Dead Battery

A. B. Hair · 10-26-2006, 10:56 AM

At 5800 miles and 2 months trouble free use, I parked my Prius in my garage at noon Wednesday. At 4:00 I went to crank it for a short run. I had no electric power at all of any kind. I put a volt meter on the 12 volt battery and got zero volts. I call the Toyota of Easley and they had it towed in. Had to use jumper cables to put in power to get it out of park so we could get it out of the garage. I was told they saw no problem except the battery was defective. They have ordered a new battery and should be ready today.
Anyone else had this problem? Dealer says it is a first but the tow truck driver says it is his second.

eagle33199 · 10-26-2006, 11:01 AM

I can't remember anyone posting the same problem, although many have had the battery die after a couple of weeks of non-use with the SKS on. At any rate, it sounds like they're calling it a defect, which means it should be replaced under warranty... kind of surprising they had to wait so long to get a replacement battery, IMO.

msnancy61 · 10-26-2006, 11:26 AM

http://priuschat.com/style_images/1/folder...s/textcolor.gif

Hi.. Yes.. happened to me..Was a bad battery.. My horn started going off.. I guess signaled the battery failing.. but then I left the car while on vacation and the whole thing was dead when I got home. Had it jumped, and dealer told me that the car was fine.. I took the car back and the horn started its thing again, in the middle of the night.. pissing off the neighbors.. Took the car in first thing the next morning.. They said battery fine. turned out that when I drove the car it recharged just enough to appear fine. They told me to pick it up.. I refused and kept the loaner over a long weekend.. They called me after few days and said the car started up fine.. Went to pick it up.. Asked for the voltmeter reading.. Said the battery was dead.. They said I wasn't crazy!! (who knew) Anyway, they replaced the battery and I haven't had a problem since. Keep an eye on that SKS thing.. it does use power when the car is off.. looking for the key. Make sure you turn it off if you plan to leave the car more than a few days..

I hope this helps.. Toyota should read these threads.. because they told me this NEVER happened before.. yeah right.

eagle33199 · 10-26-2006, 11:39 AM

Yeah, didn't mean to ignore your case, msnancy...

I should append my earlier statement by saying there have always been signs that something was wrong before the battery was dead, or it was left for a few weeks or more with a drain on it (like the SKS) which killed it

**Tideland Prius** · 10-26-2006, 03:00 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Oct 26 2006, 08:01 AM) [snapback]338581[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I can't remember anyone posting the same problem, although many have had the battery die after a couple of weeks of non-use with the SKS on. At any rate, it sounds like they're calling it a defect, which means it should be replaced under warranty... kind of surprising they had to wait so long to get a replacement battery, IMO.
[/b]

moi.

25th January 2005.

Parked the car in the parkade in the morning, came back in the afternoon and the battery was dead.

galaxee · 10-26-2006, 03:36 PM

defective battery... it happens. that's why you've got the warranty. could be it was bad to begin with but at least able to start the car, and the cooler weather coming around lately is what finished it off.

David Beale · 10-26-2006, 04:20 PM

This topic brings up something that has been bugging me. The Prius uses a "gel-cell" type of lead acid battery (I'm told). As I'm looking at buying the car, I've been frequenting Toyota dealer showrooms. About half the time, I see a Prius there with a "Sold to very nice people" sign in the window, hood up, and battery charger connected to the fuse block.

So, I conclude, legitimatly or not, the 12 V battery takes a beating between manufacture of the car and delivery to customer.

I have a lot of experience with gel cell batteries, and have learned one thing you DO NOT do is let them fully discharge. When you fully discharge a lead acid battery and let it sit it will sulphate. With a liquid electrolyte this isn't too serious, as when you charge the battery the bubbles generated "shake" the sulphate off the plates and it falls to the bottom of the cell.
A gel cell battery uses a jelly to hold the sulphuric acid to the plates, and you can't shake the sulphate off because of this.
Sulphate is a poor conductor, and if left on the plates will reduce the ability of the battery to deliver and accept higher currents. It will show up as a voltage drop under load and an inability to charge rapidly.
When you complain about the poor performance of the battery, they will say it shows good 12V, no problem.

I suspect this is what has happened to some percentage of those who have had problems with the 12 V battery going dead. Some of the remainder have left on an interior light or other high draw load. Some will undoubtedly get a faulty battery as well - not "damaged" in shipping. Remember, the 12 V battery is not "small", it's 38 A-Hr. Even so, like any other car, you can discharge it in a day or two by leaving on a light, and damage it by allowing it to fully discharge. It is more sensitive to the latter than a common liquid electrolyte lead acid battery. They will recover easily, but will still loose capacity when fully discharged.

eagle33199 · 10-26-2006, 04:40 PM

If you've seen them in the show rooms, my guess is they've also been sitting on the lot for at least a few days before someone decided to buy one. and with the Prius generating so much interest, of course they put it in the show room... and then everyone who walks through the dealership goes, opens the doors, wants to hear the stereo, etc - all of which basically do nothing but wear the battery down. So yeah, those particular ones probably were abused. Then again, if they put them on a battery minder the second they get in the showroom, it may just be preventative to keep the battery good while the lights are being turned on and the stereo cranked.

That being said, i was at the dealer a little under an hour after my Prius was taken off the truck, and haven't had any problem with the battery.

mitchbf · 10-26-2006, 05:00 PM

I happen to be one of those people who read manuals etc. The SKS does indeed use power and the manual tells you to turn it off if the vehicle is going to be sitting for an extended period of time, eg. 2 weeks. There is a button under the dash below the steering wheel that lets you turn the SKS on and off. I use it all the time because when I go running, I take the small emergency key with me and leave the rest of the fob in the car. The car doesn't like that unless you turn the SKS off. So anyway, check it out. You'll find that little push button and can save yourself some grief.

**Tideland Prius** · 10-26-2006, 09:00 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 26 2006, 12:36 PM) [snapback]338799[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

defective battery... it happens. that's why you've got the warranty. could be it was bad to begin with but at least able to start the car, and the cooler weather coming around lately is what finished it off.
[/b]

The thing is, it never happened again. Even when I ran the ACC mode (radio on) for 2 hours (turned on after the 1hr auto-shut off) and another when I had the car in IG-ON for 1-2 hours.

The same goes for my MFD. It did the Check A/C Connection error but ever since I played around with the wiring (just some wiggling to see if anything is loose), it started working properly and hasn't failed since.

What gives? lol

10-26-2006, 04:20 PM	#7
David Beale Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 1,556 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	This topic brings up something that has been bugging me. The Prius uses a "gel-cell" type of lead acid battery (I'm told). As I'm looking at buying the car, I've been frequenting Toyota dealer showrooms. About half the time, I see a Prius there with a "Sold to very nice people" sign in the window, hood up, and battery charger connected to the fuse block. So, I conclude, legitimatly or not, the 12 V battery takes a beating between manufacture of the car and delivery to customer. I have a lot of experience with gel cell batteries, and have learned one thing you DO NOT do is let them fully discharge. When you fully discharge a lead acid battery and let it sit it will sulphate. With a liquid electrolyte this isn't too serious, as when you charge the battery the bubbles generated "shake" the sulphate off the plates and it falls to the bottom of the cell. A gel cell battery uses a jelly to hold the sulphuric acid to the plates, and you can't shake the sulphate off because of this. Sulphate is a poor conductor, and if left on the plates will reduce the ability of the battery to deliver and accept higher currents. It will show up as a voltage drop under load and an inability to charge rapidly. When you complain about the poor performance of the battery, they will say it shows good 12V, no problem. I suspect this is what has happened to some percentage of those who have had problems with the 12 V battery going dead. Some of the remainder have left on an interior light or other high draw load. Some will undoubtedly get a faulty battery as well - not "damaged" in shipping. Remember, the 12 V battery is not "small", it's 38 A-Hr. Even so, like any other car, you can discharge it in a day or two by leaving on a light, and damage it by allowing it to fully discharge. It is more sensitive to the latter than a common liquid electrolyte lead acid battery. They will recover easily, but will still loose capacity when fully discharged. __________________ Edmonton Alberta "Pearl" is a 2007 Driftwood Pearl Prius.

10-26-2006, 04:40 PM	#8
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,648 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	If you've seen them in the show rooms, my guess is they've also been sitting on the lot for at least a few days before someone decided to buy one. and with the Prius generating so much interest, of course they put it in the show room... and then everyone who walks through the dealership goes, opens the doors, wants to hear the stereo, etc - all of which basically do nothing but wear the battery down. So yeah, those particular ones probably were abused. Then again, if they put them on a battery minder the second they get in the showroom, it may just be preventative to keep the battery good while the lights are being turned on and the stereo cranked. That being said, i was at the dealer a little under an hour after my Prius was taken off the truck, and haven't had any problem with the battery. __________________

10-26-2006, 05:00 PM	#9
mitchbf Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicago Area Posts: 105 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I happen to be one of those people who read manuals etc. The SKS does indeed use power and the manual tells you to turn it off if the vehicle is going to be sitting for an extended period of time, eg. 2 weeks. There is a button under the dash below the steering wheel that lets you turn the SKS on and off. I use it all the time because when I go running, I take the small emergency key with me and leave the rest of the fob in the car. The car doesn't like that unless you turn the SKS off. So anyway, check it out. You'll find that little push button and can save yourself some grief. __________________ Toxic Chicago Area Kansan

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10-26-2006, 10:56 AM	#1
A. B. Hair Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rural area called Powdersville, 10 miles out of Greenville, SC Posts: 41 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	At 5800 miles and 2 months trouble free use, I parked my Prius in my garage at noon Wednesday. At 4:00 I went to crank it for a short run. I had no electric power at all of any kind. I put a volt meter on the 12 volt battery and got zero volts. I call the Toyota of Easley and they had it towed in. Had to use jumper cables to put in power to get it out of park so we could get it out of the garage. I was told they saw no problem except the battery was defective. They have ordered a new battery and should be ready today. Anyone else had this problem? Dealer says it is a first but the tow truck driver says it is his second.

10-26-2006, 11:01 AM	#2
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,648 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I can't remember anyone posting the same problem, although many have had the battery die after a couple of weeks of non-use with the SKS on. At any rate, it sounds like they're calling it a defect, which means it should be replaced under warranty... kind of surprising they had to wait so long to get a replacement battery, IMO.

10-26-2006, 11:26 AM	#3
msnancy61 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 41 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	http://priuschat.com/style_images/1/folder...s/textcolor.gif Hi.. Yes.. happened to me..Was a bad battery.. My horn started going off.. I guess signaled the battery failing.. but then I left the car while on vacation and the whole thing was dead when I got home. Had it jumped, and dealer told me that the car was fine.. I took the car back and the horn started its thing again, in the middle of the night.. pissing off the neighbors.. Took the car in first thing the next morning.. They said battery fine. turned out that when I drove the car it recharged just enough to appear fine. They told me to pick it up.. I refused and kept the loaner over a long weekend.. They called me after few days and said the car started up fine.. Went to pick it up.. Asked for the voltmeter reading.. Said the battery was dead.. They said I wasn't crazy!! (who knew) Anyway, they replaced the battery and I haven't had a problem since. Keep an eye on that SKS thing.. it does use power when the car is off.. looking for the key. Make sure you turn it off if you plan to leave the car more than a few days.. I hope this helps.. Toyota should read these threads.. because they told me this NEVER happened before.. yeah right.

10-26-2006, 11:39 AM	#4
eagle33199 Platinum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,648 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Yeah, didn't mean to ignore your case, msnancy... I should append my earlier statement by saying there have always been signs that something was wrong before the battery was dead, or it was left for a few weeks or more with a drain on it (like the SKS) which killed it

10-26-2006, 03:36 PM	#6
galaxee running WOT until out of fuel Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: central NC/ western WI Posts: 9,080 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 5 Times in 3 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 21	defective battery... it happens. that's why you've got the warranty. could be it was bad to begin with but at least able to start the car, and the cooler weather coming around lately is what finished it off.