Hello- We bought a used Prius for my daughter, and paid good money- probably much more than we should have at a dealers, and now the Prius is having problems starting when my daughter leaves the lights on with the engine off for only a few minutes. Later, the battery seems to get charged up again and the car will start. The car is still under warranty but I'm afraid that if the problem is the battery, the dealer with do a quick fix that will last a few months and we will be stuck with replacing the entire battery. What would you suggest? Thanks for your help. The dealer is in Springfield PA.
This is only the little 12v battery that is used to turn on the electronics. It should not cost more than $200 (although there are limited purchase options - a Toyota dealer or a particular web site Elearnaid,com). The big Traction battery is not involved in your difficulty turning on your Prius. JeffD
You have two batteries in the Prius. The traction battery that drives the wheels, starts the engine and a 12 volt battery that powers the lights and accessories. The 12 volt probably needs replacing and is marginal in the cold weather. The 12 volt battery needs to supply enough power to get the computer controls running. Then the traction battery can start the engine. The bad news is it's a special battery size that needs to be bought from Toyota. It might cost $200 to replace.
Toyota Prius 12 Volt Auxiliary Battery with install kit for 2004 - 10 Do yourself a favor and get this optima battery with install kit, better off in the long run. :welcome:
The used Prius is a 2001, as specified in your profile? Not sure if the eLearnAid Optima works, best double check. Short of a new battery, buy, beg, borrow (don't steal) a good battery minder type charger. BatteryMINDers.com or Griot's Garage - Battery Manager IV are good options. Let them work on the battery overnight and see how it goes after that. - D
How long have you had possession of this vehicle? What does the warranty include and how long dos it extend?
2001 to 2003 elearnaid Optima Yellow Top Kit Optima battery and installation kit for Prius 2001 to 2003 They outline a test procedure and give caveats about installation.
