to $2,000. Installation would be extra and all batteries are not the same so check them out first.

I have shopped around and found refurbish battery pack anywhere between $1,100 and 2,500 depending on level of warranty selected. I'm wondering if I can drive the car until the hybrid pack in my car completely dies. Then I'll replace it. Any reason not to do that other than being stranded at the worst time possible? I guess that's the risk I'm willing to take. Please advise.

Test

I am having the same problem. I also cannot afford to fix it and have been driving it. Sometimes the big battery makes a humming noise. Have you experienced this? I was curious if there is a way to allow the engine to run off fuel only without the hybrid system.

Lately I have been disconnecting the 12 volt battery whenever the warning light comes on. The warning light goes away and the car drives as normal again. I do hear the humming noise but only when the warning light is not on. If you disconnect the 12V battery, does your warning light disappear even for a few days? If you haven't tried that, disconnect it for about 30 seconds and let me know what you get after you plug it back in. Thanks

I had two issues, the first was with the Check Hybrid System being on constantly, which when I would charge the Auxiliary (12 volt deep cycle) it would go away for a while. The whole system doesn't work if that battery is dead. Then, even with a full charge the Check Hybrid System light would come on. We decided to buy an aftermarket hybrid battery (fully installed $1000). It went away for a while, but now the issue happens that Gilberttheman describes to begin with, only accompanied by a complete loss of power. This usually happens while backing up but is now doing it randomly and I've noticed that the gear isn't detected on the dashboard. Again, Toyota said get a new car.

Passive...what year is your hybrid?

Update: For the first, my 07 TCH check hybrid system light came on while driving at a speed more than 60 MPH. However, it still behaves as if the light is not on. Previously when the light is on, the car never shuts off when I'm at a stop light or going less than 20 MPH. This time, it's shutting off running on battery only. The navigation screen displays energy flow while driving unlike previous occasions. Although all tests performed on that car points to the battery, I still wonder if there's an underlying issue other than the hybrid battery. Please shed some light if you have any. Thanks,

Seems you will need to have this vehicle checked out at a Toyota Dealership. Their Factory Scan Tool is needed to probe and display Data from each and every computer on this vehicle. Otherwise...all we can do is keep guessing about the root cause of your issues with this vehicle. So...you might consider a full diagnosis at the Dealer...and...make sure you have documentation of ALL stored and current TROUBLE CODES found in the memory of the many computers....and...an estimate for the cost of repairs. These Hybrid Vehicles are great cars for about 100,000 miles....10 years. Then....Those Cells in in the HV Battery start to go bad. Groups of these Cells are monitored by a Computer. When the Computer "sees" a Cell going bad...it identifies its location within a group of Cells. HV Battery re-builders ID the bad cells and replace them with a good USED cell from a returned (core) Battery Pack. That explains a Good Used replacement HV battery Pack @ $1500 vs a Toyota new BP at about $3-4000. In the final analysis....how much $$$$ did you really save on gas? Perhaps...Folks should be doing the math before a Hybrid purchase. Thanks for the update and let us know the "latest and greatest on this interesting and educational issue.

My car shuts off when on battery power only, usually going less than 20 mph. It always restarts, which is why I thought it was a problem not with the starter battery, but the hybrid battery. I haven't had a chance to unplug and re-plug the starter battery. I just replaced the $600 starter battery 5 months ago.

Does anyone know a place in Florida, preferably in those cities West Palm Beach, Tampa, Miami, Sarasota, Orlando where I can take my hybrid battery and have it worked on. Although the light and diagnosis pointed to the battery, I truly believe there's some other issues perhaps charging cable I dont know. Please advise if you know a place.

Gilbert....did you ever resolve the issue with your vehicle?

No, I have not. Do you a solution for me?

Gilbert....I am afraid I do not have a cheap solution to these Hybrid repairs. After the 10 years....100000 mile mark is reached...you can expect big $$$$$ repairs on these vehicles. Good luck.

I'm having the same problem for the second time - about 15 months ago I got a refurbished battery pack for about $2000, with a one year warranty (they assured me they usually lasted 3-5 years in their experience). Now the check hybrid systems light is back, and the car hesitates slightly when accelerating (especially from a stop). Y'all mentioned to check / unplug and replug the battery in the trunk - where is this and is it something I can safely do myself? I'm relatively handy with tools but know very little about cars... also I remember reading that an oil change gave someone a few months of respite, is this something that might help? I am due for one anyway...

Virginia....what make model year is your vehicle? Most Hybrid model vehicle problems require a Scan Tool for proper diagnosis. Codes are stored in computers when issues surface. These codes can provide the info for accurate diagnosis.

It is a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. I just stopped by Auto Zone to confirm, and it is in fact code P0A80 - Replace Hybrid Battery Pack. I'm assuming this means the unplugging / replugging of the trunk battery isn't going to help in this case... the warnings/problems just started coming on yesterday - any idea how long I might have before it stops working completely? Will it get progressively worse as time goes on? Is there anything I can do to extend the life or solve this problem without spending thousands of dollars? The car only has 100,000 miles on it, but I don't want to keep throwing good money after bad.

The 12V battery is located on the right side of the trunk. The code you receive is indeed the hybrid battery pack failure. I have that same code and have been driving my car with the light on for over a year now and I drive a lot. Since the time my light came on, I have put over 50K miles on the car. I just kept unplugging the 12V battery and wait 5 min before replugging it. I know it does not solve the problem, but this method allows the car to behave somewhat normal vs when the light is on and the engine works nonstop. Thank you for posting and notifying me.

Gilbert.....thanks for the update on your vehicle. please continue to do so. It will be interesting to follow your experience with the Hybrid malfunction on your vehicle. Hopefully...Toyota designed your car to continue to function for many more miles. You might consider changing the Engine Oil more frequently than suggested in your Owners Manual. It's now doing most of the work in getting you from point A-B. Good Luck.

Thank you Last Chance Garage. I recently had my oil changed and I was told that I only had about 2.5 quarts of oil left. Like you said in your post above, change the oil more often than recommended. I'm finding out that the car is burning a lot of oil. My mechanic showed me my tail pipe being very dirty. Last oil change, the car took 5 quarts, and I change the oil every month which is when I hit 5000 miles. I drive over 1000 miles a week for work.

Message received. Your above experience with this vehicle will help others in similar situation to decide whether these Hybrids are really appropriate for long term ownership. Can you imagine what the costs are to maintain a FULLY electric vehicle. I wonder what it would cost to replace that Battery Pack?? Good job and keep us up to date.

Hi folks: I have a 2007 Camry Hybrid that I purchased with 150,000 miles on it (for a good price, I think.) We've dealt with the P0A8 code. It's not like the performance of the car changed dramatically with the "Check Hybrid System" message flashing. After much research on the problem and searching for alternative solutions to plunking down the $3500 at a Toyota dealership, I found a Toyota technician offering his services on Craigslist (Boston area.) With the odo already past 170,000 miles he said that you can't expect miracles, but he would check it out. I had no references on the guy but he certainly seemed to know the system intimately. We removed the hybrid pack while the car was sitting in my driveway. This takes 45 minutes for someone with his experience. And then I let him take the pack home with him to work on in his basement. (Yes, a bit risky!) The key to effectively diagnosing the bad cells (there are 34 in the Camry pack for this model year) is to put a load on each individual cell and test the voltage. You HAVE TO put a load on the cell before testing it with your meter. He diagnosed three bad cells and replaced those (aftermarket cells cost around $40.) Then he drained all the cells completely and re-charged each one. He returned with the rebuilt pack, installed it, and the car is running fine five months on. He charged me $650 for the overall service with no warranty.

sounds like he did what this guy did http://imgur.com/gallery/j8Bcp

I was I could find someone that can do that to my car. I really think that's what's wrong with it. Update since I'm not driving long distance anymore, my MPG is down to 23.5.

Interesting...I wonder if there are any Toyota Techs familiar with this process ...willing to start a little ...side line...repairing these high maintenance vehicles? Any body out there?

my car camry hybrid 2007 i have replace it 4 time but still have hybrid system check 2 months

Has...what is the mileage on this vehicle?

In my opinion, it's obvious the battery may not be the problem after all. Has anyone run into problems with the cables of the hybrid system? Is it possible that the cables or whatever it is that carries the energy from the battery to the driving components of the car may be bad. Is there a test for that? I'm in FL. Would someone please refer me to a mechanic that specializes in hybrid batteries where they take them apart and replace the bad cells only? Thank You

Indeed...there is a known problem with Corrosion at those many cell connections. Much the same issue we faced from the typical 12 VOLT battery in most cars. That's why we used to perform a ...Battery Service....at regular intervals. Preventing this corrosion is an interesting and debatable issue. Seems to me..the cells in a Battery pack in a Hybrid vehicle has an expiration date like any other battery. ID the bad cells and ONLY replacing those bad cells....is in my opinion...a temporary fix. The rest of those cells are going to go bad in time.....as any battery would. One can only guess as to how much longer it will be when the next original cell will go bad. So...again I raise this question. How much money do you really save on gas...when you invest in one of these Hybrids consider the initial cost to buy this vehicle....and the cost to start replacing cells...and or the entire Battery Pack. Has anyone done the math yet?

Attached is a synopsis of the difference in buying a hybrid camry vs. a regular camry. These costs do not include the replacement of the hybrid battery. Unless one cares for the environment, it doesn't make sense economically . However if after one purchases a hybrid and gas prices started to soar then it may make sense. Whereas if one decides to buy a hybrid when gas prices are high, you will not see the benefit because the prices will reflect that. I bought mine used since it was a good deal at the time. Well now I know why it was a good deal.

Interesting analysis. Considering what Toyota's reputation used to be...that is...a very reliable and economical vehicle..good to about 250,00 miles.....and....what Toyota"s rep. is now.....100,000 miles or 10 years and you have a $3-5,000.00 repair for a battery pack from Toyota.....I would be inclined to stick with my '07 Yaris ...and wait for the fenders to fall off. Thanks for your continued input.

Concerning Hybrid Battery repair. Try Google......Florida...Hybrid....Mechanic. interesting results. Good luck....and...keep us posted.

Hi y'all , I'm having problems like this with my Hybrid 2007 Camry ,but I am also having problems with high oil consumption ,but I just found out that there's some type of warranty from Toyota and my car will be getting new oil rings at no cost to me , I'm hoping this will fix my Hybrid "battery" problem ,

Yes indeed you are correct if your engine is a 4 cylinder engine. Call a toyota dealer and provide them with your VIN #. Also very important...Google .....Excessive Oil Consumption toyota....read...read...read....so you will not be raven advantage of at the Dealership. Get back with results.

D872....so...what's new with your vehicle?

I called Toyota and they told me they released 2 phases for this repair and the second phase expired back in June 2017 and I'm no longer qualified. I've gone online to research her statement and I can't find anything in that nature.

I'm not sure what Toyota is referring to via "2 phases of repair".....unless they are describing the Engine Oil Consumption as one...and the Hybrid Battery Pack as the other. Indeed they are separate issues...unrelated to each other. Time to start doing homework. There are Factory service bulletins available on line indicating the terms and conditions for the oil consumption problem. The Owners Manual and other included literature ..should indicate....warranty info... on the Hybrid Battery. I believe the Oil Consumption issue is good up to 150,000 miles and or 10 years. Your Purchase Literature will indicate the date of vehicle purchase. What is the mileage on this vehicle? If all else fails.....join the Class Action Lawsuit concerning these issues. Google....Class Action Lawsuits...Toyota.

Same problem with my 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid

One of the issues that give a fault code of replacing hybrid battery. The bus terminals that connect one cell to another. They get corroded. So you have to clean each bus terminal, the nuts that bolt them together. Then you should apply dielectric material. This involves removing the battery from car, remove all the bus terminals, clean with baking soda and toothbrush, dry off, reassemble with dielectric material coating all the bus bar assembly including the nuts.

Indeed i agree. Corrosion forming at battery terminals has been a long standing issue with any battery. Interesting that Toyota did not design their hybrids to minimize this issue. Dealing with this corrosion issue requires the removal and disassembly of the battery pack. I would be inclined to load test each battery module to ID weak or dead cells......before reassembly. Problem....can anyone predict how long this repair will last?

Z66....did you ever resolve the issues with this vehicle?

Has anyone change there inverter out ?

Rah....are you looking for advice on how to change....replace an inverter on a Prius? Need make model year.

I have a 2007 TCH, 165k miles. almost 11 years. It just died on the street two days ago. The check engine light turned on, then showed the VSC system problem, then showed Check Hybrid system. I can't move the car any more. I towed the car to a garage and they borrowed a Scan reader from dealer. Two codes showed that the big battery has problem. I'm not sure if I want to spend time and money to tow this car to dealer for checking. Eventually it may cost me more money than the car's worth.

Would be helpful to know the numerical ID those codes the Scan Tool recorded. The Hybrid Batteries can go 10 years...then ..battery modules start to go bad. A toyota dealership prefers to replace the entire battery pack. 2to 4K$$$$$$ A so called refurbished B B.....1..2K.$$$$. Suggest you shop around for prices. Keep us up tp date.

Yes you can Richard. I’ve been driving mine for two years now

Gilbert...nice to hear you are still getting from point A to B with your HB light on. What is your fuel economy like?

Hey everyone, I have two questions. I change 9 modules on my hybrid battery and got the oil change, right after the oil change code pop up same poa80 and I clear the code, after that I dove the car around 500 miles and code pop up again, I cleared it and waiting, if it pops up again. My 1st question is, is it normal? It may need time to adjust or is there a HVB cooling fan not working properly or there could be a loose screw? I am aware of bussbars cleaning issue, that is all good.

I got the check engine code for my TCH: P0A7A GENERATOR INVERTER PERFORMANCE P0A92 HYBRID GENERATOR PERFORMANCE The garage didn't keep the SCAN code. There is a hand written number 4.281.10-3541-. I'm not sure what's that. I will call a local Hybrid battery shop to see what they can do. Thanks.

I called the local Hybrid Battery specialist in San Jose, CA. They charge Diagnosis $145/hr. Usually it needs one hour. To recondition up to 2 modules, $1700. Need to drive back to check every 6 months.

Th

Thank you, Gilbert the Man. Very helpful to know. By the way, this morning it didn’t come on at all. Any other advise or suggestions? And yes, as much as I like the hubrid concept replacing a battery at over 100k miles is a downer. I may reconsider and not get a hybrid next time.

I meant the light didn't come on at all. My Camry drove perfectly fine on my 30 minute commute to work.

When considering the repurchase of a hybrid ...or...any of the fully electrics...you might consider doing the math first. The costs associated with maintenance when she reaches the 100000+++ mark vs any saving in fuel economy.. I recently read it costs more to plug in a fully electric...like a Tesla....than it does to drive a comparable gaser.

Updates. The problem of my car is on the inverter, not the big battery. A new inverter will cost $6000, plus the labor. It's more than the worth of my car. They will try to find an used or OEM and give me a quote tomorrow.

Wow...i think I am going to rethink my next Hybid...or...all electric vehicle purchace thanks for the update..

Originally, I used to get 34 MPG, then when the hybrid system light came on, I got 29 MPG. Two years later, I now get 25 MPG

Last Update. They found an used one and quoted me $1100 for part + labor. I need to replace the 12V battery for $285. Plus the 2 hour diagnosis $290. Before they put in the inverter, they don't know how good the battery is. A big risk to spend more money. I may just sell the car to the garage. I don't want to take any risk on the road.

Considering the age and mileage on your vehicle, i would agree with your analysis....namely...its time to sell this vehicle.. the high voltage battery pack is good for 100000 miles. Thus you can expect anothe big repair soon after your current estmate of repairs. Good luck with your next vehicle purchase.

I bought an 08 Camry with the "Check Hybrid System" light on. The guy I bought it from is a a straight-shooter (probably literally as he's a detective on the Idaho Falls PD). The light first came on after he replaced the 12v battery. Between us we have driven it @ 5K/mi and change. The only abnormal thing I have noticed in addition to the light is that the battery representation on the Energy Monitor screen only goes to 7 bars (then turns green) but as soon as I drive a bit (mostly on the hwy) it goes to 6 blue bars and occasionally 5. If I drive it around town a bit it will gradually work it's way up to 7 (briefly) again. Since it happened after the 12v was replaced I am wondering if there is any way to sort of reboot the hybrid battery...Maybe take it to zero for a new baseline and then recharge it. Is there a component like a voltage regulator to keep the battery from overcharging that could have read the new battery as the new normal and regulated the hybrid battery to it's voltage. He didn't energize the battery via cables while changing it out and I doubt he topped off the charge before installing the new 'off the shelf' yellow top. He did pull the hybrid and check the voltage on all the cells. All 34 were in the 7.5's, but he didn't know anything about the practice of putting a load on the cells for a couple minutes each while testing so that was 'unloaded' voltage he was reading. The vehicle runs smooth and strong and is getting 32/mi per gallon, but I would sure like to get this issue fixed before it cascades into taking out other components (if that is even possible). Could I benefit from give the 12v a 24 to 48 hr trickle charge? If so, should I have the battery disconnected while doing so? Does anyone know the order of troubleshooting I ought to follow in tracking this down and before buying a new hybrid battery? Thank you

Suggestion...have the computers on this vehicle Scanned for codes. Write down the ID of each code and its numerical value. Do not DC the 12 volt battery yet. That may delete the diagnostic codes stored in said computers. Get back with results.

I'll get it done tomorrow if they can get me in...Thank you

Ok...btw...some auto parts stores will run a scan on you vehicle for free. Autozone is another suggestion.

The tech indicated that my 'Check Hybrid System' problem is the lack of a battery temperature sensor.. I see where ppl have replaced the 12v battery with one of the Yellow Tops (what mine is) and then pulling the sensor from the old battery and taping it and the connector to the top of the new battery. Evidently Spencer turned in the core w/out removing it, so all I have is the connector that plugs into it. It looks like virtually every other mfg sells them as a separate item...not so with Toyota. I'm a bit confused about the last page on the report, he never mentioned a thing about the ECU throwing a code (is it saying that the ECU is 'OK'?) only the temp sensor. I am trickle charging the battery and thinking of sucking up and picking one up from the stealership tomorrow since I can't seem to find the sensor as a stand alone part anywhere online. Thanks so much again for your help.

Sorry, it only posted the last page I'll make separate posts

And (requiring some text to post a pic)

And...

Another one...

Getting there...

Almost there...sorry for the backwards order...

Just one more to go...

This is it...

The p0517 appears on the first page. We usually fix what is obviously broke...then proceed from that point to check the rest of the vehicle out for any other problem areas. The computers appear to be doing their job. They accurately led the technician to the problem area...and...the Tech observed a missing part. From where i sit and based on the info provided above...replacing the battery with the correct part should fix this issue with this vehicle. So...I agree..with your assestment. Lets get the correct battery in this car and see shat happens..

I'll do it tomorrow...Regarding the new battery that is in the car: When I disconnected the leads to charge it (I'm going to use it in another vehicle) I didn't think to connect jumpers from another battery to the cable while it is disconnected. Am I going to need to do anything to clear codes or reset anything etc when I install the new one? Thank you again for your help. I do so appreciate it. Russ.

Since the battery in question has already whent through a cycle of DC without any problems...I see no reason to take that precation to save codes. We know what they are. Just make sure when installing correct battery...you do not install the battery backwards. Red is Positive...and black is negative do not let your tools touch any metal part of the car when in use. Good luck..

Ooh...forgot to mention. Resets. Radio...memory seats and mirrors would be my guess. When you start her back up...let it idle for about 10 min. With the AC on. Then road test.

OK...My battery had to ship to the local dealer from Portland OR. It will be in tomorrow by noon. Do I plug in the sensor last, first or does it matter?

Suggest you plug the sensor in last with ignition turned off .Good luck.

I installed the new battery and hooray, the 'Check Hybid System' prompt is gone. I have cruise (my main issue). The only problem I have now is that my nav screen is displaying "No DVD Please insert MAP DVD". This would display before as well, but I was able to use the buttons to access my info, audio, energy consumption etc using the buttons. My DVD is an outdated one, but that didn't prevent me from accessing the other functions. Occasionally I would get a message telling me that my DVD was outdated, but to leave that screen all I had to do was press any one of the buttons. I tried powering the vehicle on and off three times to no effect...Thank you again for everything.

Got it...I started the vehicle, ejected the disc, closed the DVD door, turned off the vehicle, started it again, opened the DVD door and re-installed the disc. The "TOYOTA" screen came up and let me use 'all' the buttons. To last_chance_garage: Thank you so much for your time and effort. I am determined to learn as much as possible about this rig and hope to be able to help someone else in the future. You ROCK!

Many thanks for the update.......and the excellent tutorial on how to change a 12 volt battery on a Prius. Good luck.

Awesome everybody, let's keep the discussion going. I plan to replace a few of the cells in my battery pack myself and will get back to you with updates. My vehicle now has nearly 190K miles on it.

Sounds like a plan. Good luck. Another adventure we will be looking foward to.

As I’m getting ready to obtain all necessary tools and materials to successfully replace these modules, I’ve come to realize that balancing these batteries is very essential. Looking through the Toyota manual, there no reference to servicing these hybrid battery packs. I believe that should be done every 50k miles to ensure the battery longevity. What are your thoughts?

RE.....Battery Balancing.......I seem to recall a Toyota Service which included such a function. They had a special battery charger which performed this operation ...with the Battery Pack assembly in the vehicle. I assume you will be removing the battery pack for disassembly....and ID weak or dead cells/modules. Then...replacing only those cells which load test bad. So ultimately your pack will be assembled with both new and old ...good....cells. Bringing all of these cells to the same cell voltage would be nice. There seems to be a difference of opinion concerning how to perform this..... balancing act...... when the pack is out of the vehicle. I understand there have been a few cell explosions during this process. Suggest you do your homework on this and other procedures while working on this project. I have mixed feelings about perusing this method of repair. It's kind of like replacing just the corroded D size battery in my flashlight and leaving the good used one in. When will the next battery go bad?? BTW...speaking of corrosion...you will most likely find a lot of it when you disassemble your pack. Well....I am looking forward to your progress.

Try replacing the hybrid battery filter installed behind the rear seat and in between the speakers then reset the hybrid system. Filter will cost around $5.

I have a 2007 toyota camery with 145k. The VSC system and the check hybird system comes on and the car turns off but when I put the car in park and turn it on the VSC system goes off and just the check hybird stays on but after turning the car on and off for a couple. Off times it goes off. What does this mean

My guess is one of the many computers on this vehicle is noting an issue which it considers unsafe to drive said vehicle. Thus..it shuts off the car. You need to have these computers Scanned for codes. This vehicle should be evaluated by a techician who has experience with Hybrids. Some may recommend disconnecting the 12 volt battery in the trunk of the vehicle and proceed to use the vehicle until the next time she refuses to start. Then once again DC battery etc. This process does not let us what the root cause of this issue might be. Let us know how you decide to resolvd the problem. Good luck.

the hybrid battery filter is riveted in place so I simply cut out a square to see if there would be any difference with unrestricted air flow. There was no difference. I bench tested the fan an it spins freely. Next I pulled the Hybrid battery out, tested modules and discovered two were reading 6.5 and 6.9 while the rest were 7.7 - 7.8. I picked up two used modules that measured 7.7, cleaned all buss bars and terminals and reinstalled the hybrid battery. the VSC SYSTEM warning went away however the CHECK HYBRID BATTERY and red triangle are still lit.

My2007 hybird camery turns off when I turn the sterring wheel. And the The VSC system and the check hybird system comes out. And no other warning signs comr out.. But I put the car in park iy turns on like noting..

Once again...these issues require a Scan of on board Computeres for proper diagnosis. About all you can do is disconnect the negative 12 volt battery terminal for a few minutes...reconnect...and see if there is any change in performance. NOTE...this DC will erase stored codes in most computers..thus...leave us without valuable diagnostic info necessary to procede with an accurate diagnosis.

So after a two week period went by, I was able to dismantle the battery to attempt changing out the bad modules. Unfortunately I was not aware that I had to load each module separately. I simply disconnecdted the buss bars and tested them with a volt meter. They are all within 7.75 and 7.50 range. I thought I was good and I simply needed to clean out the bussbars which I did. After reassembling the battery and placing it back in the car. The same warning sign came back but this time I notice the hybrid cooling fan in the back of the rear seats is working really hard. I took the car for a drive and it lost traction altogether. If I turn it off and restart the car, it restarts but it looses power after a two or three minute period. When it shuts off, the RPM needle simple drops to the blue area and when you try to speed up, there's no power whatsoever. I'm still checking what could be wrong with the car now. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

I think we will need codes stored in this vehicles computers in order to proceed. Problem...there is a huge difference between the info you will get from a Toyota Scanner vs an after market Scanner. Code numbers and descriptions are helpful. The other DIY option you might consider is the purchase of a refurbished Battery Pack ....and.....install it yourself.......or....have an experience Mechanic do the work. OR....take it apart again....complete disassembly....load test each module. Let us know how you will proceed.

So I reopened the battery pack to load test all of them again. Attached are the results. I do not think anything is wrong with any of my modules with exception that I broke one of the studs out of the second module near the safety plug while applying torque. I read somewhere that it should be torqued 10ft-lb. Bad idea. Just torque by hand is good enough. By the way, after cleaning the bus bars, I suggest applying dielectric grease on them to prevent corrosion and reduce heat buildup in the pack. The first time I reassembled the pack, the cooling fan came on and was sucking air out of the cabin. Eventually, the car died to prevent the pack from overheating. Right now I still have code P0A80 (replace battery pack) and P3012 (battery block 2 becomes weak). I'm guessing P3012 is because I did not replace the battery with the broken stud hoping the bus bar would carry the current. I will take another crack at it before I give up. Let me know if you notice anything in the data voltage I reported.

Curious...what kind of electrical load did you use?

Gilbert.....the Hybrid Man. Whats new?

Louie...did you ever fix the problems with your vehicle?

I'm patiently waiting to receive a set of new zinc plate bus bars. I will update as soon as I'm done.

This morning I got an alert my 12v batter was low from my sync drive I have from T-mobile for my 2007 Camry Hybrid. We could only find the replacement batter at the local Toyota dealership here in Temecula CA. It cost out the door $380 bucks. Before we installed I got the same message VSC system. We put new battery in car so far no issue. But after reading this blog I am concerned about the next thing happening since I have approx. 102k miles. I am thinking it may be a good time to sell instead of having to go through issues with the hybrid battery in which can cost up to 5k installed to replace. Has anyone had it installed? Is it really worth it? How long will the car last for? Will it last over 200k miles? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Well.....Gman...is our resident expert. G...What do you think?

After several attempts to fix the battery myself by switching out the bad cells, the same code kept popping up. Ultimately if one does not have the equipment to balance the batteries after replacement you’re just spinning your wheels. I finally went ahead and bought a refurbished one for nearly $1300 after tax with one year warranty or 10K miles which ever comes first. There are other options but that’s the one I chose since my car already has over 180K miles. You should replace the battery only if you plan to keep the car for a while. I hope my car gives me over 250K miles. More updates to come if anything comes up with my battery. By the way, I had my battery replacement done at Exclusively Hybrid in FL. They are professionals and they know what they’re doing. I had my car in under two hours. They’ll come to you if you’re unable to come to them. Keep the comments coming. It’s good to keep the dialogue going so others can be aware of what’s happening with these hybrids.

Renee....there is your answer. Good luck...and.....let us know what course of action you take. G man...thanks of the input and update. Your arethe Man .

Thank you both for the response. I replaced the starter battery yesterday not hybrid. Car started but started shaking not sure if it was part of a reset with hybrid system and computer. I will reset the computer and see if any alerts come again. Fingers crossed my hybrid battery will cont. to function. My father in law had a Prius drove it till 200k and replaced the hybrid battery from another Prius at a wrecking yard and drove it to 300k. At this point I paid 35k for the car and have had it almost 11 years this July. Its in excellent condition. I have kept up on all maintenance so my fingers are crossed to keep it as long as I can. I don't want another car payment since I have a son to put through college. Thanks again for the input I truly appreciate it.

I just had the dreaded "check hybrid system" warning go on last night. After being parked for 1 hour the car wouldn't start at all so I followed the tips above and unplugged the 12V battery for a few minutes and the car started again. It's currently at the shop getting assessed. QUESTION: Gilbertheman (or anyone else), how long (days, weeks, months, etc) were you able to follow the process of unplugging the 12V battery to get the car working again? Thanks for all who contributed in the comments above.

When my light came on, my car always started. For my situation I was able to drive the car over a year with the light on. Make sure the shop gives you your diagnosis code(s). That helps us all determine what went wrong.

Great posts and info! I have some (non professional) experience with this 2007 Camry Hybrid that may help. Bought it used 5 years ago and love it! I had a set of warning lights a year ago: Check Hyrbid System, VSC light on, Check Engine light. Car was not able to be driven. Diagnosed as a bad hybrid battery. Replaced it myself ($1,700 NAPA) and everything worked great. Just last week, I had a "Check Hybrid System" light again BUT combined with different lights this time: Battery light, Brake light, "!" light, etc. AND the car is drives normally, but does not restart after turning off. Replaced the 12v battery and everything turned on normally (becuase I disconnected the 12v battery and reconnected (a new one)), then same, recent check hybrid system lights come on again. I think these may be two different warnings since they display differnet lights and have different driving characteristics! Albeit, I MAY have to replace my main hybrid battery again (under warranty, 3yrs with NAPA, whew!), but i sure seems like two different issues. Hope this helps!

Great info...lets keep it coming. Thanks for the input.

Hello, I have a 2008 Toyota Camry hybrid with 90k, and this morning the “check vsc” and “check hybrid system” lights came on for the first time. One question was that the gas cap may have been loose, and so after tightening that I drove the car for about 10 miles and it was fine, just not accessing the hybrid battery it seemed. Thoughts on whether it’s safe to drive? Thanks!

Suggest you have the computers on this vehicle scanned for trouble codes. Some Auto Parts Stores will do this scan for free. Write down code numbers and descriptions and get back with results.

Thanks to all for the valuable advice. I have a 2007 Camry Hybrid, and had the VSC, and 'Check Hybrid' lights come on. The former went out shortly thereafter, and I reset the computer via the 12V battery terminal, and all is back to normal for now. My wife has a 2008 Prius, and also had a diagnosis to replace the Hybrid battery last year. The reset was performed, and she is still driving hers without any issues since. Can anyone tell me whether an under~performing A/C system (dies in lower speeds and idling, and takes some time to cool down when first beginning a trip, in spite of being serviced and 'repaired' by Toyota twice now) has anything to do with a weak hybrid battery? (I did get the code from Toyota for this).

A short update to my post from last week: different “check hybrid system” (chs) warning from last year is sort of baffling dealership. They reflashed the ECU and claimed it was fixed but through CHS error again. Back at dealer and they’ve elevated it to their top two techs - they agree it’s a little baffling! They confirmed my hybrid battery checked out ok. I hope it is not a bad ECU (not holding the program?) but seems like a small glitchy something in there. Even with this CHS error, car seems to drive perfectly normal - just won’t reatart without disconnecting and reconnecting the 12v battery. Sound like something simple, right??

Benson...any updates on this interesting issue?

hello guys 2007 Toyota camry hybrid keyless entry is working but the car wont start and nothing come on in the instrument panel smart key doesn't do enything

I have an update! Dealership reflashed my ECU but the threw the code again (per prior post). Took back to dealership (they’re super nice and helpful, btw) and they took the car for a few more days. The result was they couldn’t find anything (rats) So they decided to disconnect the electrical connections (I presume from prmarily the EVU and hybrid system) and cleaned the connections. That’s it just cleaned them and everything has worked great since! I HAVE heard something along these lines on other vehicles ) mostly cleaning ground connectoons) and this seems to have worked. Best news: dealership charged my only $160 for this!! I told them that seemed too cheap - hardly pays for the test driving they did! - but they said this is a learning experience for them too and didn’t want to over charge in case it comes back for something more serious. As of 8/9/18 everything is normal and reliable. Hope this helps someone!!!

Sounds like a vehicle tow to a Hybrid repair shop is required. You might try disconnecting the 12 volt battery....then ....after about 5 mim. Reconnect and try a restart..

Anybody ever have the VCS and hybrid system errors only when it's cold outside? Below 15 deg F outside. My '07 camry hybrid displayed both errors after initially starting. The engine ran for about 5 seconds and then shut off, displaying both errors. The car was undriveable until the ambient temperature got above 15 degrees F. This happened about 5 times during the month of January. Each time, the outside temperature was below 15 F. When I disconnected the 12V battery, the codes cleared and the engine would start again. But, 4 or 5 seconds later, the engine shut off and the codes were back. Ever since it warmed up outside, the problem has not come back. But, as we approach fall and winter again, I'm looking for ideas... other than building a heated garage.

Suggest you have the Computers on this vehicle scanned for codes. Some auto parts srores do this for free. I suspect your HV battery pack have modules which are begining to fail as noted by their response to the cold temperatures. Write down the code numbers and descriptions and get back with results.

I am here to share my experience with my 07 Camry Hybrid and want to ask Gilbert THE HYBRID MAN a question. I started to have check hybrid system and check VSC system at the end of this May, after I let the car lie for a month. I drove to the dealer at 06/09, and got the code: P0A80 P3026 P3027 Battery block 16/17 becomes weak They suggested me to get a new hybrid pack or get a new car. I don't like those guys and I drove the car as usual. The only problem is, since the battery is not working, once the car goes into electronic mode, there is no power. The solution is simple: just pull over and restart the car. But this can cause some problem near traffic lights or on HWY. Last week I did a regular maintenance. Then the car started to tremble every time when the speed is 0 when I give it gas and when it is resisting the gravity. A bit confusing.... Examples: driving uphills, and there is a red light, I came to full stop. Green light came, when I give it gas, the engine will tremble hard for a few seconds without moving, and then back to normal. Solved by disconnecting the battery in the trunk and reconnecting it few minutes later. Question comes at last. Gilbert drove his car with the light on for 2 years, how does he keep the engine running without entering the electronic mode? I don't want to pull over the car once and once again.

Sorry guys, my name is Wade.

When my vehicle had these lights on, it never went into the electronic mode. I started experiencing this issue after I decided to open up the battery to work on it. If your car is behaving in such manner, changing out the battery is your best bet or buy a different car.

Hi Gilber, thank you for sharing your experience. I have same problem and just want to drive with that error light on. However, my case is abit worse than yours. some of battery cells are abit convex. This might be result from overheating as the hybrid fan not work properly last time. Do you think the explosion can happen if the heat goes up too high? Thanks

I believe once the heat starts to build up, it will shut the car off. I suggest that you see someone with expertise in Hybrid vehicles before deciding to drive it with the warning light on. Good luck and report back your experience

Thank Gilber! I went to garage to fix it many times by replacing some battery cells but that couldn't help. The garage suggested to replace the whole battery pack to guarantee the problem to be completely solved. I just want to drive it a bit more before consider replacing the whole pack. In your experience, you drove it for 2 years without replacing the whole pack. So you drove with that warning light on? or you unplugged the 12V battery every time it appeared? I've been doing that too but the warning light appeared back after 3-4 days. I noticed removing the warning light by unplugging the 12V battery will help up to 1 week but removing by computer diagnose program can help up to 1 month. If there is no danger (by explosion or fire), I want to drive until the battery completely die. what do you think?

Quick update on my problem (check my prior posts around August 15, 2018) regarding finicky "Check Hybrid System" (CHS) warning. Car has been at dealer for over a week. They've been able to replicate the problem BUT have not been able to find any error codes or issues - seems like their investigation resets (clears) the system. Very perplexing! Every component they've checked seems to be OK AND the car runs normally even if the CHS warning comes on but if the car is turned off, it will not restart without disconnecting and reconnecting the 12v battery (re-setting the system!). I feel there's some spurious data that's being fed into the system from something that is "mid-failure" (so checks out as OK but is going bad). Curious if anyone has had this and/or some good steps to diagnose? To be clear, my warning does NOT include the VSC, etc warning (that's a different problem). I did replace the HV battery 15 months ago with a re-manufactured (maybe that's the problem?), and replaced the 12v battery (OEM) 4 months ago (could have glitch in that?). We have enough cars in the household so I want to sell but not with an unknown problem - don't need to transfer this problem to anyone else!

Very interesting. My guess is that a module or 2 are begining to fail in that.....rebuilt....unit. A Toyota specific Scan Tool can ID the area of failure in that Unit. This is why When Toyota replaces a HVBattery Pck....it is with a NEW unit. Think about replacing batteries in a Flash light. Do you replace only the ones that are a little weak? Not likely. You replace them all. Indeed...the problem with corroded connection is well known amongst the HB repair family. Toyota has a Service Bulletin addressing this issue. One would need to disassemble the unit for inspection. Not advised for the DIY. Thanks for the update.

I say try driving it until the car stops. At first I unplugged the 12V battery to eliminate the warning light but it kept coming back in 3-4 days. Then it started coming back on in 15 min. That’s when I stopped unplugging the 12V battery By then my gas mileage was severely impacted. 30 MPG to 22 MPG.

I have a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid with ~150,000 miles and the Check Hybrid System and Check VSC system warnings came on along with a bunch of warning icons. The mechanic thinks it might be a bad cell in the battery but is told the part is not longer available. His hybrid specialist advisor said to check the bus bar for corrosion, which would require taking the whole thing apart. He's already checked all the cables and connections for corrosion. I'm concerned that at 11 years old, even if the bus bar fixed it, the battery still wouldn't last very long. Rather than putting more money into it, should we go ahead and trade it in for a replacement car?

As last_chance_garage would suggest it is better to have car diagnose properly to truly know what the issues are. My vehicle had 186,000 miles when I decided to replace the battery with a refurbished one that cost $1,200.00. It all depends how long you plan to keep the car and if you can afford a new car payment or purchase a different car. I think a decision like this is more personal. I trust my Camry will last longer than the 10k miles warranty that was issued with the refurbished battery. I suggest getting the car diagnosed and get back to us.

I had the VSC problem on a 2007 Camry, changed the hybrid battery multiple times and ended up selling the car to the battery shop. They had seen this problem frequently with the Camry but not Prius. I was convinced the problem was elsewhere in the charging system and the error code only reports the last thing that has failed. The car was in beautiful condition and worked perfectly when the hybrid system was functional. What a waste. I'm convinced the manufacturer knows something about this vehicle that they haven't shared with the rest of the world. I can't picture buying a hybrid anytime soon.

Thanks for the update and tutorial. I would agree with your assessment of these Hybrids. When the warrenty runs out....get ready for big$$$$ repairs. Do the math. $$$$$ saved on gas...vs......$$$$$$ spent on maintenace and repairs when the warrenty runs out. Good luck with your new purchase.

I was GuruYF8X7 posted 6 months ago. TCM 2007. 165K miles. I agree that try to avoid those new expensive high tech electronics. I sold my broken car to the garage for $500 only. Originally he tried to repair the car and then sell it. But eventually he sold the car to a place to tear the parts for sale. A new Inverter for $6000 and new battery for $5400 plus labor, it's more than the car value. Even if I can find used parts, I'm afraid of my car die in the middle of street again.

Thanks for the responses. I couldn't sell to anyone else but the battery shop. I didn't want to do a trade-in. The car was wonderful when it worked but it was just a matter of time before the warning lights went off. Someone on a Highlander hybrid forum detailed the same problem I had. He was told by a mechanic that it could be a problem with the charging system. The local service manager for our Toyota dealer never returned my calls. Without looking at the car, they offered us a trade in. I felt they knew something I didn't know and it wasn't good.All I can say is "never again".

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No comprende. Ingles por favor

Translation please?

I've posted here before regarding my 2007 Camry Hybrid issues. New (remanufactured) hybrid battery 14 months ago and recently had some wierd, random "Check Hybrid System" warnings come up. Car ran normal despite this warning BUT when I shut the car off, it would not restart until I disconnected & reconnected the 12v battery (reset the system!). Left it at a local dealership for a few weeks (they were very nice, BTW). They could not find anything wrong in any of the hybrid components - checked/tested them all. Even the non-OEM hybrid battery tested OK! They eventually found a wire near the hybrid battery going to the cooling fan (??) that was wire nutted together (not an OEM connection!), and it was a shielded cable - so the shielding was compromised. They fixed that properly and everything has run normally since (2 months now). I realize nothing is guaranteed here, but it sort of seems logical that everything was operating normally, but periodically some interference (EMI? heat? vibration?) was affecting that poor connection, causing the hybrid system warning (and perhaps error out - not re-start). Really just a guess, but it seems plausible for such a pesky, random, untraceable error: Electrical issues are very tough to problem solve! So may be nothing, but anyone having a problem here who is handy to dig into things a bit, check wiring/cabling external to the hybrid battery - check for looseness, old/cracked jacket, loose terminals, etc. If you've worked on cars, you've probably heard of pesky grounding issues that can sometimes act this way in regular cars - over time corosive connections can cause problems. Hope this helps someone!

Very interesting.....educational......and helpful. Keep it coming folks. We seem to have more and more Hybrids out there. Many thanks.

I had to replace front head light and fender of my TCH 2007 after a minor collision. When I went to pick my car from body shop found check Hybrid System and Check VSC system light came on. Then I took the car to Toyota and they diagnostic and fixed Check VSC system and said Hybrid battery pack need to be replaced worth $4800 including labor. I asked how many cells are bad they said they don't know. They got code for hybrid battery so they suggested to replace it. But I did not see any impact on fuel mileage. Car still running good except when I press accelerator after a stop it hesitate at first but then run well. I can't afford the whole pack replacement. What should I do? How long I can drive with the Check Hybrid Light on? How to figure out number of battery cells are bad in the pack?

Always do the easiest and cheapest thing first. Recheck the body repair work recently completed. A ground wire may be loose or missing. A Toyota dealer has a Scan Tool which will ID the .....area...in the HV Battery Pack which has the problem modules. The exact faulty module requires HV battery pack disassembly. Consider the following. Consult a different Toyota Dealer. Find a repair facility which will come to your location and replace your battery pack with a rebuilt unit. CARFULLY... DIsconnect...then...reconnect the negative terminal on the 12 volt battery in the rear of the vehicle and see what happens. Get back with results.

So, I successfully replaced the 12V battery with a non-OEM one on my 2007 TCH with 261,000 miles, thanks to this (and a few other) forum articles. Over the past few months, if I left the car for a few days, it wouldn't start, but by putting a charger on the trunk battery, it would be fine. Last week, this happened but the Panasonic 12v battery in the trunk would not take a charge, so I figured that after 11 years, it had given up the ghost. I pulled it, disconnecting the temperature sensor from the connector about 1 foot from the battery, then brought it, with the temperature sensor still attached, to Walmart. At Walmart, the only battery they had in stock that had the positive terminal on the front left was their Everstart Marine Group Size 24MS 625 MCA, so I bought this for $54 and got $12 back for turning in the old core. I installed this and it was larger than the OEM battery, so I found a longer screw that I could use to reattach the hold down bracket. The car still wouldn't boot, so I put it on the trickle charger overnight. The next morning, The car booted up, but I now got the dreaded "Check Hybrid System" message. I drove the car for a while, and it seemed to be behaving well, except for the message and some fan under the hood that kept running. I have a ScanGuage II permanently installed (because I like to see the engine RPMs and other stats), and there were no error codes reported, but the Check Hybrid System" message didn't go away. I was concerned I may have a bad cell or two in the hybrid battery, so I took the car into a dealership with hopes they could give me some good intel on the state of my TCH and reset the warning light, but they stopped troubleshooting as soon as they saw the non- OEM battery. They charged me $66 for 1/2 hour labor. They also changed out the Power Window Master Switch for which there was a safety recall. The service rep suggested that because of the high miles, I could simply continue to drive the car until it dies, just living with the warning message, but to start to look for a new car. I started to research this issue and found this thread. Like Jacklalanne above, I looked high and low for a replacement Battery Temperature Sensor to no avail, then saw that the sensor is only sold as part of the OEM Battery and there are no aftermarket sensors available. Well, sure, I could go back to Toyota and pay around $400 for the OEM battery, but then I saw the data sheets on the sensors posted here by Jacklalane, and thought I'd try something. The sheet with the temperature/resistance graph (posted with the the text "getting there" above) showed that the ideal resistance is 2k ohms. So I went on the hunt in my hobby closet for that resistor. I found a 1.7K resistor and figured this was close enough so I gave that a try. I bent the wires down to form a "c" shape and plugged the resistor into the two female contacts on the battery temperature sensor connector. I booted the car and still got the "Check Hybrid System" message, but then I tried a reset using this procedure that I had seen in another posting: Put foot on brake, press start, remove foot from brake. When "Ready" light comes on, press start again to turn off car. Repeat two more times. The next time I pressed start, the car booted up and the message cleared! So what about the outgassing?? Sure, I used a non-AGM battery, so I can expect hydrogen gas emmisions into my trunk. I live in the north, so its not hot all the time, and I would think a newer battery emits less gas than an older one. This experience has opened my eyes to the possibility that, should the hybrid system act up again, there are alternatives to replacing the whole hybrid battery - thanks for your postings.

That’s great info driveandshroom. Thank you for your detail posting. Keep commenting.

Indeed. Great tutorial. The only question in my mind is.....with the temp sensor now providing a fixed temp info to the computer....will those HV Battery Cooling fans turn on and off to prevent Battery over heat.?

Thanks. It's likely safe to say that the 12V battery temerature sensor only affects the charging rate of the 12V battery, not the HV batteries or cooling fans. It is a good point, though - that if the system is overcharging the 12V battery and it heats up, this will not be detected by the ECU. Again, a risk I'm willing to take.

I have 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid...over 200, 000 miles replaced whole big battery last year..Grenteck Auto..3 year warranty..car runs great but I hit pot hole and now have all these lights on...car scanned...said I had accident...lol...but car running fine...shop found no problems...is it possible the problem is the sensors vs the car

My car runs great when it works. I just bought my car in the spring. It worked great for three months. I backed up one day, car shit off. Said check hybrid system, VSC system. I was able to start it again and drive it home. Car wouldn't start. I was able to start it, and I was going to drive it to a mechanic. My breaks stopped working a mile from my house. I rolled into a parking spot and got a tow truck and took it to the place I bought it. THey said it was possibly the inverter. They changed it for free. Car couldn't hold a charge. They said I needed a new battery. I got one through hybrid geeks for 1,800 with a fiver year full warranty. The car worked great for a season. Then check hybrid system light came on this weekend. He asked me for the codes, I got them for him. He came and gave me a new battery. I drove my car to and from work, and as I was backing up leaving work SAME ISSUE. Start backing up, car dies, brakes don't really work. Restart. Same thing. Restart. I could finally turn around and go home. Check hybrid system light came on, check vsc light came on. I was making the turn into my apartment complex and then the brake light and an awful alarm sound started. My brakes did not work, luckily I was going slow down enough but you could smell my breaks when I slammed them and I had to roll into my parking spot and stop it with the curb. This car is not safe to drive. I would be very careful about messing with the car when it concerns these issues. What's the problem now? Who knows, but the hybrid place said I need to take it to Toyota and they will pay for the diagnostic fee. They will call me in the morning. Fingers crossed it's not the actuator. This car is garbage. I thought Toyota meant quality. I knew going in I would be up for a hyrbid battery probably soon, however, I didn't know it would be three months in and that I would have a mystery problem. I hope Toyota can pin point the exact issue. This is ridiculous.

Interesting history on this vehicle. Does the AirBag light stay on when the vehicle is going down the road?.

I have a 2007 Toyota camary hybrid a few months ago my check hybrid system came on and check vsc I took my car immediately to the dealership I was buying it from the mechanic had it for a week I got it back then a few miles the lights Came back on then I realize that the fan started making a loud noise I took it to Toyota dealership to take a look at it and I was explained that I’d have to replace the whole battery which cost from 2000 to 5000 not including labor I decided to go to cheap and easy route as being a mom and four kids so I bought the battery cells myself to replace them in the battery pack yesterday I replaced the cells that were reading lower or that were reading on my error scanner so I’ll 17 and sell 33 were replaced every other so I was reading at 8.4 or eigh came back on then I realize that the fan started making a loud noise I took it to Toyota dealership to take a look at it and I was explained that I’d have to replace the whole battery which cost from 2000 to 5000 not including labor I decided to go to cheap and easy route as being a mom and for kids so I bought the battery cells myself to replace them in the battery pack yesterday I replaced the cells that were reading lower or that were reading on my error scanner so I’ll 17 and sell 33 were replaced every other cell was reading at 8.4 I put the battery pack back together and put it back into the vehicle drove the car a few miles perfectly fine left the car running for about 30 minutes when I got back in the car to drive the lights came back on when the hybrid light first came on I was able to drive the vehicle before the mechanic took a look at it now as I drive it highway or city it tends to shut off when it hits Eco mode does anyone know of any way to Take off the eco-mode

Frustrating! IMO, I'd just replace the hybrid battery. I did that almost two years ago and found a remanufactured one at NAPA for just under $1,900! Swapped it out myself. Worked great for a year then had a pesky hybrid battery cooling fan connection issue that finally got solved - so all in all, I had a good experience swapping it out. Did you buy the special gloves to protect yourself - I'd suggest it. I went through Dormann and it came with a 3 yr warranty; better than the warranty on a replacement from the dealer! Good luck!

Well...this particular thread...and other sources of info concerning Hybrid Vehicles ....seems to indicate these hybrid battery packs last about 10 years and are very expensive to replace. Replacing individual modules is a crapshoot. You are mixing 10 year old mods with new modes. Not the best solution. These moduels are electrically connected in a Series Circuit. When your attempt to charge batteries in Series...the charger sees the weaker module and attempts to fully charge that weak mod....thus ...overcharging the adjacent good mods...overheating them...and triggers a warning light and shutdown..limp in mode. This is exacerbated by a Hybrid Battery Cooling System which is not up to specs. So...what to do when that dreaded Hybrid light comes on?. If a properly executed diagnosis points to battery pack replacement...IMO....one needs to weigh the cost of repair to the amount of time you will continue to drive the vehicle....and the wholesale value of the vehicle AFTER the repair. Very interesting and informative thread. Keep it coming folks. We learn from one another.

Clearly, I can only answer for myself. I would not buy another hybrid and would avoid all- electric cars until it is much clearer what direction battery technology takes. The batteries are massively expensive and will improve greatly in the coming years. If the new car and batteries come with a 7-year warranty, I'd expect the car to be functional for 7 years. Anything beyond that is gravy. I would not replace batteries after the warranty has expired. I would not be happy owning a new car that possibly has a life expectancy of 7 years. The company that sold us the third party batteries did their best to make it work. But the Camry hybrid is complex and there's a lot the company didn't know. I'm skeptical of warranties from companies that could go out of business overnight.

Anjell if you read my message above, you would see that changing the cells alone will not fix the problem unless you can discharge them all together and slowly charge them back up. I was explained that changing a few cells without the charging and discharge process cause a system imbalance that creates heat when one or two cells are overcharged. This is why the fan kicks on and the car eventually shuts off. I have made that mistake myself until I coughed up nearly $1,300.00 to obtain a refurbished pack with 12 month warranty or 12,000 miles whichever comes first. I agree buying these hybrid is a risk. I will not buy another hybrid vehicle unless the car manufacturers are willing to give me unlimited warranty on these batteries or the replacement cost is under $600.00 with labor included.

Hello-- First, thank you to those who posted about their 2007 Camry battery problems. We are in the market for a used car for my daughter and were tempted by the 2007 Camry hybrids that are out there in our area. But after reading this thread, no more! Second, along the way some folks expressed skepticism regarding all-electric vehicles' battery packs. Of course, the technology is changing rapidly, so they may not say the same things today, but I just wanted to share that even assuming, say, a replacement $3,000 battery pack will be needed after around 200,000 miles, the electrics are the way to go. Think of all the things that commonly go wrong with an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle's engine and emissions system and the work we all take for granted: rusted-out mufflers, replaced catalytic converters, the oil changes, busted water pumps, gaskets that need changing, radiator servicing, alternator problems--the list goes on and on. There are air filters to replace, fluids to be topped off--big ticket stuff as well as the nickels and dimes. There are no such worries with an EV. My Chevy Bolt has 13 moving electric motor parts, versus more than a thousand in an ICE. Plus, lots of us get to charge for free at work (and here in NY there are even free fast chargers at some highway rest stops)--EV owners pay a fraction of what ICE vehicle owners do for energy, and for some of us it's a tiny fraction (with a long commute, I'm saving $100/month on fuel costs--add oil changes and such, and I'm looking at close to $2,000 saved each year!). I know there are plenty of ICE vehicles that make it to 200,000 miles, but they usually get there stumbling, and the majority never make it. Our Prius hit 200,000 just before my daughter totaled it in a minor accident, but in the previous 14 months we had put $7,500 into it! All but $250 of that amount was to service ICE-related problems (the $250 was to service the battery pack coolant and flush the radiator). Pretty wild, right: $250 in "engine" repairs/servicing over 200,000 miles driven. NO ICE cars ever made could come in under 10 times that figure over the same mileage (the oil changes alone would run in the thousands) and still be getting 90% of their original gas mileage. With such a great experience with my Prius, I can't wait to see how it goes with my new Bolt. And I'm doing the planet a solid as well.

Bolt....curious.....how many miles can you travel on a fully charged Battery Pack in your All Electric? My Yaris.......I can go 400 miles on a tank full of gas. Thanks for your interesting point of view.

Hi, Last Chance--Ahhh, the range question! We've only had the car for two months, and it's here in Upstate NY, so it's been cold, but we're getting around 180 miles on a charge. The one little warm spell we got, I went from just less than 3 miles/kWh to just more than 4. I have a 100 mile round trip commute each day. At minimum, I charge 75 miles at no cost at work. I also drive 10 minutes out of my way once a week to top off at a free fast charger, where I work for an hour while the car juices up. It has meant some changes, and it'll mean more as we take longer road trips, I know, but with our values--and with free energy most of the time--it's been a good bargain. Could be better, but it's good.

Ok...thanks for the tutorial. May I suggest you frequent this thread with updates so we may all learn of your experiences with your new adventure.

I also have a 2007 Camry Hybrid with 228,000 miles in February 2020. the dreaded CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM light came on last night and also this morning. When I fired it up leaving work the light was gone and I was back to the mileage/odometer screen. I canceled my appointment at the dealership and a $100/hour charge. I bought it a few years ago at 146,000 miles and $8,000. Still nice body and loaded interior. I hope the horrors already discussed won't come knocking.

HoljaBeeja -- Good luck. I can't find the article, but it seems that some owners reported inverter problems that lead to the dreaded message. I suspected that our car suffered from an electrical problem that showed up in the battery unit. The company that sold us the new batteries bought the car from us because they couldn't figure out what was going wrong. They changed the unit at least five times. A year later they were out of business. I'm sure there's a moral to this story.

Check the Owners Manual for info on the Battery Pack cooling system. The air filter should be cleaned or replaced. Also...have the Computers on this vehicle Scanned for codes. Some Auto Parts Stores will do this Scan for free. Write down code numbers and descriptions.

I don’t know if I’ve posted this before but when you start the car in the morning or 1 hour after the car is turned off, always and I emphasize ALWAYS allow the car to heat up before starting to drive. That means let the engine run until the engine shuts off. That usually takes 1 to 3 minutes depending on the battery level at the time the car was shut off. I usually turn off my AC so that the process is faster. The tech who replaced my battery pack gave me that suggestion. Another tip: when it is hot out there I suggest running the AC in the coldest temperature Low in order for the battery to stay cool while driving. Remember the battery intake air vent is in the cabin under the rear glass. Make sure that area is clear as indicated in the car manual. Folks typically place their umbrellas back there. Any obstruction in that area will cause the battery pack to heat up and give you a code. You can possibly hear the battery pack fan kicks on in that instance. If you need more clarification, please let me know. My 2007 Camry is still running with the replacement pack. I now have 240k+ miles on it and I get on average 30 MPG. I plan on driving it until it dies. Good luck folks.

Gilbert...you are indeed THE Man. This is got to be the longest thread in Guru history. And you started it all. Think about all of the above folks you have helped over the last few years. It will be interesting to see how many more are left. Keep it coming

My 2007 has 228,000 miles and neither battery has been changed. The "Check Hybrid Drive" message came on once about a week ago and went off the next day by itself. It hasn't been back on since. I bought this used at 137,000 mile and use it as my work car; 80 miles a day.

Holja, if the light hasn't been back then there is no need to worry. However, please make sure you let the car go idle before you start driving in the morning or an hour after the car is off. Also, as I mentioned above do not place anything near the back window to allow the battery to cool from the cabin air. Another thing I have noticed is that the car behaves differently when my trunk is full. Perhaps and just perhaps the hybrid battery in the trunk gets heated with all the contents. With no indicator lights on, a diagnosis cannot be done.

Hello, I have a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid and one day the car began to flash all the dashboard light and the car alarm was activated, as if it had electrical problem. When this happened, the 12v battery was replaced. How two weeks after this event the "Check Hybrid System" comes on along with "Check VSC system. When this happen, we scan the car and the code was P0A80 Replace Hybrid Battery Pack and P3026 Battery Block 16 becomes weak. We changed all the bad cells and scanned the battery again, this time the code was P0A80 and P3026 Battery Block 9, however, when we prove all the cells they have it 7.5v or more, so I remove all the bus terminal, clean all the corrosion, then we scan a 3rd time and still have the same code except that for code P3026 changed to block 2. I don’t know if I missed something in the process to repair the battery. I currently don't have the economy to replace the whole battery and I don't know what else to do. Any ideas that can help me. I appreciate all the help you can give me.

After you have replaced the cells take the battery pack somewhere that can balanced them all for you. Right now, the cells are at different levels when the car is running. Let us know if that helps and what other course of action you take to clear the code.

i have a 2007 Camry that the engine is shot - dealership is saying just bad luck that a piston broke. The batteries are fine so would love to sell them - anyone out there in need of batteries? Or anything else on the car?

Guru2SQ1W where are you located?

I would know what was the issue with your car, cause my car doing the same.

Has anyone measured the voltage at the connection point of the orange cables that go from the battery into the car? My 2007 has 250,000 miles and when I reset the Check Hybrid/VSC error with my OBD2 it runs normally for a while. The voltage seems high at 260-290 though and I wonder if there is a better point to check the system voltage.. The car will run EV for a mile or so with light pressure on the pedal.

So my story is pretty much the same as the original thread that started this 4 year conversation. Purchased a used 2007 Camry Hybrid with 118,000 miles on it. Drove perfect for the last 3 months. I have put about 10,000 miles on it driving 500 miles a week. Then three weeks ago, after it set in my driveway for the weekend, I got in it on a Monday and started it and got the standard Check Hybrid System, and VSC control warning lights. So after I got to work and did some research, including this thread, I did the battery reset and the car worked normally for the rest of the week. Come Monday again same thing, same lights. This time I got to work and did the reset as I did the week before. When I went to leave work the lights came back on. From this point the Battery reset would not work again. Finally a day before I ordered a new battery my car would try to switch to battery and it was die on me while I was driving. This happened 3 times on the way home from work. So I went to Auto Zone had the codes pulled. P08A80-Replace Hybrid Battery Pack, P3022-Battery Block 12 becomes weak, P0A7F-Hybrid Battery Pack Deterioration. So I made the decision to replace the battery pack. It was the most reasonable thing since the car was driving perfectly for over 10,000 miles then it stops in one weekend. There were no other indications it was anything other than the Battery Pack. So I found a company called Green-Bean Battery. And no I do not have any association with them. They offer a single price 1785.00, for a referbished battery, fully installed by their technician, and a transferable lifetime warranty for the life of the car. They also do other hybrid cars. I paid, and had it installed within 3 days. So over 200 miles now and everything is working just like it was before. I do see an increase in performance with a good battery in the car. The install took only about one and a half hours, and they came to my house. They do take your old battery. I thought the price was fair because of the lifetime warranty. Which if I wanted to sell my car could add the value of the warranty into it. They cover a lot of states so check out the website if you can afford to use them I recommend it. They don't trouble shoot your car just remove and replace. That's my story!

Hi all. Disclaimer: I read thru all the posts in this thread, but have little mechanical experience so not sure I followed everything well. Simple language explanations would be really appreciated. I have a similar issue: my 2007 Camry Hybrid is giving me the “check hybrid system” & “check VSC system” messages, along with these warning lights: master warning, slip indicator, malfunction / check engine, brake system warning, & tire sensor (known issue). These popped up after a “no problems” road trip check at an independent hybrid mechanic & then an 800 mile trip with three brief stops. Thankfully, they popped up less than 5 miles from my destination. Before the warnings popped up, the car started shuttering very slightly. After the warnings came on, I noticed a slight hesitation in accelerating. I took the car to a reliable but small & non-hybrid local mechanic. During the 10 min drive, the car did not shutter but I still noticed the very slight lag in acceleration. His scanner pulled up no diagnostic codes. He ran it a few times, still no codes. He checked the gas cap (it was securely fastened) & then disconnected the 12Volt battery & reconnected after a few mins. The codes of course disappeared but he sent me home & the codes reappeared at the end of a 10 min drive home. During that drive, no shuttering, but still acceleration lag & this time I heard the fan in the trunk kick on & stay on. This morning, I borrowed a car & rented a Innova 3100LAT scanner from Autozone. It gave 4 codes (but two were repeats): P3016 (x2) P0A80 (x2) Am I understanding correctly that these are the “Replace hybrid battery pack” & the “Battery Block 6 becomes weak” codes? If so, I would welcome help / advice about interpreting these codes & whether there’s any hope of it being a smaller repair than replacing the hybrid battery? I’d also welcome advice about next steps that I or a mechanic could take & what kind of mechanic might be the best balance of adequate knowledge & cost-savings in this situation. The local mechanic is a good guy who has taken a couple hybrid classes, the Toyota dealership is about 25 mins away & is unknown to me, & it looks like the closest independent hybrid mechanic is about 45 mins away. My thanks in advance for any info / suggestions.

After driving with the Check Hybrid/vsc messages for a month I took the battery out and measured the cells which were all 7.9 except two which were 6.5 or so. I replaced those, cleaned each connecting strap and put it all back together. Car is back to normal and in fact seems a bit stronger. Not even much of a hassle except lifting the battery out and back. It is very heavy.

my 2007 Camry Hybrid, purchased new is still running, used to take it to the dealer for repairs until last year -not since hybrid battery light comes on occasionally. they wanted more than the car is worth! I will drive it until it dies! so far so good light comes on occasionally, i watch the battery picture to make sure its going back and forth from gas to battery. been saving for a new car for when it dies, would not put $4-6,000 for a new battery, Loved this car but would not buy another hybrid or electric until problems are worked out.

Rainn42: I'd ask the mechanic to check the inverter. I got rid of my 2007 after having changed the batteries a few times. Towards the end, I was convinced that there was another problem causing the battery failures, possibly the inverter. I did not find the Toyota dealers to be helpful. I sold the car to a battery replacement firm. They had experienced a number of problems with Camrys that they didn't see with the Prius. They went out of business. It was hard to get rid of the car as it was excellent in every other way.

That’s very insightful. I sold my 2007 hybrid a few years ago after a battery replacement and still had some nagging issues like this. Agree, the dealerships are still new to this so don’t really know what I’d happening - IMO! I felt there might be some electrical “transients” somewhere in the system that may be causing the CPU/BMU to think there’s an error then putting the system in safe mode? Admittedly, I’m no expert, but it is an odd error!! Also correct that the car is otherwise superb!!!

In Toronto I go to Green Touch to have individual cells replaced on my 2007 Camry hybrid. I would put in a refurbished battery next time for $1000 canadian. I paid $100+ to have them tell me which cells were bad. That was unnecessary. He has his own tool and it was free with the repair.

I got the hybrid system check last week for the first time...very cold day here in Canada (-35c or -13F)..reading this blog, I went and open the fuse box, wiggled the wires in it and pushed on the fuses...message gone and has not come back since...wondering if it was not a case of condensation...

It may very well be that. Let's continue to monitor the car and let us know how it is behaving. I'm glad to hear the message is gone. Pay attention to your fuel efficiency. is it better or worst than before? Please advise.

The same way you posted this question.

TY, I'm on it.

The shop that scanned my car got code PO A66 which indicates a malfunction in the hybrid system. They told me to take my car to a Toyota dealer and get the sub-codes to specify which component in the system is malfunctioning. Do I need a dealer to scan my car to get the sub-codes? I plan to clean the terminals, fan, busbars, etc., myself Is there anything I need to know about that? If I take off the busbars could this cause a problem with the battery or system? Background: I bought a 2007 Camry Hybrid with 83,000 miles a short while ago. The day after I drove it home, the car wouldn't start. Toyota tested the (original) 12v battery and told me it was dead. I replaced it with the OEM battery and the car started and ran fine. A few nights ago I was driving in the snow and the check hybrid system red triangle light came on. I drove to my friend's house, parked, shut off the car and waited for my friend. When she go in the car it would not start. I had the car towed to a garage. The garage mechanic tested my car and got the PO A66 code. He told me that, as a fail safe precaution on 1st gen Camry hybrids, after the check hybrid warning light comes on the car will not start until the system is re-set by disconnecting the 12v battery, waiting a few minutes and re-connecting the 12v battery. He'd done that and told me I could go get the car. The next day I went to get the car it would not start. I rebooted the system myself, the car started and, I drove it home. Since I got the car back it's been running fine. The light hasn't come back on. The mpg started out in the low 20s but now it's up to 33mpg. Nonetheless, I made an appointment to have it diagnosed at Toyota this AM. Last night I called and asked Toyota service if the car can be tested with the light off. He said the light typically needs to be on but sometimes they can find stored codes or codes that are about to come on. He told me that after a re-boot, the car usually needs to be driven about 75 miles for the system to completely re-set and the light to come on again. I think I have driven 75 miles and it was a 20 mile drive to Toyota this AM. When I got to Toyota the light was not on and the service man told me the same thing he did last night. I decided not to test the the car and to go back when the light comes on again. Does anybody have any insight?

So, following up on the post I made 12 hours ago, after I came home this AM from (not) having the dealer scan my Camry, I drove about 80 miles in the afternoon. The car ran fine and MPG is up to about 34.5 on the dash computer. About a mile before I got home, however, the red triangle warning light came on. I was tired, so when I got home, I just took the battery cable off to re-set the system. Tomorrow I will re-attach the cable and see if the Camry starts and, whether the warning light comes back on. Hopefully, when (if) the warning light comes on next, I'll have the time and the gumption to drive straight to the Toyota dealership and park my car in their lot until they can test it. I'll keep posting as I try to figure out the problem.

Guru9WVX42: Good luck. It will be interesting to hear what Toyota tells you.

Toyota said it needs a transmission. Has anybody here had experience putting a used transmission in a 2007 - 2011 Camry Hybrid?

I never had to. How much did Toyota quote you for a new one? I'm curious because my Hybrid Camry now has 260K miles. I might need it at some point because I don't want a car payment and the rest of the car is working just fine.

My car runs fine too but the light comes on and tells me to "Check Hybrid System." Toyota quoted me $7000. I've seen low mileage used transmissions from reputable dealers on line for $400. What year is your Camry? Have you changed the Hybrid battery? I'm not sure Toyota was correct. They incorrectly diagnosed this car before. I took the car to a transmissions specialist / mechanic today and he has told me that he thinks the problem is with the battery. He will look more into it however, because I told him Toyota told me otherwise. I'll keep you posted.

I am having the same problem that benson99 had some time back. My 2007 Toyota Camry will not start unless I reset the system by removing the negative cable from the 12V battery. After I do that, it starts and when I look at the energy monitor I can see the arrows moving from the battery and the engine. After I drive it for about a 1 minute or 2 the "Check Hybrid System" warning shows on the dash with the red triangle. The hybrid battery still shows that it is fine in the energy monitor view but no more lines showing whether the hybrid battery or the engine is being used. I drove it on about a 30 miles roundtrip and the hybrid batter shows that it is charging and goes from blue to green in the energy monitor. I got about 42 mpg on the trip. However, when I turn off the vehicle, it will not start again unless I again disconnect the negative on the 12V battery. This started happening after I replaced a bad cell in the hybrid battery. I had done a similar hybrid battery repair about a year and half ago but cleaned all the battery cell connections put it back together and it worked for over a year. This time I replace a bad cell and I get this strange problem. I have taken the external connections off the hybrid battery again and cleaned them and also checked the fan wire and it seems to be OK. What could be causing this problem? It seems that some sensor is telling the car that something is wrong with the hybrid battery and won't let the car start.

Gilbert: How many miles have you driven since replacing hybrid battery? Do you still have the light coming on?

I replaced my hybrid pack back in June 2018 at 186,753. Today, my car is at 264,626 miles. The light has come back in the last 15K miles. I haven't decided whether I want to replace the pack since the miles are so high. I simply do not want another car payment. Other than the light, the car runs just fine. I do my maintenance regularly as I drive over 600 miles a week.

Thanks. That's quite a lot of miles on a refurbished battery. Green Bean Hybrid charges $1740 for a replacement hybrid battery with lifetime warranty. My Camry wouldn't start after the Check Hybrid System light would come on. When I turn off the car, I remove the negative cable to reset the system and after that it starts and drives fine until the Check Hybrid System light comes on again and I again reset by removing the negative terminal. I've had my car tested by 2 Toyota dealers, 2 independent mechanics and a hybrid battery specialist. Mechanic 1 said it was leak in the system and told me to go to Toyota to get more details; Toyota dealer # 1 said it was the transmission which they wanted $7000 to replace; Mechanic 2, a transmission specialist, said it was the hybrid battery; Toyota dealer 2 thought it was the the hybrid battery but they wanted $400 to do a more in- depth analysis to be sure; Hybrid battery specialist thought it was the high voltage cable from the battery to the engine. Lately the check hybrid system hasn't come back on in quite a few miles. I'll re-post when it comes back on.

Does anyone know if this wire is connected tot he hybrid system? It is unhealthy the intake manifold and I have been having uses either engine performance after putting in a new battery. 2007 camry hybrid

Frayed wire in center

Re: 2007 Toyota Camry. This is my third winter of having this particular problem: when the weather turns cold, the 'check hybrid system' warning comes on. A few times, the engine has suddenly died, but re-started with no problem. It happened last week, at -20C outside. Now I'm scared to drive it, until the temperature goes back up, and the warning disappears .... Two years ago, when this started, I took it to the dealership. They did a diagnostic, for over $100, and told me it showed nothing, and that if the warning stayed on when the weather warmed up, then I would need to replace the battery; otherwise, no worries. No other problems with the car, but I don't want to worry about it dying every time the outside temperature drops (I'm in Canada, so we're talking about 4 or 5 months every year). I'm a mechanical/technical dunce, and klutz on top of that ... from reading the previous posts, I'm thinking that the best option would be to have a refurbished/after- market battery installed, and hope for the best, rather than having cells replaced in my existing battery. Any opinions?