I left my 2009 Prius at home for 5 days to go on a trip. When o came back, the engine won't run. When you press the Start button, all the dash lights come on, including all the warning (ABS, etc), and a car with an exclamation mark shows in the center dash. I recorded this video showing the problem: Any ideas what the issue may be? Hint: the car was rear-ended a few years ago and the repair wasn't done properly, so humidity seeps into the trunk. I opened the trunk and lifted the covers to expose the metal frame and there is humidity there, but nothing that indicates it got in the battery or terminals. Hint 2: the center screen displays the battery charge at about 60%
Welcome to PriusChat!! Have you already checked the 12 battery for proper voltage ? The next step would be to locate a hybrid compatible OBD2 code scanner and post the codes (DTCs) here. Many auto parts chains have scanners for loan. You can purchase for < $5, a bluetooth adapter online and use a phone app. For not much more ($20) you could get a mini-vci cable and a copy of techstream, which is the same software the dealer uses.
If you have humidity, it could be coming from a weak roof seam, which is the most common leak in Prius. Check for a puddle in 12v battery well, pull rubber plug under car to drain... Once you know the error codes you'll know where to start... But because you're driving a 2009, I'm placing my bet on your problem being that after your car sat for a week, one of your 28 modules in your hybrid battery packs self-discharged several-tenths of a volt more than the other modules. It's normal for NiMH batteries to self-discharge while sitting for a while and as they age the self-discharge gets worse, as well as becomes a warning sign of the first module likely to fail/has failed. If I were in your situation I'd simply hook up my http://www.hybridautomotive.com charger to the high voltage battery over night and let it do a trickle charge and balance of the pack and see if that fixes the problem.... Of course in your case, you probably don't have that equipment on hand, so you might have to start the process differently. But again first thing is reading error codes.
Run a charger on the 12V battery or jump start it with another battery and see how it goes. The 12V battery being questionable causes all kinds of issues. Here's a hybrid-compatible bluetooth obd2 connector There is varying functionality/quality among these adapters. I have two of them. One of them can't read hybrid battery voltages, but it can show the codes. The Dr. Prius app will show you battery details.
Yep, hardest online purchase ever for me... Wasn't until the 4th one I bought that I got one that worked thanks to this article: Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus
I am having the same issue. Please keep us posted. My 2008 Prius starts up, all the indicators you presented here are on for me as well and my car won't go into any other gear than neutral or Park. I did the check for my 12 Volt battery and it's down to a steady 11.4 . On the display the battery was down to one bar yesterday, so I unplugged the connectors for the hybrid and 12v battery last night plugged them back in this morning they battery and now the display shows the battery is almost full, tested the 12Volt battery still 11.4 and still no READY indicator. The car still wont go into any other gear besides Park and Neutral.
11.4 Volts on a 12V battery is basically dead. If you have access to a charger, you should try to get it back up to a full charge (12.5 or greater) before anything else. If the car's 12V has been disconnected, the State of Charge on the MFD will show a default value of 4 to 6 bars when 12V power is restored, although its true SOC is the same value it had when it was last in Ready mode. I don't know how else to explain how the SOC would appear to go up without running the Internal Combustion Engine. The car should have trouble codes that you would need to read with a hybrid compatible scan tool before you can be sure what's wrong, but charging up the 12V would be necessary anyway. I would recommend getting yourself a scan tool (I am using this one,, but there are others that are just as capable) and an app such as Torque Pro, Hybrid Assistant or Dr. Prius to get to the bottom of what might be ailing your car.
I purchased the 12.5 V battery from AutoZone over a week ago and there is a 3 year warranty. I will return it tomorrow and see if that helps. I'll purchase the scan tool and see what it says. The check engine light came on about a week ago, along with brake, abs, the triangle of death. I took it to AutoZone and they told me it was the P0A93 InverterCooling System Performance code. The inverter pump was changed out under the recall with the previous owner so I had to pay out of pocket to have the new one done. Hasnt been the same since. Accelerating was difficult,
Was it a Yellow Top Optima battery that you have to return? They have quite the history of being dead on arrival...
Thank you so much everyone for all the info. This is my first time on a forum of any kind and I never thought it would be so helpful. Going to look for a bluetooth adapter that works with the Dr. Prius app and reply with codes. Thanks again!
It was. I returned it and tested the battery again and that’s also giving me a low voltage reading. Bad battery again?
Here we go again... The endless regularity of someone getting ripped off by Yellow Top's fake batteries. This criminal operation sells dead batteries as if they're new and then when they're returned as defective they charger 'em up and try to sell them again without even testing. Can't wait till a class action lawsuit bankrupts this corrupt operation!!! Here's more info on these crooked operators. Please call your state attorney general office and demand they file criminal charges against the leaders of this business:
I wonder why @OptimaJim no longer defends his company's product anymore? Did he get fired or quit because he wasn't dishonest enough for the kind of business Optima operates?
