Car thinks fob is in the ignition overnight, now won't start

Last night when I parked my 2005 Prius in the garage and turned it off and pulled out the fob, I thought it was strange that I then got the "beep" signal when I opened the door to get out, but it didnt' really register for me what that might be. I closed the door, checked the others, and went in for the night.

This morning, I went to start the car, and all the dash lights started blinking. Weird. So I attempted to turn the car Off and take the key out of the ignition, to try again. But the key wouldn't come out! A couple more tries and I got the key out, but the yellow check engine light on the dashboard is on, and the headlights were on. I turned them off. Now I think the starter battery is drained. I'm not sure if the Prius thinks it's ON or not.

Earlier this summer, I replaced the original startup battery on my own, with an Exide battery, rated slightly more powerful. see: dead. just dead. battery? or?? | PriusChat

Should I just call for a tow to a Toyota shop, or call for a jumpstart first, or what? I'm thinking maybe I should disconnect the battery, to "reboot" the car, but then I still have a battery with no juice... sigh.

 

oh, I called my BF (50 miles away) and he said I should be able to disconnect the battery circuit somewhere other than having to open up the back of the car and disconnect from the battery itself. That way at least I'm not still draining the battery.
Is it a fuse or breaker, and where is it???

 

I'm going out to the garage now to see what's going on in the battery compartment... I cranked those connections down pretty tight, with a ratchet wrench, so I'd be surprised if the connections are loose, but you never know....

 

Lights are dim.
:-(
the bigger question then, is why the battery discharged...
back in a few, I'll take a photo if anything is awry.

 

ARGGGH.
I forgot that when the battery dies, the hatch door won't open, so I have to unlatch it from the inside...
ffffffffoooooooey!

 

near the inverter ... dedicated positive jump start terminal.
Must find it.

I got into the hatch, into the 12v battery compartment, but can't unscrew the neg. from the body. It's cold in the garage and somehow I'm not as nimble as I was in July. The neg. wire is secure. Can't find my cheat sheets for how to remove the red positive terminal cover, and shouldn't touch it til the negative is disconnected, so back to the engine compartment... and back to doing a search to find that walk through I used. If I can get to the battery terminals, maybe I can get someone to lend me a charger, and see if I can restart the car to get it the 2 miles to the repair shop.

 

When I get myself to the local auto parts store (walk, walk, walk), I'll pick up 2 new fob batteries, as well as a battery charger. What should I be looking for in a battery charger?

 

This morning I went to check the battery charger, and it said my battery was now fully charged, 100%. I reconnected the battery, and put the fob in the ignition. Foot on brake, pressed Power ON. First time, all the dash lights came on, but I didn't get a "Ready", but I was able to power Off, removed the fob and repeated. This time, the car came on instantly. Feeling all lucky and proud, I got in the car, and instead of doing the *smart thing* and driving directly to a mechanic or the dealer, I was brazen enough to thumb my nose at common sense, and I drove to work, instead! 8 hours later, I was able to unlock the doors with the fob button, but DANG IT, the car didn't start. There was still the flashing security light on the dash. When I tried a few more times, even the light went away. So, my 12v battery is dead again! I was very careful when I parked the car this morning to be sure everything was turned off; radio, HVAC, dome lights, head lights, makeup mirrors... So either I have a defective battery, or there's something wrong with the electronics or a computer in the car that's eating the battery.
I'll have to arrange for a tow and decide if I should trust a local mechanic or go a Toyota dealer and pay big bucks, tomorrow. In the meantime, any theories or ideas?

 

Thanks for the info. That's probably more than I can manage on a DIY basis, though. I'm hoping to find a mechanic now who can do that for me! I can't believe that I don't find rave reviews for some independent Toyota mechanic anywhere in Chicago, and I fear going to a dealership will be all I've got available to me...
Busy locating a mechanic near where the car is stranded this morning.

 

I am in quite an interesting predicament now. The car is in a parking garage, and the garage has very low clearance, so I can't get a tow truck in! Can a Prius be PUSHED enough to get it free-rolling down the parking ramps? Or do all the wheels and steering lock up with no power?

 

Will it keep running on a jump, no matter what? I don't want to get stuck half way between where it is and where I'm going...