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12V Battery Dying or Something More?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by EKnoespel, Sep 17, 2020.

  1. EKnoespel

    EKnoespel New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2020
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    Location:
    Iowa City, IA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    2014 Prius C, haven't had to change the factory installed battery yet. This week, we encountered our car that wasn't powering on. We had a jump, car got going fine, no issues. Later that night, tried to turn the car on once home but the car wouldn't start.

    Next day, I was able to get it started by open and closing the door. I had noticed the display had enough energy once my door was open, car was beeping again (due to open door). Took it to the Toyota Dealership, they tested the battery and said it had a full charge. I'm assuming its because I had just driven for 30 miles before dropping the car off with maintenance. We ultimately decided not to change the battery.

    Today, same issue as yesterday. Im in the car and it isn't pulling enough energy to start. I was able to pull enough energy when I locked/unlocked the door.

    What's been consistent is that the display will flash on and off. Seems like its not pulling enough energy to power up fully.I have been able to finagle the door or use the remote to lock/unlock the car. These tricks seem to give me enough energy to start the car in that exact moment, but doesn't feel sustainable.

    I plan to head to the dealer again to just switch out the battery. Hope that does the trick?
     
    #1 EKnoespel, Sep 17, 2020
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    it does sound like a faulty 12v, is it original?
     
    #2 bisco, Sep 17, 2020
    kenoarto and EKnoespel like this.
  3. EKnoespel

    EKnoespel New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2020
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    Location:
    Iowa City, IA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Yeah, its still the original. Hoping that its
     
    #3 EKnoespel, Sep 17, 2020
  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Four
    Yes. Should have done that the first time it failed.
    6 years is near the top end of expected life.

    AND.....the connections at the OTHER end of the main battery cables need to be checked too.
    And the voltage while running too.
     
    #4 sam spade 2, Sep 17, 2020
    kenoarto likes this.
  5. Hobie18

    Hobie18 Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Chicago
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
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    N/A
    Battery needs replacement but I am curious about the door thing. That is usually an issue with car alarms and the door. Probably just the low battery. Should read close to 12.6 volts and around 13ish when running. Can vary quite a bit from that. My guess is the battery is reading very low.
     
    #5 Hobie18, Sep 22, 2020
  6. Scubaman

    Scubaman Junior Member

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    May 22, 2019
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    Location:
    Jamaica
    Vehicle:
    2014 Aqua
    Model:
    Base
    Check for slack connections at the battery. Batteries can be load tested by any auto store before replacement. All lights on, AC on, etc and they use a load tester. Accessing the battery directly is a bit of a chore so remove the back seat before going to the auto store to make it easier on them to hook up to the battery terminals directly. Also, borrow a friends battery of the same size and try it. You may find out the problem is not your battery directly. The door thing is very odd indeed.
     
    #6 Scubaman, Sep 26, 2020
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