Toyota battery of 2018

September 30, chilly weather and a week of short 1 to 2 mile one way trips around town. After sitting overnight voltage is at 12.56 on Topdon battery tester. Realizing that the Prius charging system is setup for 14.1 volts charging and 12.5 volts for a fully charged condition, seems the “sky is falling” claims for short trip driving are just that.

 

Well it has been another month, 5th day after the car was driven anywhere and 12 volt battery reads 12.43 volts on the tester. Temperatures at night have been hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Voltage started out at 12.53 volts before letting it sit. FWIW

 

Checked it again this morning: 12.43 volts. Still waiting for the sky to fall, Chicken Littles.
I have to admit, I don’t leave doors open, don’t leave the hatch open, don’t leave lights on, even remember to shut the power switch off. What can I say?

 

Nobody is saying the sky is falling just that we've noticed the OEM batteries tend to last about 5 years. I'd be interested to know how early one might notice that and if a battery tender or refilling the water will extend the life but I doubt you'll notice after only 9 months of ownership.

 

We're still running the original 12V since July 2016. I don't read the voltage, but twice it has gone down overnight requiring recharge/boost to Power ON. The first time, I connected my battery maintainer to bring the battery up, but obviously this took time and the car was dead in the water until it finished. Then I discovered the NOCO Boost Plus on Amazon for $100 and it saved us the next time it happened. In a matter of seconds, the Boost Plus booted the car and we were on our way! Highly recommended. Here's a video of the operation on the Prius, https://youtube.com/shorts/0x8d1iF44Dc

 

I realize most of us don’t believe “the sky is falling” however, there seems to be a tendency by some to jump on the “you have to drive a Prius every (so many) days or your battery will die” bandwagon wagon. That misinformation leads new owners to worry needlessly. So I figure a little “real world” information may relieve some anxiety. FWIW , over the years my mechanics have repeatedly told me that I should be thinking of replacing any battery after 4 or 5 years, even though I have had them last as long as 11 years. So we have them tested regularly here in the northern Midwest with extreme swings in temperatures. In 55 years of driving I have only had one that caught me off guard.

 

To see where you’re at, get it load tested? There’s a new gen of electronic testers, will test voltage and CCA, give a verdict. Automotive retailers selling batteries will typically test your current battery with such, for free.

With low usage, look into smart chargers.

 

Yep! But no need to run down to the local auto parts store, an inexpensive battery tester (such as the one The Car Care Nut recommends) will do the trick and let you know a lot more (such as internal resistance along with state of charge, etc). Again, my point is “if you’re aware of your surroundings, your battery is NOT something you need to be overly concerned about”.

 

Solar BA5 is what I have, BA9 is the current iteration. It’s pretty good I think; heard about it from a YouTube; can try to find/link tomorrow.

 

Hi All:
I am new to the prius and the chat here, having bought a 2018 Prius C in 2021. It already had 113,000+ miles on it and everything seemed to be operating properly. The c does not have a battery under the hood, so I had to jump it and the person helping me had one of the those battery boosters which took some time to charge the battery enough for me to start it. I was advised to get a charger and it will have to be solar and I have no access to electrical power where I have to park. After reading the battery charging thread, I still have questions about the best size to get for trickle charging to keep the battery up during the long stretches that it is parked. Also have a question about whether I can use the charger in the cigarette lighter or do I have to access the battery posts in the car or somehow use the jump start terminal un the fuse box.
I was told by the Toyota dealer that I may need to replace the battery s there is no record of the battery being serviced or replaced before I bought the car and that it would be $400 as they have to install and then program the system to the hybrid system will operate correctly.
Any help would be appreicated.
Sorry for all the questions but I have now had to jump the car every time I use the car and need a better solution than just jumping or using a booster. Thanks for any help

 

I've had good luck with battery tender on different applications.

Your bettery will actually be in the back hatch area. Up to you if you want to hook a tender directly to the battery or the terminals up front. It won't really matter but directly on the battery will be best.

Your dealership is talking out of their butts. You can find an aftermarket AGM battery for much less at any parts store and they can install it for you. You do not need to reprogram anything other than your dash clock.

 

From page 501 (of 2014 Prius c Owner's Manual pdf, latest version I've got):



Still, solar chargers are not likely to get close to that.

 

The dealership price is WAY out of line! (That is putting it kindly). Your present battery is shot, so, what I would do is try another dealership. If you buy the new battery from a dealership AND you have them install it, you have a two year 100% replacement warranty on the new battery, but there’s no way that the battery cost $400! Worst case scenario is somewhere around $250, installed on a Gen 4.
If you buy it yourself or somewhere else, you need to have a reset done to prevent weird things happening.
You also need to replace it with an original type (regardless of what you may read elsewhere) so the charging algorithms match and your new battery lasts as long as it should.
Assuming you replace it with the correct battery and you drive it like a normal car (not using it as a mini RV, using as a postal delivery vehicle, or living in it), and you read and follow the owner’s manual, you DON’T really need a charger. I would advise to read the manual, trust Toyota (the company, NOT your present dealer), and follow their advice. FWTW
I should also add in regards to “normal car” use, you don’t leave your lights on, your hatch and doors open, etc. In other words, you engage brain in regards to your Prius.

 

Wow, $400 for a new 12-volt battery is highway robbery! I wouldn't even pay that for a new battery for my Tundra! (And she takes a ginormous one!)

For folks who don't know, modern Toyota's have quite a few things that will operate even when the car is sitting like the system that detects your smart key when you walk up on it.. it's always going. And there's the high-tech emissions system that will do it's things even when the car is sitting. My wife doesn't drive her car nearly enough (she's retired) and I've done a 12-volt battery test and find it a bit low if the car hasn't been driven in a week or so. (So I make sure we take her car, not mine, on my days off.) She has a 2017 and doesn't even have 30,000 miles on it yet. (My 2021, already, has over 20,000)

 

Some service writer BS there.

 

lol....I didn't want to point that out, but, yes, there's nothing that needs reprogramming....there's even a way to keep 12-volts going to the system while swapping out a 12-volt so you don't lose all your settings but I don't bother....kinda fun to reset radio stations every few years.

 

I purchased a new 2016 Prius two eco on 4/15/2016. It now has 79,000+ miles on it. I have never touched the 12V battery, until yesterday. My wife had a medical appointment, and I waited in the car while she was inside for 45 minute to an hour. I was listening to the radio with the car on AUX. ( Bad move with an almost 7 year old original 12V battery) I also have a dash cam that was energized. When she came out I tried to start the car and got the 'Low 12V Battery' message. The car would not start. The display did lots of crazy things while I tried. After letting it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, I tried again and it started. I figured it was the age of the battery at fault, and started researching a new battery. I did reading at this forum and decided to go to the Toyota dealership for the new battery. The final cost was $204.39. The battery says "Toyota" on it, so it MUST be a great and superior battery ...... right? (Wink) So tomorrow I will be swapping batteries. I do not have a temporary 12V source to keep the 12V systems alive during the change. I have read that the side effects may be anything from "nothing" to "open gas door, and 5 seconds straight line drive above 22 mph", to "it's going to take a Toyota dealer to fix this". The car is an eco, with no sonar, etc. to reset. So what is the final consensus with this battery swap? Tell me what to expect, and I'll tell you how it went !

 

You might have to reset the clock. There's really nothing to worry about after disconnecting the 12V.

 

The job is done.
I didn't strip any bolts, and I didn't have any parts left over.
I opened and closed the gas door before starting the car, then drove in a straight line at 22+ mph for 5+ seconds.
I had to unlock the hatchback door, and reset the clock and calendar.
All appears well.