Car won’t start without a jump

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by DesertLion, Sep 8, 2025 at 12:14 AM.

  1. DesertLion

    DesertLion New Member

    Joined:
    Yesterday
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    Location:
    Victoria BC
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    I have a 2011 Prius that won’t start without a jump.

    I work on a remote island at the moment and my car is parked on a more populated island. Every two weeks I’ve gone over, started it up, and driven it around a bit just to keep it from sitting too long. Been doing this for 3 months. But this time it wouldn’t start. Got a jump, drove okay, but when I turned it off everything died immediately. All lights, dash etc. Got another jump, drove again, this time for an hour. Same problem when I stopped.

    The battery is new, replaced in December 2024.

    There’s a ton of mouse and rat droppings everywhere. Is it possible they chewed through something important? Is it more likely the battery? Where do I start looking?
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
    12,600
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    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base