“Check Hybrid System” then shut down & won’t start

What’s a RAC?

11.7 volts for the 12 volt battery does not sound good; how are you measuring this?

 

RAC is a breakdown company in the UK.
I used Dr Prius app to measure the voltage.
It was higher, but I'm assuming trying to start the car has lowered the voltage.

 

Just taken the 12v battery off and measured it with a multimeter and it's reading 12.54v.
I really can't afford to get Toyota to look at it. Especially with the UK prices.

 

You need to purchase an AGM battery charger. One that will charge at no more than 4 amps.
Then charge the battery overnight, at least 12 hours. This will put a full charge on it.
11.7 is pretty much a dead battery for a Prius.
Since it's only a year old, a full charge should keep it full as long as you are driving the car.

If you only do short trips, you may need to charge the battery for several hours once a month or so
so it will stay fully charged. The inverter/converter charges very slowly.

 

just coming off the charger, that doesn’t sound good. Due to what they call “surface charge”, 13.0 would be normal.

an electronic load tester such as Solar BA9 could confirm.

 

I charged the battery, checked the voltage and it was reading 12.76v. Put it back on the car. She started and drove about 20 feet and then the check hybrid and U0110 came back. According to Dr Prius it's showing 11.8v.
Could this be a dead/dying battery?
I can't afford to keep paying Toyota £160 every year or so.
Could I try connecting a regular 12v lead acid battery to it to see if it works, or could this damage anything?

I

 

There could be a malfunctioning component drawing the 12 volt battery down inordinately. Then there's the Check Hybrid System warning, which the car's programming invokes for near-everything under the sun.

Reading the battery's voltage with Dr Prius is less than Ideal; using a multimeter with the car completely off is preferable. To really see where it's at, a modern automotive battery tester (dealership will be using something of this ilk) is best, something like Solar BA9 for example.

In your situation, dealership is likely best option. With the Check Hybrid System warning there will be codes.

 

Seems as though the battery is bad. Don't they give a warranty?
In the states it 84 months. The "should" replace it under warranty.
Also, what is the voltage when the car is in ready mode? It should read 13.8 or above....
If it doesn't, perhaps the inverter/converter is defective?

 

I think it's a 2 year warranty, but checking I bought it 2 years and about 4 months ago, so out of warranty.
When it did start for just a minute, it was reading 14v.
Do you think battery?

 

14 is good. Since you did charge the battery, and it has already dropped below
12 volts, with the inverter charging it, I'd say battery.
Maybe check an auto parts store, with a better warranty than 2 years.
But you "think" it's a 2 year warranty?

Just make sure you charge the "new" battery before installing it. Or you could charge it
from the terminal in the fuse box under the hood. I would say at the very least 6 hours.
When I installed mine, it would barely light the dash lights, and the car would go into "ready".

My old charger would only go to 2.5 amps, which I left on the battery for 3 hours because I had
somewhere to go. But it was enough to ready the car, and it restarted later that day and the next morning.
Then a 3 hour drive. But I put my charger on it overnight so it had about 9 hours to charge.
Haven't had a problem with it since....

 

I charged the 12 v battery to what measured 13.3v, then after the 10 min walk to where the car broke down.
It measured 12.3v, so because of this, I'm assuming that the battery is dead.

Toyota give a 3 year warranty, but only if I produce the original invoice. Which has vanished. I usually keep all receipts etc...
They want £163 for a new one, which I can't afford at the minute.

Is it possible to use a lead acid as a temporary measure (a couple of weeks) until I can afford it?
I can get an exact size one for just under £50.

 

That battery is done.
Not so safe to use a lead acid battery. Vapors...
You'd probably be okay for a few weeks. Try to drive with the windows
open so you have air flow.

 

I haven't changed the battery yet. I had an auto electrician with techstream come out. He took the 12v battery away as he has a battery reconditioner.
He brought it back today, but still the same code.

It seems to drive ok in ev, but as soon as the engine starts is when it throws the code.

Could this definitely be the battery?
I don't want to throw money at it, if it's going to end up costing more than the cars worth.

 

lots of help on the net for that code

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have you had the ipm recall done?

 

I changed the battery today. I had it delivered and then put it on a 2amp charge for hours until full, but still the same code.

I unplugged all connections from the inverter and transmission and cleaned them up, but still no luck.

The orange plug to the hybrid battery is definitely connected correctly!

I did have the recall done on the old inverter, but Toyota won't do it on this one as it's "already been carried out".

Now I'm at a loss.

I'm seriously thinking of selling it for parts and buying a non hybrid car.

 

Isn't there supposed to be another 3 digits with the U0110 code (U0110-xxxx)?

 

All I'm getting is the U0110 even with techstream.

Is there a chance it could be the hybrid power ECU is dead?

 

The repair manual gives 4 possible INF (information codes) that accompany U0110. Why you can't see them when using TechStream, I cannot help, as I do not use TechStrean (I use an Autel bidirectional scan tool).

Interestingly, three out of the four give the exact same "problem area" to check, but one gives a slightly different list. So if by chance the INF code you're not seeing is one of the three (159, 656, 657), it's pretty moot as they all point to the same things. So there's a 75% chance that the INF code isn't relevant.

see attached.

 

UPDATE:
After replacing the inverter and the ECU and also checking all connections, I referred it to an independent garage to take a look. They got the same code as I did and they told me that everything I had done is what they would have done and the next step would be the main dealer.

I had the car taken to my Toyota dealer and they charged me £97 to get the exact same code I had already given them.
Then I was told, as I didn't get the parts replaced by Toyota, they would have to check everything I had done. Which would take 5 hours minimum at around £180 per hour and if they couldn't find the fault, they would need extra time, also at £180 per hour.
Once they find the fault, they said it might need new parts, which could cost up to £1000, depending on what it was.

So I've decided to give up on it and have sold her to a car dismantler and have bought a standard non hybrid car!
I feel a lot better, knowing I don't have to have multiple systems trying to "talk" to each other.

They Prius journey was good whilst it lasted, but it would definitely be the last time I buy a hybrid out of warranty!

 

Currently roughly $220 USA, $303 CDN…

That’s comforting but short sighted? While hybrids have more complexity, this can happen with any car I think.