help - battery dead need to charge - can't roll

The problem is the car is in park, and you have no way to take it out of park. If you can't jump-start the car using the jumper posts under the hood (maybe hook 2 sets of jumper cables together without letting them short out), you might need to connect directly to the battery under the trunk floor. It does not take much power to jump this car, just enough to boot the computer.

 

Hi abq_sfr,

One way is to remove the battery from under the cover in the passenger side of the lugage compartment. Then charge it on the other car and replace it.

 

Actually the easiest way, assuming you have another car, is to run down to Costco or Walmart and buy one of those portable jump-starters with the battery inside, for around $40. Then you can jump it on either end and you don't even need a nut driver. And you will be prepared for the next time the battery is dead or you have a flat tire.

 

It does have an advantage... without a mechanical shift linkage, how can a car thief jimmy it? The Prius is next to impossible to steal, unless you drag it with the front wheels locked onto a flatbed. And then there is no keyfob so you can never start it. Although I bet the bad guys are working on that.

 

Steve

I guess by now we should have known how this played out

The Prius uses an electrically released parking pawl. If the car is completely dead - as you said yours was - then it's almost impossible to get the parking pawl to release.

There is no manual override for the pawl. Unless you happen to remove the actual electric motor for the parking pawl. You will also discover the rear hatch cannot be released as it's electric only. There is a manual override but that involves climbing into the rear hatch, removing a tiny trim piece, and moving a lever

For boosting a dead Prius one of those portable jump start boxes is the best solution. Hook it up to the underhood jump start point, and fire it up

Once the 12 vdc battery is chronically discharged you will probably have to remove it and fully charge it using a conventional battery charger. Another option is to hook a conventional battery charger directly to the battery or the underhood jump point.

THe Toyota PDI - Pre Delivery Inspection - suggests removing the 12 vdc battery and using an automatic battery charger set at 10 amps

Forum member Hobbit managed to get a Prius electric parking pawl assembly and investigate it. This is his photo

 

This got me to thinking....

People often gripe about this situation as uniquely Prius. Is this not also the case for any auto transmission car with a brake interlock? I know on our Landrover if the brake light switch fails, you can't shift out of park even with the car running. I assume the same would happen if the battery was dead?

Rob

 

Not sure about the Range Rover, but most vehicles equipped with brake-shift interlocks have an emergency override. In the case of my FJ Cruiser, there is a small trim plug next to the shifter gate.

According to the manual you're supposed to pop out the plug and that will allow you to use a tool to get out of Park

 

Because my car was in the garage I had to use two sets of cables.
Be careful thou, you don't want those connections touching each other! I stuck the bag that one set of cables came in between the positive and negative; everything was stiff enough from the cold that it stayed in place. And follow you owners handbook for hooking and dis hooking.
The best solution, as others have said, a portable charger. I'm sure you will need it again, and again and...

 

Your next challenge is to figure out what killed the battery and prevent it from happening again. Betcha a quarter somebody left a light on or the hatch open, or maybe didn't shut the car off.

 

Steve

We never did hear back from you. Got it working??

 

I agree the source of the drain needs to be found but I doubt it is a dome light left on overnight. I've managed to do that several times, including winter, and had no problems in the morning.

It might also be worthwhile to find out if the 12V has suffered permanent damage from being so fully discharged it couldn't start the computers.

 

This is a no-brainer...

The culprit is the grossly undersized/ill-designed battery.

Get it to a dealer and make sure they replace it UNDER WARRANTY!

 

You actually went to the effort of visiting their house and investigating the issue for them? Or did you use oneiromancy?

 

I'll bet you $5.

 

I've had to use a charger on my '01's battery more than once. It uses so much juice when parked and off that if I don't start it for 3 weeks, it's dead. And that's with the slightly larger Miata battery replacement (thanks forum!).