Hello. I own a 2005 prius and just installed my third 12v battery. That is approx. a life of 5yrs per battery, is this normal for a prius. The car is driven to work every day and once on the highway for approx. 45 min's each week. The last battery was bought from toyota and lasted 3 yrs, exactly. When i put the new battery in, i measured the d.c. current with the hatch light off, smart key off, it measured 147ma, is this normal. One other question, when i changed the battery i found approx. 1.5 inches of frozen water below the battery tray. Has anyone else had water in this area. I think it is leaking in, maybe from the h.v battery fan duct, bottom of car, right taillight when i wash the car. One other question, my illumination lights for the buttons around the lcd display ittermittently flash on and off, these i remember are: display, audio, climate, etc, 4 in total. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
The usual water ingress location seems to be hairline cracks that develop in the roof-panel-to-quarter-panel seams just forward of the top of the hatch. Lifting the garnish that covers the seams there may show the tiny cracks. It is surprising how much water can enter through barely-visible cracks.
There are two rubber plugs, one on the bottom of the right cavity (Aux battery) and one on the left under the little compartment. I have removed both in case any water finds it’s way there.
If you garage the car I would pull the plugs out but my car sometimes sits out so I just drilled a 3/8 hole in the plugs to drain. If not the mice will turn it into a Days Inn. They love the taste of Prius wiring.
