Confused on what the problem is on my 08

rexg · 08-26-2008, 12:02 AM

Hey everyone,

its been a while since i posted on this forum but if some of you remember me, i bought two priuses at the same time last february. one for me and one for my wife. she works in l.a. and me in san francisco.

anyway, today, as she was going out from her work, she called me and told me the car would not start. i asked here what the indicators were but of course she does not know how to describe it to me which resulted to an argument. from what i understand is that when she tried to hit power, the power button lights up in red and nothing happens. i told her to cycle the car several times but it gets a little vague from there. she puts the key fob into the slot instead of using the smart key and the same thing happened and she described to me that there is a triangle with an exclamation point and all the other indicators in the display were blinking. i told her to just lock the car up and leave it for the night, however, this time the car would not lock and the beeping sound as if the key was inserted in the car kept on beeping. to top it all, she made me diagnose what was wrong with her car. coincidentally i was not driving my prius today and i was driving my slk which added to my frustration having to figure out what the problem was while i was away from the car or even a manual.

i could not imagine that a car especially a toyota would do this to you if its 6 months old. can someone point me to the right direction?

i will be calling the toyota roadside assistance tomorrow so it can be towed or aaa. meanwhile im just confused one whether to buy extended warranties on both cars or just sell them both and just get regular cars instead. im a little frustrated and im just venting but if someone can help me then so much the better.

thanks everyone,

rexg · 08-26-2008, 12:45 AM

sorry guys. i overlooked that there was a maintenance and troubleshooting section. mods please move this thread. i apologize.

**efusco** · 08-26-2008, 12:46 AM

Sounds like a dead 12v battery to me. Possible she left the hatch slightly ajar or something? I'd try a jump start before calling Toyota personally, but with the circumstances she might feel better having the roadside assist people do it or take it in to be sure of the diagnosis.

rexg · 08-26-2008, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by efusco

Sounds like a dead 12v battery to me. Possible she left the hatch slightly ajar or something? I'd try a jump start before calling Toyota personally, but with the circumstances she might feel better having the roadside assist people do it or take it in to be sure of the diagnosis.

sounds right to me too. ive also done a little searching and have noticed that it is what the other have experienced. i am suspecting more of the headlights were left on but she would not admit it. as far as the door being ajar, it would not have locked the car right? oh well... im 400 miles away so i cant do anything on my end. strangely is that it never happened to me when that car was with me. i just swapped her that car yesterday and now this happens.

ill just have it towed to the dealership. it is two miles away from her work and that's what we pay aaa for right?

richard schumacher · 08-26-2008, 01:17 AM

Impossible to be sure what the problems is under these conditions. Either have it jumped *by someone sent by a Toyota dealer*, or have it towed to a Toyota dealer. An incorrect jump can do thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Did she want a Prius?

Shawn Clark · 08-26-2008, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexg

strangely is that it never happened to me when that car was with me. i just swapped her that car yesterday and now this happens.

ill just have it towed to the dealership. it is two miles away from her work and that's what we pay aaa for right?

uhhh...don't know what would happen but is there any chance of something like this happening because of the wrong key FOB...or presence of another Prius key FOB? The car swap got me wondering...hate it when my wife takes my keys by mistake.

rexg · 08-26-2008, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn Clark

uhhh...don't know what would happen but is there any chance of something like this happening because of the wrong key FOB...or presence of another Prius key FOB? The car swap got me wondering...hate it when my wife takes my keys by mistake.

to answer the reply before this, yes, i told her to have the car towed to a toyota dealer tomorrow rather than have aaa jump the car. i had a bad experience with aaa once where the guy did not know how to change a flat tire for a friends car and i ended up doing it.

yes she has always wanted a prius that is why i gave up my evo for two of these. but judging from today's dissapointment, i think she has chahged her mind a bit.

no, she has brought the right fob with her because she was still able to open the car with the fob. at least that's what she told me because there was one time where she went inside a prius and wondered why it would not start, it turned out it wasnt her car and the other person just forgot to lock it. she couldve sworn that she heard the car unlock. oh well.... however, i would still think she has the right fob since i have both fobs for one prius and she has both for the other. plus she has attached a small sanrio bell on it where mine doesnt.

it is too embarrasing to have that.

hopefully its just a discharged 12v.

Patrick Wong · 08-26-2008, 10:30 AM

If your wife hasn't already had the car towed, maybe she should try to start the car once more this morning, being sure to fully depress the brake pedal before pressing the POWER button. If her issue is a battery problem, sometimes a marginal battery may recover overnight sufficiently to start up.

If she manages to get the car to start, then she should leave the car READY for at least one hour before declaring victory over the problem - so that the 12V battery can charge up.

Good luck.

Sheepdog · 08-27-2008, 07:37 PM

I wonder if one of those plug in starter batteries would power up the Prii ok? The emergency ones you stick into the lighter recepticle?

jdenenberg · 08-27-2008, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheepdog

I wonder if one of those plug in starter batteries would power up the Prii ok? The emergency ones you stick into the lighter recepticle?

They would work fine except that the lighter socket, AKA Aux power outlet, is disabled until the Prius powers up. There is an inexpensive wiring kit to make one of the aux outlets (the one on the dash) always on.

JeffD

08-26-2008, 12:02 AM	#1
rexg Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: SF Bay Posts: 32 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Confused on what the problem is on my 08 Hey everyone, its been a while since i posted on this forum but if some of you remember me, i bought two priuses at the same time last february. one for me and one for my wife. she works in l.a. and me in san francisco. anyway, today, as she was going out from her work, she called me and told me the car would not start. i asked here what the indicators were but of course she does not know how to describe it to me which resulted to an argument. from what i understand is that when she tried to hit power, the power button lights up in red and nothing happens. i told her to cycle the car several times but it gets a little vague from there. she puts the key fob into the slot instead of using the smart key and the same thing happened and she described to me that there is a triangle with an exclamation point and all the other indicators in the display were blinking. i told her to just lock the car up and leave it for the night, however, this time the car would not lock and the beeping sound as if the key was inserted in the car kept on beeping. to top it all, she made me diagnose what was wrong with her car. coincidentally i was not driving my prius today and i was driving my slk which added to my frustration having to figure out what the problem was while i was away from the car or even a manual. i could not imagine that a car especially a toyota would do this to you if its 6 months old. can someone point me to the right direction? i will be calling the toyota roadside assistance tomorrow so it can be towed or aaa. meanwhile im just confused one whether to buy extended warranties on both cars or just sell them both and just get regular cars instead. im a little frustrated and im just venting but if someone can help me then so much the better. thanks everyone, __________________ -------- 2008 Prius Magnetic Gray #2 (His, 53.2mpg mfd) 2008 Prius Classic Silver #2(Hers, 50.1mpg mfd) 2007 Yaris HB Black Sand Pearl(39.2mpg Tank Avg) 2005 4Runner Galactic Gray(23.5mpg Trip Comp) 1999 Mercedes SLK230 (28mpg) 2005 Mitsubishi Evo VIII(Gone at 23k miles in favor of the Prii) 2004 Jeep Liberty Sport(Gone at 32k miles in favor of the Prii)

08-26-2008, 12:45 AM	#2
rexg Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: SF Bay Posts: 32 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Confused on what the problem is on my 08 sorry guys. i overlooked that there was a maintenance and troubleshooting section. mods please move this thread. i apologize.

08-26-2008, 12:46 AM	#3
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 13,993 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 23	Re: Confused on what the problem is on my 08 Sounds like a dead 12v battery to me. Possible she left the hatch slightly ajar or something? I'd try a jump start before calling Toyota personally, but with the circumstances she might feel better having the roadside assist people do it or take it in to be sure of the diagnosis.

08-26-2008, 01:17 AM	#5
richard schumacher nacreous lacquer Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,087 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Confused on what the problem is on my 08 Impossible to be sure what the problems is under these conditions. Either have it jumped by someone sent by a Toyota dealer, or have it towed to a Toyota dealer. An incorrect jump can do thousands of dollars worth of damage. Did she want a Prius?

08-26-2008, 10:30 AM	#8
Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,922 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 26	Re: Confused on what the problem is on my 08 If your wife hasn't already had the car towed, maybe she should try to start the car once more this morning, being sure to fully depress the brake pedal before pressing the POWER button. If her issue is a battery problem, sometimes a marginal battery may recover overnight sufficiently to start up. If she manages to get the car to start, then she should leave the car READY for at least one hour before declaring victory over the problem - so that the 12V battery can charge up. Good luck.

08-27-2008, 07:37 PM	#9
Sheepdog C'Mere Sheepie! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sanford FLorida Posts: 1,050 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 5	Re: Confused on what the problem is on my 08 I wonder if one of those plug in starter batteries would power up the Prii ok? The emergency ones you stick into the lighter recepticle?

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