Greeting Prius community. I''m new to these forums, but I'm in dire need of advice. My situation: I have a 2018 Prius C. Recently the 12V battery died on me after leaving it sit for too long during the winter (lesson learned, never do that again!) The car will accept a jump. All seems to be working fine. However once the car is turned off again, it will not restart. So I'm pretty positive that the 12v battery is shot. I reached out to the local Toyota parts department for a replacement. No dice, they'd have to order. Just so happens that its on back order! This was 3 weeks ago now, and they still have no status update. I'm desperate to get my car back on the road. My question is... Whats the big deal with this battery? Do I NEED the Toyota brand? Is the a common battery that i can toss in there temporarily just to get it moving again? I understand, it is a solid state battery, so there is no liquid acid in it for safety.. Is there a way to get this OEM? Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for any advice! Cheers
Check out this thread. There is a link in there to a battery from O'Rielly. However, my guess is they'll have to order it too. It's not a common battery. For the longest time, there was no aftermarket battery at all. Help?!? | PriusChat
Thank you for the reply. I'm just a little confused. I thought I found a solution... I ordered an optima yellow top "for prius" Is this not a proper fit?
The big deal with this battery is that the size pattern itself was recently created, and the 2018 Prius c is one of the first cars to use it. 2017 and older c's have a different kind. The thread referenced by @dubit is about the old version, no good for you. The world's battery factories have just started building these, and the volume they build is very much keyed to pre-pandemic needs. They only recently expanded production of the older battery type for the 2012-2017 c because they were getting old enough to create a market. Nobody guessed that so many 2018 batteries would already be ruined from sitting around in 2020, so there aren't enough spares. Batteries are typically built in batches. Last years batch has run out and this years batch has not yet begun. The size itself is known as LN0 or H3. It's so new it's not in all the lookup databases or size charts yet. If I were you I'd get a small battery charger and attempt to recondition that battery. One of the smaller Deltrans ought to be fine. You'd have to run an extension cord out to the parking area OR bring the battery inside for the day. Of course you can also get a small portable jump-pack for safety. You'd charge it up indoors at home and then carry it in the car for safety.
@Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Thank you so much for the clarification. This was excellent information. Now that I understand the "big deal", my last question would be.. Is there any harm in using an optima yellow top as a temporary solution? Do you think I'd run the risk of damaging the car, or worse causing the battery to explode? Thankyou.
Yikes! 3x the pre-shortage price and they couldn't even be bothered to use a pictogram of the correct item.
NO. Nothing unique about the OEM battery, at least not electrically. It is not "solid state". It is an AGM, which is a type of lead acid battery. That type is common but the physical size and type of posts isn't. Call around to all the auto parts stores and battery shops in your area. You could even throw a lawn mower battery in it for a while but the connections might not match up without adapters.
I mean, they are entirely compatible from an electrical standpoint. The car wouldn't know you were using anything different. The question is- can you make it fit in the space allotted? will the old mounting brackets be able to grab this new battery? Will the terminals be the same type, or do you have to make up adapters? If you have to, figure out a way to strap down that battery in the right rear footwell and make up some cable stubs to connect to the car's native lugs. It's a crash hazard and a fire hazard if the cables short, so this should only be undertaken if you know what you're doing and can live without that seating & cargo area for the duration. I am only suggesting this because it's a bit of a dire situation for 2018 & 2019 owners. If you understand basic electrical safety and feel comfortable with the situation then it'll keep you operating until you can get a real battery and revert everything to normal.
Thank you all so much for the helpful information. i was able to hook up the Optima Yellow Top with a bit of ingenuity. The terminals were the incorrect size so after much googling, and a few failed attempts, i finally got it!!! Definitely a temporary rig. But it's relatively safe and will be easy to convert back once the battery is back in stock. Thank you Thankyou Thank you!!
IF your Optima is new, and the installation is solid.......there is no good reason that you need to replace it any time soon.
I’m picking one up from my dealer tomorrow for 2018. It took three weeks from order placement to delivery. This is the new Interstate battery with the H3 form factor which replaced the OEM Yuasa. A lot cheaper too. Some 2018 apparently used the older style 2012-2017 battery. Nowhere near interchangeable… at least physically. New Part Number: 00544H3LN0TS Supersession(s): 00544-H3LN0-TS; 544H3LN0TS
Just make sure the Optima is vented via the vent hose from the other battery. The battery is charging when using the vehicle and charging gases need to be vented outside, safety first! Doh, a March thread which is old, old & old!
