Prius 2010 totally dead

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by pulley, Jan 29, 2011.

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  1. pulley

    pulley New Member

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    Went to start the Prius this morning. Nothing. Pressed the start button and nothing, no lights , no power. The brake pedal seemed
    hard. Tried opening the hatch and could not.

    Any suggestions as to what my problem is or how to correct.

    Thanks. 29 January 2011
     
    #1 pulley, Jan 29, 2011
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  2. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Dead/flat 12v battery. There are jump points under the hood, left-hand side in the box where the fuses are.
     
    #2 spiderman, Jan 29, 2011
  3. pulley

    pulley New Member

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    Thanks for the reply. Do you jump start the Prius as any other
    car?
     
    #3 pulley, Jan 29, 2011
  4. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Be very careful connecting the jumper. DO NOT REVERSE POLARITY. It doesn't take much power to jump the 12v battery. I've done mine with my lawn tractor. However, you will need several hours of charging to get the 12v battery back in shape.
     
    #4 firepa63, Jan 29, 2011
  5. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Yes. Do a quick read of the owner's manual before you proceed.
     
    #5 spiderman, Jan 29, 2011
  6. pulley

    pulley New Member

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    I guess it is that little Red Hood, correct. Just clamp the positive
    there and ground elsewhere?
    I have had the car for a year. At least it is dead in my garage
    and not on the side of the road.
     
    #6 pulley, Jan 29, 2011
  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Yeah, pull up on that red cover and it will expose a metal bar. Put the positive (+) wire there and black to ground (somewhere on the body).
     
    #7 spiderman, Jan 29, 2011
  8. pjksr02

    pjksr02 Active Member

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    You did, of course, rule out the Smart-Key, right? There are no lights anywhere in your car, or on the HID, right? No remote locks, horn...
     
    #8 pjksr02, Jan 29, 2011
  9. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    ^ he mentioned the brakes were hard so the pump didn't come on which indicates a dead battery.

    Once the OP gets the car started, I would recommend driving down to the dealer and have them completely inspect the battery and I would go as far as demanding a replacement.
     
    #9 spiderman, Jan 29, 2011
  10. pulley

    pulley New Member

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    Correct. No Nothing. Just a dead battery.

    Thanks to all for the responses.
    As I looked further into the forum, I see that this is quite a problem.

    I will try the jump start as advised.
     
    #10 pulley, Jan 29, 2011
  11. J5A

    J5A Active Member

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    Sorry you experienced this.

    My sister's Gen II was frequesntly DOA and reminded me to always carry jumper cables in mine in case it happens while out and about.
    I've not had to jump start a vehicle in 20 years, but have a feeling I will with this one eventually since it's so "electronics" heavy.
     
    #11 J5A, Jan 29, 2011
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i've never had to jump start 2 genII's in over 6 years. see a lot of genIII battery trouble here tho, most have been on the lot for a while. i'm surprised you're having a problem after a year. maybe something was left on?
     
    #12 bisco, Jan 29, 2011
  13. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Guarantee something was left on or the key was left in range. Batteries don't just magically die one day.

    If your battery keeps dieing, then it is time to replace it. This is true with all SLA batteries.
     
    #13 2k1Toaster, Jan 29, 2011
  14. pulley

    pulley New Member

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    Jump started just fine. Thanks everyone for the feedback.
     
    #14 pulley, Jan 29, 2011
  15. Flaninacupboard

    Flaninacupboard Senior Member

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    How did you unlock the car with a dead battery?
     
    #15 Flaninacupboard, Jan 29, 2011
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there's a mechanical door key hidden in the fob.
     
    #16 bisco, Jan 29, 2011
  17. DKLH

    DKLH New Member

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    I have the same problem with my daughter's 2008 Prius. Dead battery a couple of days ago. We jump started and everything seemed fine, but 2 days later it is dead again. Did we not drive it enough to charge up the battery? We drove it about 11 miles right away, and then just a few short trips of 2-3 miles. I understand the Prius should not be jump started from a running car, that just a turned off car will jump start the Prius. Is that true? Another problem - I manually opened the hatch to clean inside, and now the hatch will not close back...we've really had our problems lately. Can anyone advise? Thanks!
     
    #17 DKLH, Jan 29, 2011
  18. Flaninacupboard

    Flaninacupboard Senior Member

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    My point was more "did you leave the door unlocked/open all night long?"

    I'm not sure why people think leaving the car unlocked is ok just because it's in a garage...?
     
    #18 Flaninacupboard, Jan 29, 2011
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sorry, my mistake.:rolleyes: i never lock my car at night in the garage. but, i wouldn't lock it in the driveway either. probably just the area we're in. i do shut the doors, however!:)
     
    #19 bisco, Jan 29, 2011
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    gotta be something draining the bat. you should test it, or have it tested. not sure about the hatch, hopefully, someone knows.:)
     
    #20 bisco, Jan 29, 2011
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