First, I had trouble with the front camera, I was always getting a message telling me to clean the camera. I called a reputable local Toyota dealer to ask for advices and they suggested it could be caused by a bad 12 volts battery. But then, the trouble solved itself when I parked the car under the sun. It removed the layer of frost on the windshield right in front of the camera. Anyway, I did use a multimeter to measure battery voltage. I had 12.28 volts when the car is off and 14 volts when it's in ready mode. Is 12.28 too low for an hybrid? I know it could cause trouble if I had a normal car but then, the Prius rely on its 200 volts battery to start the engine. I'm wondering if all the electronics and computers start to suffer when the 12 volts battery drop below 12.4 volts?
The short answer is NO. I've started my gen4 when my battery was less than 11.75VDC without issues. The Toyota mechanic is correct, low voltage can cause phantom errors to pop up, but usually closer to 10.75VDC or lower. Once the car is in 'Ready mode'; the DC-DC converter takes over and your basically working off the large traction battery. Has your windscreen been replaced? Possibly not recalibrated properly??? You should probably check the electrolyte levels in your 12V battery. Down here in the states, most auto parts stores will do a free battery test for you. Hope this helps.....
The windshield was replaced three years ago but, it was recalibrated properly and I didn't have any problem until last week. Then, I had a nice surprise this morning... I parked the car facing the sun and the frost between the windshield and the camera cleared itself. Then, boom the camera is working again.
I’d be inclined to replace it, that’s quite low. Get an electronic load tester and see what it says; they’re about $50 USD. I’ve used a Clore Solar BA5 for over a decade, current iteration is BA9. How old is it?
First the camera issue: It is highly unlikely that there is a problem with the camera. The camera can’t focus properly through a frost covered window. Second, the 14 volts you’re reading in Ready is normal charging voltage and is only telling you the charging system is working. The 12.28 voltage reading is normal for some situations and abnormal for others. When did you take that reading? After the car had been sitting a few days? That’s a fairly normal reading in that case in the winter. Or was it after the car had been in Ready mode for awhile and being charged at that 14 volts? If that’s the case you could very well have a problem with the battery (depending on how long you had it in ready mode or how long you drove it). To answer your question regarding if 12.28 volts is too low for a hybrid, the answer is a definite “no”. When my 2022 was brand new and would sit for several days during the winter months in NW Illinois, it would usually settle down around that point and still does under winter weather conditions. If I’m using the car for frequent trips around town it will read higher and drift down if it sits for a few days to that 12.28 reading, and stay there for a week or more (that’s the longest I’ve ever gone without driving it. AND NO, the battery isn’t degraded because of that. It still tests at 100% capacity.). I would suggest you get yourself a TOPDON BT 100 battery tester (The Car Care Nut tested and recommended the BT 200, but if you’re only using it for 12volt systems the BT 100 fits the bill better). Then you can monitor the battery condition yourself and relieve a lot of worries. Voltage readings really don’t tell you much concerning battery condition. A good battery tester will not only tell you current condition, but the capacity of the battery to accept and hold a charge, and the internal resistance which will indicate if how the battery plates are holding up as they age.
