System Failure - dealership unable to find

My 2005 Prius has suddenly developed a huge problem. It has become a gamble whether or not the thing will boot up. The first time we noticed it was when the car wouldn't lock. When my husband and I got into it and hit the power button, nothing happened. After four or five attempts, it finally came back on, but the radio had lost all information, and the clock had reset.

Got it running, started driving it around, then it stopped working again later that day, and again the next morning. Called AAA and got it jumped and took it to the dealer, who couldn't find a thing wrong with it. Again today, 25 miles from home, the car failed once again. Called AAA for a jump again. No one seems to be able to find the problem. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, what was the outcome?

Lightsinger aka Desperate in Arizona

 

The dealership said the battery is fine. They ran diagnostics on everything -- supposedly -- and eliminated the battery as the problem. They keep suggesting that we "left a light on" or left a phone charger plugged in and that was the problem. But we've had a phone charger plugged into the thing for 4 1/2 years, and we've never had a problem before. It happened again today, and the dealer service again went into the "left a light on" song and dance, and I'm thinking "Do they really think we're THAT stupid? We just had this problem yesterday...do they really think we'd keep leaving a light on???"

I thought of the battery first. There was a really rank odor coming off the car the first night we had the problem...almost a rotten egg small. The tow driver said it smelled like battery problems to him, but the dealership refuses to agree. The battery is the original, which is good for Arizona, where batteries only tend to last 2-3 years tops. The car rarely parked in the sun, always in a garage during the day. But it IS a 4 year old battery.

The car was in a wreck 1 1/2 years ago, and I'm wondering if some connection is faulty. But they can't seem to find it. I'm getting to the end of my rope. I can't even sell the thing, because I still owe on it!

Lightsinger

 

UPDATE:

Of course, my very first thought was that it was the battery. I still think so. In Arizona, typically a battery only lasts 2-3 years, and this is the original battery, so I got more than my money's worth out of it and have been prepared to replace the battery from the start, but the dealership -- on whom I do intend to call "shenanigans" -- kept insisting that the battery is good. Yesterday, system failure once again, AAA jumped the car, we drove it to the dealership, and after driving it for 25 miles, the car failed again -- right there in the service lane. You should have seen their expressions as they attempted again and again to get it started. It was well worth it, just to see them eat their words. Now, let's see if they will finally replace that battery!

Thanks all for confirming what I've thought all along. My next thought was that the battery isn't getting charged when it's being driven. The hubby's car did this a few years ago -- a Cavalier that he drove the wheels off -- and it was not the battery, but the alternator.

Lightsinger

2:30 p.m. AZ Time:

Dealership is replacing the battery, but tell me there is some sort of power drain that they can't identify. They've tested everything, there's nothing plugged in and there's no reason why the battery should be discharging power. Anyone have any ideas?

 

The dealership still has the car. They wanted to keep it overnight so they could test drive it and see if the battery was still being drained of power. I'm hoping against hope that it's just the dang battery and that they won't wind up charging me a fortune. The only consolation I have is that they have suggested they might comp the rental car. Small consolation that it is, it suggests that they expect this to be expensive. I'm going back to my old dealership. These guys think I'm made of money!

Lightsinger

 

Well now, THAT post heading got my attention! I've seen a steady decline in my MPGS over the last few months, from my usual 50+ MPG to under 45 MPG. I've been blaming my husband, poor guy, for failing to "pulse pedal" the thing. I used to be able to baby that milage to get that 52 MPG or so, and he's never learned to finesse the pedal to do that, and drives our hybrid like a regular car. Now maybe I owe him an apology?

Lightsinger

 

My Prius is a 2005. Unfortunately, I don't own a voltmeter, so there was no way to check, but I thought the battery issue was fairly obvious, even to non-technical me. There was no power whatsoever, none, nada, zilch. The dealership kept saying that the battery didn't test as bad, only without charge.

Lightsinger