unable to start in cold weather?

Temperature had nothing to do with it. Looks like you left a light on or something and came home to a dead 12v battery. Maybe the cargo light? If the hybrid battery was a fault, first of all, the jump wouldn't have done anything and also, you would not have see a full hybrid battery indication.

Keep a close eye on that 12v battery now because the often don't last long after getting run down like that. And be very careful jumping a Prius. Connecting the cables wrong can be very expensive.

Also, I see that you have this in the Prius Prime forum, but your info says you have a 2011. Do you need to update your info?

 

You're confusing the 12V battery that powers the computers and the relays that connect the hybrid battery to the car with the hybrid battery itself, which propels your car down the road. The battery bars you see are the hybrid (traction) battery level. It doesn't say anything about the 12v battery. If the 12V battery is dead, the car is dead. No lights, no nuthin', which is what you experienced. If the traction (hybrid) battery is at fault, you get various lights on the dash and the car likely won't go. Also, if the 12V is low, but not too far gone, you'll also get all sorts of lights and strange behavior.

A moderator can move your post to a more appropriate forum. Just click the "Report" button at the bottom of your first post and go from there.

 

Sounds like a plan. Won't hurt to have the 12V tested with a load tester. But either way, keep an eye on it and be ready to get a new 12V soon.

 

There are a ton of threads here on 12V battery preferences. I favor the Toyota battery because it holds up so well, but lots of people think that the Optima yellow top battery is a good and less expensive alternative. I believe there are other options, but those seem to me to be the top two contenders.

Another popular item is the booster battery packs you can buy now. Handy in case you or someone else needs a jump. I don't have one, but I'm thinking about it. Lots of discussion here about those, too. BTW, you NEVER want to try to jump start a regular using your Prius. The 12V battery is too small and something will probably break.

 

You can also use an "Exide" AGM or "advanced AGM". They make one in the Prius size. If the dealer wants $250 or less, installed that's a reasonable price (for a Prius battery - unreasonable for anything else ).

 

Install is very easy, if you have correct sized battery, proper post diameter/location, and the vent port. The OEM, and/or several aftermarket choices are available.

On the old battery, disconnect neg first, then positive, and the reverse when installing the new. It's not a bad idea to hook up the new battery to a 4 amp range smart charger, let it run a complete charging session (4~8 hours) prior to install.

The only wrinkle I encountered when installing an Optima Yellow Top, was the hold-down bracket has next to zero tolerance for height difference (poor design) and the new battery was a smidge taller. I put a washer under the bracket at one end, fixed that.

A 10 mm wrench is basically all you need. And some fine sand paper and a wire brush and/or battery post/clamp cleaner is handy, to clean things up before connecting.

 

What he said!

The only battery receipt I can find was $200 even plus $1.50 for disposal for a Toyota battery, but that was not from a Toyota dealer. Easy to replace.

 

Just wondering: is that the original, 6 year old, 12v battery?

 

Old battery plus cold = dead battery = no start. Even a new battery will be dead if you leave a light on for 3 days. Most 12v batteries are good for 5ish years, more or less. How often did you replace the battery on your previous car? FYI: Some Prius geeks trickle charge their batteries every night, but even then, 12v batteries always ALWAYS die. The choice is simple: do you fill/replace the gas/battery before you run out of juice, or after? I fill the gas tank before the last tick and replace the battery every 4 or 5 years.

 

Cowards!!