Something strange happened in my dying 2005 prius today. I was sitting in my dying prius in a parking lot listening to a book on tape for a few minutes. I turned my dying prius off then turned it back on because it was revving itself, and when I turned my dying prius back on there was a very loud, but extremely powerful (I could feel the reverberations on the console) popping sound (almost a mix between a pop and a bang). Immediately I could smell strange plastic burning fumes, so I immediately rolled all of my windows down opened 2 of the doors and turned the car off. The smell dissipated within 10 minutes, and I heard no popping sound again when I turned my dying prius back on. So is this something very rare that no one has heard? Is my dying prius safe to continue driving? or was this simply because the death of my dying prius is very close to her death?
Sounds like a traction battery module literally blew up due to overheating. You are risking substantial property damage and even risk to your health and life if the battery catches on fire. You need to immediately discontinue use of the car until you fix its problems.
Oh great that's just great! I guess I will have to drive by exploding, burning, dying prius one more time just to get it (and me) home, all while risking my life and limb!
What warning lights appear on the dashboard; and what warning messages or icons appear on the MFD? I suggest that you remove the folding hatch floor and the black plastic tray over the spare tire, so that you can look at and smell the traction battery sheet metal enclosure. If you smell burning plastic there, and certainly if you see any scorch marks, then you will know that the traction battery is severely impaired and you'll have to decide whether you really want to take the risk of the car catching on fire.
