Driving along yesterday, my 2004 Prius suddenly made a super-loud whine, accompanied by rapid de-celeration. Got car to shoulder before it stopped altogether & called AAA. At that time, I had the flashers on, was able to open the power windows, and many of the dashboard lights were on - like when you've got the power on but it's in park, kwim? I was unable to fully turn the car off, though - like unable to make those lights go off & disengage the battery fully. Does that make sense? OK, well, AAA took so long, the flashers/dash lights quit. My guess, killed the battery. OK, fine, no surprise there, I couldn't turn it off. Today the dealer says the problem was a dead battery, so they've charged it up & told me to come get it. I explained the dead battery DID happen, but that was secondary - the whine & deceleration were the bigger problem. Has anyone had any experience with this? I hate to just go pick it up & have this issue happen again, maybe with kids in the car & traffic around (aka CRASH)... Thanks!
Have them check the airflow sensor. the 2 times my 04 stalled it was that. Similar symptoms: 1st time, I was right next to the dealership, it completely died, then a few minutes later it allowed me to restart & limp into the dealership. The 2nd time, I had enough time to get off the freeway & wait to be towed... that time with a completely dead battery, the car was having issues starting enough to be put into neutral for the tow.
thanks, I'll ask about that - but you were able to get it into neutral, and to re-start? This wasn't like stalling, it was like when you shift into a much lower gear...or in this case, like you shifted into "park". Very freaky. Thanks!
the first time I was able to get it started, but that was after a bit of time (5 minutes or so) & me threatning my car with a tow... the 2nd time - it would not start at all. I have no idea how the AAA guy was able to get it started enough to put it into neutral. He might have had to 'jump' it, but I am not sure. What I remember is that it felt like the car just shut down & coasted to a stop. good luck
Yeah, there was no coasting here, this was active deceleration - and even after 3 hours (how long it took to find a AAA guy with "skates" to get it onto the flatbed), I couldn't get it to restart...well, after the battery quit, I had no hope at all anyway)
My guess is that your problem is much more than the 12V auxiliary battery. However, has that battery been replaced yet? The whine and deceleration sound like you have an intermittent problem with the hybrid vehicle ECU or the inverter. However, with the 12V battery dying, any fault codes (DTC) would have been lost. Therefore you'll probably have to continue driving the car until the symptoms repeat.
re: roadside for 1st year: They might have, but it's 4 years old. Add to that the fact they couldn't find any record in the computer of our extended warranty, so they wouldn't come out without charging beaucoup bucks... and AAA didn't want to tow it because it's a hybrid & they didn't know if they'd damage it..... sigh. So if I really just need to wait for this to happen again, what's a way to try & preserve the 12V so the info isn't lost again?
the car will run without a 12v battery in it. sure, a bad connection or bad battery would cause some issues but it will not cause the car to die. once it's running you can take the 12v out. without codes, there's no clue to what went wrong, unfortunately. no way to retrieve them after you've removed the 12v...
Replace the 12V battery now so that it will be there to preserve the codes if this problem ever recurs. If it happens again with a crappy or dead battery you'll be in the same position.
Triptakers, Do this, for your peace of mind and for mine. Remove the 12v battery, take it to a local auto parts store that can "load test" it. If it passes, then okay. If it doesn't, it probably has one or more dying cells which will cause the same problem again if you continue to use it. The store should not charge you for the battery load test. Again, this is a load test, not a voltage check. Unless your ECU or inverter is intermittent, this is probably the cause of your problem. Computers don't like brown-outs! ZC1
I am skeptical that a battery load test will be effective in identifying a marginal battery. Especially if the 12V battery is original equipment, I suggest that you replace it now since your car is acting very flaky. For fun, I also suggest that you travel at the same speed that you had been at when the driveability problem occurred; then shift to B. How does the deceleration and drivetrain whine compare to what you recall when you had the problem? I am very concerned that you were unable to successfully power down the car after you stopped. The power source control ECU is supposed to interpret your pushing the POWER button and provide appropriate signals to the hybrid vehicle ECU. One possible solution to cut power, if the problem reoccurs, would be to remove the IG1 and IG2 relays from the relay/fuse box that is near the inverter. However, this probably is going beyond what should be expected of a normal Prius owner.
It may be totally off base, but I cannot help thinking "hmm, perhaps that starter blockoff plate ate through your resolver harness and made the ECU unable to track motor position anymore". The "loud whine" is a clue that something electrically weird was going on with one or both MGs while you decelerated, like suddenly the car didn't have control of them and they were trying to push their own generated voltage into each other and the inverter caps in a haphazard way. . I'll be very interested in the results of a GENUINE point diagnosis on this, hopefully you can get one instead of "replace transaxle" or the like. . _H*
I think the resolver harness is a sealed unit since 2006, so the starter blockoff plate would have had to come loose. ZC1
I second the question. My 2008 Canadian owners manual says to use a flatbed or wheel lift type truck, but NOT a sling type truck, which can cause damage to body. Manual indicates towing eyelet at front is for emergency towing without a tow truck only. Must have a person in drivers seat and limit speed to 18 MPH. I've had two AWD vehicles and always insisted on a flatbed. I currently have no plan to insist on a flatbed for the Prius, but will at least ensure the tow truck does it right, according to the manual.
