Keeps "freezing", not turning on, locks not working. Also seems to turn on on it's own.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by shalmi, Nov 7, 2019.

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  1. shalmi

    shalmi New Member

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    Hey I am having a very frustrating and weird time.

    I tried to open the door and it would not unlock (I have the wireless key). I tried to open it with the tiny physical metal key and the door didnt seem to unlock the first few times. 30-45 seconds later, the door unlocked normally and wirelessly. I then got in and the car didnt react to me pushing the power button. I tried the electronic lock button on the car door and nothing happened.

    Out of frustration I hit the power button several times and the car magically turned on. The media screen fritzed for a split second but all seemed good except that my AC was off. I hit auto on the ac and everything seemed fine as it started to work.

    When I got out of the car, I turned it off, closed the door and tried to lock it by touching the handle. Nothing happened...tried again..nothing...again nothing...I tried hitting the lock button inside the car door...nothing.

    I take a step back and start to panic inside a bit when I hear the car. I turn around and see that the car is now on.....It is not ready to drive but it is on in the same way that it would be if you hit power without holding down the break. I turned it off and then it locked properly again.

    I experienced similar issues twice more over the next 24 hours till I took it to a dealership.

    The dealership was frustrating as they didn't seem to listen to my problem. They tried to fix "the car display turning off and on while driving"...which was NOT my issue. They want me to replace the motherboard behind the screen for $3000.

    I had them run a diagnostic report on the car and they told me the diagnostic report said I need to change the $3000 board.

    I asked to see the report and it says no such thing

    it shows:
    P0300 (random multiple cylinder Misfire detected) only in history
    P0301 (Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected) only in history
    P0303 (Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected) only in history
    Everything in the monitor summary passed including the Misfire section.

    I then asked where the trouble code was that showed the board was bad. They admitted that it is not on there and that it was an assumption based on my display turining on and off while driving.....which NEVER HAPPENED to me and I never said....sigh

    I saw that many people mentioned the 12v battery causing weird issues if it drops below 9v or so. I checked it with a multimeter right when I got home from toyota and it showed 12.5v. I realize this is not a good battery test...just giving info.

    I have a 2013 Prius 4 with a little over 100,000 miles on it.

    ANY advice appreciated.
     
    #1 shalmi, Nov 7, 2019
  2. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    I’d replace the battery
     
    #2 tankyuong, Nov 7, 2019
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  3. shalmi

    shalmi New Member

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    The 12volt battery?
     
    #3 shalmi, Nov 7, 2019
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if its original

    welcome!
     
    #4 bisco, Nov 7, 2019
  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    How old is the 12v Battery? Have you tried to put a jumper either on the battery,
    or under the hood at the fuze box? If you suddenly have power, and the car starts,
    you could bet it's a bad 12V battery....


     
    #5 ASRDogman, Nov 7, 2019
  6. shalmi

    shalmi New Member

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    roughly 5 and a half years

    we're talking about the 12v battery right?
     
    #6 shalmi, Nov 7, 2019
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 8, 2019
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    correct
     
    #7 bisco, Nov 8, 2019
  8. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    If 12V battery is weak or bad, you will get all kinds of errors. The battery is what hold the charge
    for the computers that tells the hybrid computer it's okay to start.
    Depending on the brand, usually if it's 5 or more years old, it's time for a new one.

    That's why I said put a jumper on it and see if everything starts up.....
     
    #8 ASRDogman, Nov 8, 2019
  9. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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    The 12v battery should have been the first thing the dealership checked. Don't they follow Priuschat?
     
    #9 Pluggo, Nov 10, 2019
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  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    The 12V is the obvious first place to look when the car acts like it doesn't have quite enough voltage. ;) Don't even think about the more esoteric and remote possibilities till you've taken care of the low hanging fruit. Checking it right after you shut off the car is unlikely to show a problem unless it's really really bad, in which case it would not wake up the computers at all. Check it after letting it set overnight. I suspect it will read around eight volts plus or minus a couple.

    The dealer recommending replacing the display is either completely incompetent or engaged in criminal fraud.
     
    #10 jerrymildred, Nov 10, 2019
  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    ¿Por que no los dos?

    Easy to find the combo pack these days...
     
    #11 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Nov 10, 2019
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  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    ¡Verdad! :LOL:
     
    #12 jerrymildred, Nov 11, 2019
  13. shalmi

    shalmi New Member

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    I changed the battery and it has been several days with no issues what so ever. Bought it at autozone...who REFUSED to install the battery themselves....they were oddly afraid of the scary hybrid lol.

    Thank you all for the help!
     
    #13 shalmi, Nov 22, 2019
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    its definitely a challenge vs under the hood
     
    #14 bisco, Nov 22, 2019
  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    You're not the first to report a similar experience. I'd rather install mine myself anyway so I know everything is buttoned down. ESPECIALLY if the would-be installer demonstrates ignorance like that.
     
    #15 jerrymildred, Nov 23, 2019
  16. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    They can barely use the cash register, WHY would you trust them to replace the battery???

     
    #16 ASRDogman, Nov 23, 2019
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  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I would say it's a walk in the park. It's very light, the OEM Yuasa at least has a strap, and it's low, easy to grab.

    I recently changed the behomoth 12 volt on our daughter's Pilot, practically needed a step ladder lol.
     
    #17 Mendel Leisk, Nov 23, 2019
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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you picture the kid working behind the counter at an auto parts store, just finding it is a challenge

    and, i could easily see them messing up the vent tube, or the rube goldberg stuff on top of the battery.
    not to mention breaking all the clips on the interior bits
     
    #18 bisco, Nov 23, 2019
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  19. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    What makes you think so? When I replaced my original 12v, it was just as easy as one under a hood, and I didn't have to deal with the corrosion and acidic gunk that so often appears around under-hood flooded batteries.
     
    #19 CR94, Dec 1, 2019
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    under the hood: loosen clamps, remove hold down, replace battery

    under the hatch: set up light for dark corner of car, remove carpet, remove floor, remove triangle, remove rear luggage shade, remove shade support, remove vent tube, loosen clamps, remove hold down, lift heavy battery from hole in floor, install new heavy battery into hole.

    took me about a half hour. last one under the hood i did was 5 minutes.

    for auto parts employees, thats pretty scary, and theyd probably screw up the vent tube, or short the battery to ground
     
    #20 bisco, Dec 1, 2019
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