Probably sounds like a dumb question to those who know the answer! I'm a new Gen1 owner and now looking for a Gen2 at auctions, etc.. More often than not, the key fob is not available when I go to inspect these prospects. Doors are unlocked but never the lift gate/hatch. In a regular car I would expect that a manual release would be near the drivers door/seat area. Nah! just the gas door release. The owners manuals are seldom available. I'm also accustom to having an emergency release where I can open the hatch from the inside. Often a trip, near the inside of the latch. Nah! Just how do you open the hatch on a Gen2 when there is no electrical power or don't have the Fob?? (Keyless Entry??) Thanks Steve
Feel around directly under the Toyota emblem on the hatch. There is a rubberized "button" there. Press up on it like you are trying to lift the hatch and it will click and release. It is in the same place on the GenIII.
Ohh and FYI, do NOT press down on the spoiler to shut the hatch. Press on the Toyota emblem, the license plate or use the handle on the inside. You'll break the spoiler if you press on it too hard!
Thanks for the replies and cautions. Is that button machanical or electrical?? Most of the time, I have found that the batteries are dead on these cars. Steve
If I recall there are past threads on how to modify for mechanical entry but does not seem practical for this case
You have to crawl into the back area from the inside. There is a plastic panel that you have to remove on the hatch to expose the hatch release. If you can find a gen II manual it will show the exact location. I did this once a few years ago on a 07. Good luck.
That plastic panel is dead center on the rear edge of the deck in line with the latch. Is the auctioneer really going to let you crawl inside a car & remove a plastic panel so you can trip the hatch release?
Hmmmm! A 'heck' a situation when you need to check or jump a dead battery or to do a quick disconnect of the main HV battery system. I suppose all of this is to keep the Valet from snopping around in the luggage
Speaking of Jump Starting: Isn't there a pair of terminals under the hood for jump starting, (kinda like the late model Saturns that have the battery in the trunk)?? The main reason I want to get the yard battery in the terminals, is not to start it but to read the codes with my OBDII scanner. (I could be wrong, but I think the "Prius aware codes" are held in memory, even if the Aux battery is dead. That was my experience with my Gen1). Steve
Yes there is a positive jump start terminal under the hood. (any large chunk of metal is a negative terminal)
