How to open hood with a dead battery?

best chance is to look up 'battery' in the index of the owners manual.
The 2017 Prius Prime owners manual says to go to page 694 for a dead battery
It says to open the hood using the lever under the dash. A prime "premium" is differrent? If so, maybe your prime manual has better info

2017 Toyota Prius Prime owners manual - OwnersMan

 

Just open the drivers door with the mechanical key, and pop the hood

 

Yeah.
University of Youtube.

 

Did they tell you the first way:

Confession: first time I changed transmission fluid, on an 81 Civic, I was stymied by the socket0head cap screw style drain bolt. Basically a round headed bolt with a square recess on the head.

Phoned the dealership to ask if they had a special tool for that. They guy that took my call checked with their mechanics, came back saying "they just use a 3/8" drive ratchet wrench, fit's the square pocket on the bolt".

 

The hood latch does not need battery power

 

It would certainly make for a crappy day if the hood release cable was broken..............

 

It's only a matter of time though... Parking brake went electric on 5th gen.

 

Our crv with electric parking brakes slammed on with my wife driving 60 mph. She left rear wheel skid marks but was able to overpower it with the fwd turbo. Hours later a tow truck took it 60 miles to the dealer.

But she knows how to jump it or the Prius with the lithium jump box under the seat. Even if its locked.

 

The parts catalog for a 2017 Prius Prime shows a conventional hood latch operated by a mechanical cable.


HOOD LOCK & HINGE. 2017 Toyota Prius Prime | Toyota Parts Center Online




Sometimes, depending on whom you get when you "ask somebody at Toyota", you can be told pretty much anything.

 

Of course they did!
Did they also tell you that you have to have maintenance done at the dealership or it will void your warranty?

 

Sounds like broken/disconnected, mechanical cable. I know, we might all be wrong. Anyway, attached is from 4th gen Repair Manual. Unless there's something tricky with the Prime.

 

The owners manual for a 2017 Prime says in order to jump it when you have a dead 12v battery you open the door and pop the hood. Without power. So if it does not work there must be something disconnected or jammed.

 

Has somebody already pulled the hood release? That would make a subsequent pull feel like "pulling on air."

Maybe it's worth checking to see if the latch has already been released and the hood is just being held down by the auxiliary catch lever, the one you push out of the way with your finger.

 

odd, with all the dead prime batteries we've seen, no one has ever reported not being able to pop the hood.
and odd that not one response here is from a prime owner

 

Probably a very weak hood spring. Just need to sick your fingers underneath and lift. If you've got big sausage fingers; gently use a plastic pry bar. One of those tools to take apart interior molding.

If the hood still doesn't release; have someone pull on the release cable while you lift the hood.