Guys, Love my 2011 Prius but there are a few things the Prius team did that annoys me- 1) placing the positive battery terminal under the hood (fuse box) without placing where you can attach your negative clamps to; I realize the general advice is to clamp anywhere in the engine bay that is bare metal and grounded and I did find a bolt nearby but it’s very small and hard to clamp. Also, I can’t use the recommended point which is way over on the left side closer to the coolant; I believe it’s a strut tower? (Looks like a spark plug). Anyway, it’s not a good point as my clamps don’t separate and reach that far from the positive point found in the fuse box; why didn’t Toyota just make a negative grounding point nearby like they did for the positive terminal? Anyway, can anyone tell me where they connect their negative clamp under the hood? Photos would help out. 2) Everyone who’s had to replace their 12v has had the frustration of realizing the hatch cannot be opened without power; and the cumbersome way of having to go through the back seat and remove the trunk floor to eventually get to the small opening in the back; could the Prius team not have thought of making it easier to unlock the hatch once power is out; every Prius owner would be in major trouble if the electrical system went out and had to escape a sinking Prius in a body of water. This is a safety issue as much as having airbags if not more. Ok, enough of my rant.
The Toyota engineers gave you jump points under the hood. It isn't their fault you insist on using six inch jump-pack cables. You can use cable extensions to get power into the car to pop the trunk. As far as drowning in your Prius, that's on the operator for being stupid. Bust out any side glass, that's what they are designed for. Use the headrest post to 'pop' the glass - if your NOT aware.....
I don't have mine anymore, but there's lots of bare metal near the positive post. use a volt meter to test
I just glom onto one of the bolts holding the inverter assembly together, right next to the fusebox. As the 12-volt electrical system originates there, it's hardly worth the effort to search for a "better ground" someplace else.
As ground point for battery charging or for powering an oil-extraction pump, I use a steel bracket that supports the inverter and is conveniently near the fuse box. What's wrong with that? It wouldn't be ideal for high-current connections like "jumping" a non-hybrid vehicle with a dead battery, but that's almost irrelevant. Even if there were a convenient interior release handle, why would escaping a semi-submerged Prius be any easier through the hatch than by exiting via the driver's door?
My example of drowning might not have been the best example with my frustration that the trunk would be locked without power.
