2015 Prius slowed acceleration then stalled and would not turn on

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Seafoam green, Dec 7, 2019.

  1. Seafoam green

    Seafoam green New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2019
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    Location:
    Utah
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I bought this car new, maintained and all professionally and it’s barely at 70k miles. Today, after driving it all over like normal, it started to not accelerate off and on while I drove 1-2 miles. I switched back and forth to power mode because it actually kicked me into ev mode at one point. I was turning at an intersection when it stopped completely. I turned it off and on multiple times in an attempt to get a few more feet ahead only for it to die completely. The cell battery charge level rapidly went from the normal 3-5 bars to 1. It had never been that low before and has a brand new 12v battery in it. Once the car stalled completely, the power steering also went out on it. Then after we got it pushed and parked, other warning lights came on. I tried to idle it to turn on the heat while waiting for a tow truck and even that lost power completely within seconds. It wouldn’t turn on to go into drive mode, but would go into neutral. Any ideas what this is? I plan to take it to the dealership when the service department opens Monday but I am trying to figure out what is going on ASAP.
     

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    #1 Seafoam green, Dec 7, 2019
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Two
    Those warning lights have error codes. We need to get the error codes to know what's wrong...

    Also don't take it into the dealer unless you want to get robbed thousands of dollars for unnecessary work! Dealerships are warranty specialists, they fix stuff in the most expensive way possible. If you no longer have a warranty, stay away from 'em.

    Your car is finally old enough that you need to find an honest, reliable mechanic, or a mechanically inclined friend who wants to learn hybrid cars to do your work for you.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Dec 7, 2019
  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Do you go to car washes that you have to put car on neutral when being washed?
     
    #3 Grit, Dec 7, 2019
  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Two
    You'll have to have the codes read by a Prius capable scanner. A few possible causes might be an over heated battery due to dirty cooling fan, an over heated inverter due to a non-functional inverter coolant water pump, or something in the traction battery. The battery would be under warranty, so I'd get it to a Toyota dealer after checking a couple things.

    If you have ready access to a scanner that can ready hybrid codes, that's the bestest place to start. No guesswork involved and very little effort. If not try the following.

    First, put the car in READY if you can. Then look inside the inverter coolant tank to see if there is movement on the surface of the fluid. It won't be thrashing and foaming, but you should see it swirling a bit.

    If that's OK, you'll want to find a YouTube video that will show you how to access the tractions battery cooling fan. I think NutzAboutBolts has one if you google that. It's not hard, but it helps to see a vid.

    If the fan is clean, then you may be looking at a warranty service on the traction battery. The inverter is also part of the 8/100 hybrid system warranty.
     
    #4 jerrymildred, Dec 7, 2019
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