We have a 2009 Prius with 93k miles on it. We bought it used a couple of years ago and haven't had any major issues besides replacing the water pump a year ago. We haven't replaced anything else besides light bulbs since buying it. Three of days ago I got in and hit the power button and everything shut down. I put the keyfob in and hit it again and nothing. I pulled the keyfob out and waited a minute and suddenly everything came on. The dash clock had reset itself but everything worked ok. I'd just replaced the battery in my keyfob about 6 months ago, so i don't think its that, plus the clock going out made me wonder if it was the 12v battery. It's started like normal and everything worked fine until this morning when my wife tried to start it and it blinked that the keyfob wasn't working. I had her put the keyfob in the dash and it powered up with the red light on the power button and wouldn't go into drive. I had her shut it down, leaving the keyfob in and then hit the power button again. it powered up and everything worked fine again, but the clock had reset itself. She texted me from work that it wouldn't lock until she hit the lock button on the keyfob twice. I've ordered a 12v optima battery to go into it but it won't be here until Tuesday. Does this sound like a 12v battery issue to you guys? I'm thinking the clock going out might be an indicator of that.
Classic 12v issue, plugging in the fob requires less energy than communicating wireless. To keep you going until you get the replacement battery you might keep the battery on a trickle charger. Fyi, don't take short trips, the battery is not a high load battery and is normally charged at a slower rate than a typical 12v.
It's easy enough to check system voltages using the dash display. Search for the method and thresholds in other threads.
She's at work right now, but I'll check the system voltages when she gets home. She drives about 9 miles each way to work, so about 18 miles round trip on most days. Is that enough to charge a battery under normal circumstances? I appreciate your help and advice folks.
If that has been typical since ownership, I would say that's fine. You don't say where you are, but temperature has a lot of impact when you are operating in the extremes of cold/hot environment. Factor in also if you garage it or driveway park.
By the way, time is more important than mileage in charging. The battery will charge just as well whether the car drives 75 mph on the highway, or sits in "IG-ON" mode the driveway for same time. If the 9 miles takes 40 minutes, that's better for charging the battery than 10 minutes.
Good to know. It usually is about 20-30 minutes each way depending on traffic. I'm sure once I get the new battery installed it'll be good again. I appreciate it!
Installed the battery in about an hour today. Checked it before install and it was reading 12.8v. Systems reset themselves and the only thing really different was the flashing red key car light which I read was normal but had stopped flashing under the old dying battery. Thanks for your help folks!
