Work has been dogging me and I have a lot of questions about my Prius. I'm hoping I'm just drained and you guys can offer some insight. Maybe Im worrying about nothing... 1. My key fob doesn't work very well. Sometimes I have to hit it many times to work. Sometimes the car unlocks when I just pull the handle. Is this normal? Could I have a stuck button? I changed the key fob battery 2. Along with the key fob, I have an electrical issue. My Instrument cluster and navigation display screen are dimming intermittently. At first I thought they were just flickering. But now it is becoming more frequent. The entire cluster and display will dim (dark but I can still see everything) for an instant or up to 15 seconds and then will brighten back up. I thought this could be a 12 V batter issue. Took battery in and had tested. Battery is good. 3. While checking out my 12 V battery I noticed my Hybrid Battery is a Re-manufactured Dorman Battery that was installed 1 year ago ( purchased my prius 4 months ago ). Just checked out reviews on the Dorman that weren't too hot. Should I be happy that the battery has been replaced, or concerned with the Dorman?? Could the warranty still apply even if purchased by someone else? 4. Last one. When I removed the 12 V battery from its well I noticed some water in the well. Probably an 1/8" of water on 25% of the surface area of the well the battery sits in. There seems to be a caulk/sealant of some sort on most of the trunk at metal joints. Did someone try a cheap fix on this? Should I just wipe up water and apply a sealant of my own? It did rain hard all day today. There is NO water anywhere else that I can see and the spaces above the battery well are dry. it is not leaking from above (in the trunk space) Seems maybe it is coming up from the wheel well? Im probably crazy. Thanks in advance guys!
The caulk in hatch sub-floor is probably original, our third gen has liberally applied caulk, similar. Maybe hatch isn't sealing, weather stripping failing? That's all I've got, but good luck with all your issues.
1. Do you have second key? If not you should get one. If that key breaks or gets lost it’s very hard or expensive to get the Prius working with the new key. If you purchase NEW key you can program it to the Prius using "chicken dance” How to Program a New Key Fob for Full SKS Functionality | PriusChat You can have stuck button try to get them out with blade/pick from the side of the button. Then test key keeps on working if you just use SKS system (not press any buttons on the key). SKS system is the system that allows you to lock and unlock the doors without pressing any buttons on the key. There’s a button under the steering wheel to turn that system on/off. If the key works like that you can get it repaired by replacing just the key shell. Transfer the circuit board and RFID chip to a new case. 2. Does the dimmer that adjust the brightness of those work? 3. You probably have a small crack on the roof seam. Probably only on the passenger side. You can glue the crack to stop the water leak Water leak...into spare tire area etc | Page 3 | PriusChat
Thanks Mendel. i think it is the original caulk. So thats good! Valde3, Thanks for your response. I do need to get a 2nd fob. Will work on that this week. I will check the dimmer to adjust brightness today. Will also check the roof stem and give update. Thanks
Your electrical issue seems like a possible combination meter failure. Unfortunately, that's an expensive part to replace, and necessary, since it runs the status display (speedometer, odometer, gas gauge, warning lights). I would be concerned that you got a Dorman remanufactured battery instead of a factory one, as remanufactured batteries are considerably shorter-lasting than factory ones. Still, Dorman's warranty does not exclude transfer of ownership, so if your traction battery fails within 3 years of when the remanufactured battery was installed, they should replace it for you.
