Dead Battery

I can't remember anyone posting the same problem, although many have had the battery die after a couple of weeks of non-use with the SKS on. At any rate, it sounds like they're calling it a defect, which means it should be replaced under warranty... kind of surprising they had to wait so long to get a replacement battery, IMO.

 

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Hi.. Yes.. happened to me..Was a bad battery.. My horn started going off.. I guess signaled the battery failing.. but then I left the car while on vacation and the whole thing was dead when I got home. Had it jumped, and dealer told me that the car was fine.. I took the car back and the horn started its thing again, in the middle of the night.. pissing off the neighbors.. Took the car in first thing the next morning.. They said battery fine. turned out that when I drove the car it recharged just enough to appear fine. They told me to pick it up.. I refused and kept the loaner over a long weekend.. They called me after few days and said the car started up fine.. Went to pick it up.. Asked for the voltmeter reading.. Said the battery was dead.. They said I wasn't crazy!! (who knew) Anyway, they replaced the battery and I haven't had a problem since. Keep an eye on that SKS thing.. it does use power when the car is off.. looking for the key. Make sure you turn it off if you plan to leave the car more than a few days..

I hope this helps.. Toyota should read these threads.. because they told me this NEVER happened before.. yeah right.

 

Yeah, didn't mean to ignore your case, msnancy...

I should append my earlier statement by saying there have always been signs that something was wrong before the battery was dead, or it was left for a few weeks or more with a drain on it (like the SKS) which killed it

 

defective battery... it happens. that's why you've got the warranty. could be it was bad to begin with but at least able to start the car, and the cooler weather coming around lately is what finished it off.

 

This topic brings up something that has been bugging me. The Prius uses a "gel-cell" type of lead acid battery (I'm told). As I'm looking at buying the car, I've been frequenting Toyota dealer showrooms. About half the time, I see a Prius there with a "Sold to very nice people" sign in the window, hood up, and battery charger connected to the fuse block.

So, I conclude, legitimatly or not, the 12 V battery takes a beating between manufacture of the car and delivery to customer.

I have a lot of experience with gel cell batteries, and have learned one thing you DO NOT do is let them fully discharge. When you fully discharge a lead acid battery and let it sit it will sulphate. With a liquid electrolyte this isn't too serious, as when you charge the battery the bubbles generated "shake" the sulphate off the plates and it falls to the bottom of the cell.
A gel cell battery uses a jelly to hold the sulphuric acid to the plates, and you can't shake the sulphate off because of this.
Sulphate is a poor conductor, and if left on the plates will reduce the ability of the battery to deliver and accept higher currents. It will show up as a voltage drop under load and an inability to charge rapidly.
When you complain about the poor performance of the battery, they will say it shows good 12V, no problem.

I suspect this is what has happened to some percentage of those who have had problems with the 12 V battery going dead. Some of the remainder have left on an interior light or other high draw load. Some will undoubtedly get a faulty battery as well - not "damaged" in shipping. Remember, the 12 V battery is not "small", it's 38 A-Hr. Even so, like any other car, you can discharge it in a day or two by leaving on a light, and damage it by allowing it to fully discharge. It is more sensitive to the latter than a common liquid electrolyte lead acid battery. They will recover easily, but will still loose capacity when fully discharged.

 

If you've seen them in the show rooms, my guess is they've also been sitting on the lot for at least a few days before someone decided to buy one. and with the Prius generating so much interest, of course they put it in the show room... and then everyone who walks through the dealership goes, opens the doors, wants to hear the stereo, etc - all of which basically do nothing but wear the battery down. So yeah, those particular ones probably were abused. Then again, if they put them on a battery minder the second they get in the showroom, it may just be preventative to keep the battery good while the lights are being turned on and the stereo cranked.

That being said, i was at the dealer a little under an hour after my Prius was taken off the truck, and haven't had any problem with the battery.

 

I happen to be one of those people who read manuals etc. The SKS does indeed use power and the manual tells you to turn it off if the vehicle is going to be sitting for an extended period of time, eg. 2 weeks. There is a button under the dash below the steering wheel that lets you turn the SKS on and off. I use it all the time because when I go running, I take the small emergency key with me and leave the rest of the fob in the car. The car doesn't like that unless you turn the SKS off. So anyway, check it out. You'll find that little push button and can save yourself some grief.

 

so you never replaced your battery, tideland? hmm... i think the prius gods are messing with you :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 26 2006, 09:19 PM) [snapback]339017[/snapback]</div>

My 12v auxiliary battery was replaced after 14 month of use, it started loosing charge (thanks to CANview monitoring) and in a few days was dry. OEM price is $185.00 for that tiny thing plus the outrageous labor charges on diagnostics. <_<


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 26 2006, 09:19 PM) [snapback]339017[/snapback]</div>

My 12v auxiliary battery was replaced after 14 month of use, it started loosing charge (thanks to CANview monitoring) and in a few days was dry. OEM price is $185.00 for that tiny thing plus the outrageous labor charges on diagnostics. <_<

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(A. B. Hair @ Oct 27 2006, 12:56 PM) [snapback]339450[/snapback]</div>

I have an 2005, when the car was in use for about three months I suspected something was wrong with the aux bat. I powered it up and checked the voltage, it was consistently 10VDC. I went on line at the time and asked the moderators about this, assuming that with power on it should read at least 14.2 volts. (2.2Volts for each cell) I had to go to the dealer twice to get this fixed, I don't think they even checked the battery with a meter. The first time the mechanic tightened the nuts on the battery post and called that the FIX. I had already looked at the posts and they were secure. The second time I got a free loaner and it was worked on over a weekend. I made sure that the mechanic could fnd the problem by running as many accesories as possible. After talking to the customer service rep I depowered the car and awaited the results. Later after coming out of the customer waiting room I observed the car was connected to a charging unit. Toyota never actually told me that the battery was defective, but for "good customer relations" they installed a new battery. There was no other fix annotated on the service order so assume that WAS the fix. That my meter did not show 14 volts charging, while powered up, I'll never understand. However, since then, the battery has been fine and the charge is always normal, about 12V, powered down and 14V plus powered up. The previous writer is probably correct when stating that during shipment and on the lots, the batteries are not getting the proper attention. By the way there is a procedure whereby that voltage can be checked on the MFD. Depowered will show about 12V and as soon as it's powered up the aux will show 14 volts plus.