Has anyone here ever had their 12v battery die? And did it hold a charge after jump starting it? I am asking because I left my Prius in storage for 6 months and I am coming home in a few weeks. I am hoping the battery hasn't died yet and if it did, I am hoping it would still carry a charge and continue working if I jump start it. Its a 2010 Prius with original battery. 100k miles from highway driving back and forth south and northern California. I do plenty of 5-6 hour drives.
That's quite a bit on the plate for a 6 year + battery. But... You never know. All I can do from here is to wish you the best of luck.
If you didn't disconnect the battery before putting the car in storage for 6 months, the battery is probably discharged, and batteries don't like sitting discharged for long periods.
I admire your optimism, but with all the factors you mentioned, I'd prepare to jump start and figure out new battery options.
Nico in my "who should not own a prius" post I recommend not buying a prius you do not drive at least once a week. When new, you can actually go 3 weeks, but as the battery ages it will strand you after a week. The Toyota 12 battery in the US has a 84 month prorated warranty, if you live in the US. (You do not list a location, which always hinders any help)
Personally, I wouldn't jump start it - but put it on a trickle charger for 24 hours. A slow revival is likely to give it a better chance at coming back to life than jump charging, which can be quite a strain on a battery.
On the Gen 2, we accidentally drained the 12V (left headlights on) when it was less than 2 years old. It was ok for a few years but it deteriorated by year 5. On my Gen 3, I'm on 6.5 years and counting on the original 12V with some signs of lower charge but nothing critical.
doesn't sound good to me. if you need it to start when you get there, buy a jump pack trickle charger on the way, and see how it holds up. if you don't want to fool around, stop at the dealer and pick up a new one instead.
Based on past warnings here, I was expecting possible trouble with my 4 year old car in airport parking for just over 6 weeks recently. So I looked for the instructions to turn off SKS before the trip, rather than let it burn up significant battery charge before transitioning into power saving modes after certain periods of inactivity. With the 2012+, SKS can be shut off under a Display Audio menu. Upon my return, it started just fine. But it was parked in the sun on a particularly warm day, that may have helped. I was too travel-weary to remember to check the battery voltage on the ScanGauge, so that information was lost. I didn't understand ahead of time that this was a valet-only lot. So when dropping off the car, I hurriedly wrote a warning note against attempting to jumpstart it without me present. Fortunately, at pickup time, they walked me to the car and let me open and start it.
I see that the 12v batter should be of more concern than I ever paid it. Looking for advice to my level of concern about a recent 12v failure. I parked my 2010 in airport parking for 6 days. when I returned the 12v was dead. I jumped the car, drove 3 hours, parked for 2 hours with the car on, and drove another 2 hours. I have owned the car for a year, so I figured I would put in a new battery (three hours after I got home from the airport). The battery I removed was an Optima dated 9/14, the battery was too dead to check if it had life left (even after the car ran for 7 hours). I put a new battery in, and as I was pulling away the clerk ran out and said that the old battery tested just fine after a short charge. Is it normal for the 12v to die after 6 days on a 3 year old battery? (left SKS on) Is there a deeper problem draining my 12v or not charging it properly? With the new battery in can I leave my car for a 4 days or a week? Thank you for the help
If you regularly leave it for 4~7 days, it's gonna go off before long. The issue: the car is constantly using a small amount of the battery's charge, in order to maintain various volatile memories. We're like that scenario, well not that bad, our car regularly sits idle at least one day, some times 3 or 4. And the driving days are often just a grocery run. We have the luxury of a garage with power outlets, and what I do is leave a smart charger on, pretty much all the time.
It gets driven everyday, but my commute is 10 minutes 4x times a day. This was the longest I had ever left it. So the battery can be drained in 6 days if it is just parked? Why would a 7 hour drive not have charged the 12v after it died?
nature of the prius battery. it is very small, and has poor recovery qualities. that being said, i leave mine every winter for 5 or 6 weeks without issue, up to 5 years old. is it possible you left a light on?
Is it possible, totally, got to the airport at 5am and It was 3am when I got back to the car. I don't think I did, I clicked the overhead light on and off before jumping it, but could have happened and I can live with that as a fluke to a drained battery. The fact that the battery was still so drained after a long drive is what concerns me. I also wanted to know if I go on vacation if i need to take care not to drain the battery
