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Couldn’t press break, then 12v battery died. Replaced it, car won’t drive

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Msie, Jan 30, 2018.

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  1. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    I got into my car to go somewhere and couldn’t press the brake to turn on the car. After a few attempts, the battery completely died. I replaced the 12v battery. The car turns on now, but will only let me put it in neutral or park and has an error message that reads “check hybrid system, stop the vehicle in a safe place.”

    Does anyone have an idea what this could be? Do I need to have it towed to a dealership? It’s a 2013 that I bought certified used in 2015.
     
    #1 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2018
  2. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    You need the trouble codes read to determine what is wrong. The dealer has the TechStream software recommended for reading the codes on a Prius.
     
    #2 Prodigyplace, Jan 30, 2018
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Did you touch anything else when you replaced the battery? Like the orange disconnect on the hybrid battery?
     
    #3 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what the voltage of the new battery?
     
    #4 bisco, Jan 30, 2018
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  5. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    Pretty sure it’s 12v; I just took the battery into an o’reilly and they gave me this new one.
     
    #5 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
  6. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    No i don’t think so, the battery was basically by itself in the back passenger side of the trunk and I didn’t try anything else.
     
    #6 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    many (some) new batteries need a charge before installation.
     
    #7 bisco, Jan 30, 2018
  8. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    Unrelated, i just want to say I’m pretty embarrassed I wrote “break” twice instead of “brake.”
     
    #8 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
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  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i wasn't going to tell anyone.:cool:
     
    #9 bisco, Jan 30, 2018
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  10. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Could you have accidentally reverse polarity the connections? Tried jump starting? Did it spark when you installed it?
     
    #10 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
  11. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    When the old battery was in the car, we jump started it to see if the battery was dead and if that was the problem. But I carefully followed a couple YouTube videos on replacing the battery and had no issues, and it started right up. Just won’t let me drive it now.
     
    #11 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Try jump starting with the new battery, if you can't get it to READY mode
     
    #12 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
  13. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    Try jump starting it even though it already starts and turns on?
     
    #13 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Oh no, if it's in READY mode. It's ON.

    If it still won't go into drive, it's detecting a problem.

    Try and disconnect the 12v negative for a minute. Then reconnect and try again
     
    #14 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
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  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Do you see the READY light in the dash?
     
    #15 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
  16. Msie

    Msie Junior Member

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    The picture I posted is what I see when I start the car. But it will not let me put the car in reverse or drive, only neutral or park. I’ll try disconnecting the battery and connecting it again.
     
    #16 Msie, Jan 30, 2018
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I can't see your picture. Your car is not official ON until you see the READY light on the dash and the speedometer showing 0
     
    #17 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
  18. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Get's a little semantically messy with a Prius and you say,- On or Ready.
    From the picture, The Prius is at least booting up to the point where you have dash lights and information.
    Which would tell me, power is getting from the 12 volt.
    So I would say your car is turning "On" but not going into Ready state.

    You can endlessly speculate as to what may of happened before replacing the 12 volt battery, you can speculate as to what is happening now.
    But what we do know, is your Prius is booting up, getting to a point, and then giving you a warning message about the Hybrid System. Everything else that is happening or NOT happening after that point is the vehicle protecting itself.
    If it was me? I wouldn't waste time with messing with a lot of disconnecting and reconnecting....I'd simply have it towed to a dealership.
     
    #18 The Electric Me, Jan 30, 2018
  19. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Since this car is not going into Ready, you should try jump starting it.

    Alternatively you can check the voltage of the new battery and make sure it's at least 12v. A fully charged battery will be close to 13v. If the new battery is under 11v, your car will not start
     
    #19 JC91006, Jan 30, 2018
  20. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    The problems is Prius don't "start" , at least not in the typical ignition sense of a full ICE vehicle.
    Basically Prius "boot up" to a ready state.

    Sure it MAY be a faulty or undercharged brand new 12 volt battery.
    But IMO, I think you can potentially cause more damage if you start connecting and reconnecting things, jump starting batteries that may or may not need to be jump started.

    Since your dash IS lighting up...that would suggest to me that the Prius is at least partially booting up, even if some warning code is keeping it from reaching or allowing the "Ready" state.

    Even if it costs you some money, I don't think you can do wrong following the advice the vehicle itself is giving you. Which is to STOP the vehicle and Check The Hybrid System.

    I would have it towed, and then have the dealership retrieve the codes and "Check The Hybrid System".

    If it turns out it IS just a undercharged new battery, or a simple reconnect solves the problem? Well you only lose some money.

    If you start "guessing" and hooking up jump starts...and connecting and reconnecting things, and possibly doing more damage?
    Well it wouldn't be worth it to me. You could make a simple problem, a whole lot more complicated trying to fix it.
     
    #20 The Electric Me, Jan 30, 2018
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