Faulty battery connection?

I have an '05 & have the those exact lights, mine is related to an intermittent short in the blower motor controller for the hybrid battery fan. I am taking it in this morning for service....will see how it goes.......Good luck with yours!!!

 

Have them check the -ve battery cable where it connects to the chassis. There have been reports of corrosion at that bolt.

 

Little bit of an update on my end....so far two ecu's are going to be ordered, HV & battery pack. Both are covered under the hybrid warranty. Will update again when I know more.

 

Does this mean that your car has three problems (so far), or was it decided that the fan motor controller is OK?

Odometer reading?

 

The dealership will not know what a "ve" cable is, but they will know what a "negative" battery cable is.

Surely your car has logged some DTC (diagnostic trouble codes)? I suggest you ask what they are, and post.

 

Congratulations :cheer2:

I'm hoping that the troubleshooting gurus will translate/rephrase/decode
this so that I/we can understand what the heck it means:

 

The traction battery has an orange safety interlock plug located on the left side of the battery case. The interlock plug contains a switch that tells the battery ECU if the interlock plug is not properly installed. Apparently the wiring to that switch was intermittent.

I'm concerned because the original post says a similar problem (loose connection to the battery) was already discovered and worked on by two other dealerships. Amy, does the repair invoice show any replaced parts?

 

You are speaking of the 12 Volt system?

 

Yes, the 12V battery in the right rear of the hatch area.

 

OK. So far it looks like a fault in the HV interlock switch, OR further down the line. Possibly previously the switch was played with by somebody not understanding how it works. I recommend that everybody should disconnect and remove this switch and study it's operation. Make sure car is OFF. Will not hurt anything. In a emergency you will be able to show the firemen, police, etc where the disconnect is.

 

I agree with Evan. The interlock switch requires the handle to be pivoted, then slid to lock in place. The sliding part of the procedure is often overlooked which results in the vehicle not working. If the car is working, no need to mess with the interlock switch.

 

Hi Pat and Dr! Thankyou for your kind words. I too thought only of the danger involved with playing, investigating, actuating the " High Voltage " switch. It's kind of like mushrooms, if you know nothing about the subject, don't experiment. I totally agree with Hobitt that the danger is exagerated.The warnings on the case are for the neophyte. The general public should be cautious. Actually I don't believe that there is a danger even if one was to touch the two copper connections inside the battery and grounded with the other hand. ( even tho I proved this with my DVM I still would not try it ) I already tried to measure this EMF and of course the chassis ground does not apply to the HV system, thus no reading on my meter. Toyota has done an excellent job of isolating the common ( or negative ) And I presume it is in or around the Motor/Generator units. If there was truly a danger there, no firemen &/or policemen would be instructed as to it's use. It would be dangerous right? However you are right in mentioning the difficulty of reinsertion, it's a little tricky, but doable. Next time I remove the HV switch I'll mark it with a magic marker so the alighnment is correct, initially. Otherwise it takes several attempts. I have picked and eaten several types of mushrooms, because I have studied the subject. Same thing with electronics. I always keep one hand in my pocket. ( no smiling allowed! )

 

After removal, one can operate that interlock and plainly see how it works, possibly the mechanic did not remove it, therefore did not inspect its operation. So, it could vibrate out again.