Master Warning Light, Malfunction Indicator, VSC, (!), and Hybrid System Warning on Screen

You should replace the battery in your fob. That should fix the starting issue and locking issue

SM-N900P ?

 

LOL!
It's amazing after 9 years how much I know so little about this smart car. I knew there was a button for a remote but forgot about it as to what it does for the remote. I must have pushed the "KEY" button in under the driver's side dash at night before when the car was dead in the morning and didn't turn on. I was trying to find the OBD scanner port under the dash at night. In hind sight, that was the reason why the car didn't turn on with a FOB remote in my pocket. I just thought the car was completely dead.
Doing more research on this forum, I was able to find a forum with an answer posted by JC91006 telling someone with a similar problem to look under the car for a remote push button. Sure enough, I found a button marked "KEY" and pushed it out. That did the trick. My remote works fully in my pocket to start the car and lock/unlock on the door handle. Thx JC.

 

Here are some pictures of the old and the new Orange painted Dorman battery.

 

Congratulations on a job well done. Lots of good simple trouble shooting involved in this thread. Excellent work.

I don't think Rockauto is in CA or they would've taxed you on the order. and $52 for delivery on over 100lbs is really cheap. Is the shipping charges included in getting the core back to them?

 

rockauto.com is in Wisconsin. No Tax to CA residents. However, they have couple of shipping warehouses in Fresno and San Diego area. The wooden box crate was 148Lbs. I guess they have a discounted account with Fedex which they pass on to their customers. The core return shipping was not included in the purchase price. They have a simple core return program based on my order number. Last night I went to their site and input my order number for return core shipping of $48. to San Bernardino, CA ( which was their return dept. warehouse in CA) The shipping charge was deducted from my initial core deposit. A return shipping instruction along with a Fedex shipping label was available for me to print. It was very simple.
Now that I have invested some money on this one, I will drive it for awhile. Thx. for all your help.

 

Hello - I wanted to check in and see if everything is still working well with your new battery, and that your transaction went smoothly with Rock Auto. I'm in need of a new main battery and I'm going to go down the same route you did if everything went well.....thank you!!

 

Hi John,
Sorry for the delay. Check out the first thread" Main Battery Replacement!!" you sent me. My reply is there for your info. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Hi Folks,
After almost 1 year, here is the update on my main battery replacement. My first Dorman battery was a dud after about 3 months. It was replaced through Rockauto- Dorman shipped a fresh new battery directly from their warehouse in California. They took care of all shipping including the return shipping while a bad battery was still in my car. The second battery is working fine. However, I should tell everyone that although the rebuilt battery is working as expected, it's not as strong as a new battery. The battery drains and charges faster. Which reflects the strength of its battery core. Especially in a hot weather. I think it will function fine in a moderate or even in a colder climate. Having said that, if your car is in a excellent condition and plan on keeping the car for say another 5 years or so, I would bite the bullet and consider replacing it with a brand new battery from a Toyota dealer. A local dealer quoted me $3500 including installation so, a parts only option may cost much less.

 

I would suspect your experience would be the norm for rebuilt batteries. The batteries have lost a good amount of their initial capacity so the 3 years warranty would just barely cover what's left in the life of the good modules.

 

After reading through many many hybrid battery failures (now that the oldest second generation vehicles are getting close to 12 years old), I would forego the individual cell replacement/balancing option / the salvage option / and the "rebuilt" option. Let's face it: In comparison to the cost of a new vehicle, $3,000 is nothing. You can not even buy a decent used car for that amount So... if the vehicle has been WELL maintained, I would put my money on a new battery from Toyota and skip all the BS. Hopefully, the new battery would last as long as the original.

My only question is this: Is Toyota still PRODUCING the replacement batteries for the gen II (2004 - 2009) vehicles OR are they NOS that will have a higher failure rate because they have been sitting on a shelf for a while.

 

Consolation prize!
When I got the same warning lights, and later wore the batteries down too much while trying to diagnose the problem. as a last stich effort to get the car to turn on, I pushed in the "Key" button under the dash. And after I'd replaced my 12V battery had forgot, and my remote, which I'd bought at e-bay from so called Toyota dealer new, and programed via online instructions wasn't working right until I remembered to turn it back on too. In the mean time, before I recalled, I thought I would have to follow all the hat tricks again because it wasn't 'officially' coded. But, like you, it was me what done that and, pushing it again solved it. . [grin]

OR???