I was trying to get a flash drive into the USB port and turned on a front reading light to see down inside the box (that port has a funny angle). It was daytime, so I didn't notice the light being on when I shut down the car and went inside. The light burned for about 12 hours. The car is only one day old, and when I started up the next morning the traction battery icon showed only two bars, but it came up quickly as I drove. Is this going to do any harm on a brand-new car? Thanks.
If it does, and I do not think it will, consider an Optima Yellowtop as a replacement. Optima BatteriesOptima Batteries DS46B24R YellowTop Prius Auxiliary Battery
Remember that the traction battery is completely unrelated to the 12V battery. The OP didn't do the 12V battery any favors by leaving a light on overnight, but it didn't do anything to the traction battery. Tom
Thanks. I suspected there was no relationship, but wasn't sure. Since everything worked as usual this morning, can I expect that the 12V battery is recovering okay? How would I know?
Being a new battery, it should have lots of life (although sometimes they arrive with a bum battery.) Batteries have a limited number of charge/discharge cycles. Leaving the lights on uses them up a little faster, so your battery may not last as long, but it isn't catastrophic. Tom
I once left the dome light on for 10 days while the car ( Honda Fit )was in long term airport parking. Completely destroyed the battery. It never would hold a charge after that. John
As mentioned before the traction battery level is unrelated to your light problem. Sounds like you caught your 12 volt in time since your car was able to start.
