Hello, we are going away on vacation for 2 weeks and we need to know if we need to worry about the prius not starting when we return? are there settings we have to change like turning off the smart key system? Thanks for your help.
What's your addess? j/k I would assume that if your battery were dead, SKS would not work, so you'd have to pull out your "valet key". Once you start up the car, it will immediately charge up your battery. However...I doubt that after two weeks your SKS system will drain your battery completely. Think of it this way: if you can drive 2-3 minutes on the battery alone on the highway, then your SKS system will last 2 weeks.
I think the owner's manual recommends disabling the SKS by pushing the button under the steering wheel. You might want to turn the switch to off for the dome and cargo area lights, and make sure the audio system is off. Two weeks should be no problem. At 30 days you begin to run the risk of a dead 12V battery, and it's not too easy to get to if you can't power-unlock the back hatch. You can, however, get a jump start with terminals under the hood.
Could you not get one of those solar cells you stick on the inside of the windshield while you're gone to keep the battery alive? Of course this assumes the car is parked outside... but those things work well. Even many car dealers I've seen put them on the cars while they're on the lot.
For two weeks, you are probably ok doing nothing special. Just be sure you don't leave any map lights or the rear hatch light on. I did that once and came back to a dead acc battery. If you want, you can turn off the SKS using the button under the steering column. Use the button on your fob to lock/unlock your car if SKS is off.
I wouldn't worry one bit about it not starting but I will warn you about your back. I would suggest that you try find a small pillow for your back. Good luck!
