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2005 Prius giving battery problems

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by {Prii}, May 29, 2008.

  1. {Prii}

    {Prii} New Member

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    The car was turned off and left in a garage for 2 weeks. When we got back, the car would not start up at all (even the remote wouldn't turn the car on). We called up AAA and they jump started the front hood 12V battery and the car powered on. We took it to a dealership and they said there were no problems with the car. It looked like everything was fine.

    Then yesterday when I went to turn on the car, the dashboard seemed to power on but the computer screen was off and the car refused to go into Drive. We called AAA again. This time the person said he needed to jump start the battery in the back of the car. Fortunately that worked and the car has been running fine since then.

    I took it to a dealership today and again they said theres nothing wrong with the batteries. :confused:

    I'm not sure what's wrong with the car and I'm afraid it could stop working any time. Anything else I can do?
     
    #1 {Prii}, May 29, 2008
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Well - if you needed to have the car jumpstarted twice in two weeks it is pretty obvious that the 12V auxiliary battery is having a problem. Especially if the battery is original equipment, I recommend that you replace it. A new battery will cost ~$160 at the Toyota dealer (not counting labor charges).
    • How often do you drive the car?
    • After the car was jumpstarted, did you leave it READY for at least 30 minutes to allow the battery to recharge? (It is not necessary to drive the car for that period, just leave it READY.)
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, May 29, 2008
  3. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Did the dealer do a load test of the 12V battery?

    The symptoms sound like either the 12V battery is just wearing out a little faster than normal, or it was drained by leaving a light on or a door or the hatch open.
     
    #3 richard schumacher, May 29, 2008
  4. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Do be clear it's not the "traction battery" of the hybrid system. It's a lead acid 12 V motorcycle size battery. Is one of your interior lights turned on with its' switch?

    BTW, fully recharging the 12 V battery actually takes a few hours. It may -appear- charged after 30 min. but it takes much longer.

    I don't know why the AAA guy thought he had to jumper the battery in the back. Using the boost terminal at the front of the car is the same thing. It's not surprising that he doesn't know, however. The Prius is still "special". Though it's becoming mainstream. Big news story today with lots of coverage for the Prius, re the high cost of fuel (you guys in the US have it good - it's $1.28-$1.35 per litre in Canada - that's $4.85-$5.11 per gallon US. The dollars are about even now. Oh, and those prices will be out of date in a week - it's rising about 4.5 cents per week lately. :) I laugh when I go in to pay the nice gas cashier lady, which confuses her totally.
     
    #4 David Beale, May 29, 2008
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