2006 PriusFront Air bags deployed

If the front airbags deployed, then it definitely took a decent impact from the front somehow. The airbags must experience fast enough vehicle deceleration in order to deploy, and it's hard to imagine something causing that kind of force and leaving no evidence. I'm sure when you inspect the car, you will find it pretty quickly.

Your "curb slide" or underbody hit is a reasonable theory if you see nothing on the front body panels.

The no-start may simply be a discharged 12v battery from sitting in a yard somewhere too long, but if the car takes too much of a hit there is a sensor on the inverter that will disconnect the high-voltage automatically. (by opening the SMR's) If this is the case, you will get a red triangle and DTC codes will be set indicating this.

Trying to diagnose a Prius w/o a proper scantool is very difficult, so assume you will need to get the codes read at some point.

By the way, Where are you located?

 

When the front airbags deployed they isolated the traction battery. ​

From the NHSTA: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/airbags/airbags03/page3.html​

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][SIZE=+1]When Do Air Bags Deploy?[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]ir bags are typically designed to deploy in frontal and near-frontal collisions, which are comparable to hitting a solid barrier at approximately 8 to 14 miles per hour (mph). Roughly speaking, a 14 mph barrier collision is equivalent to striking a parked car of similar size across the full front of each vehicle at about 28 mph. This is because the parked car absorbs some of the energy of the crash, and is pushed by the striking vehicle. Unlike crash tests into barriers, real-world crashes typically occur at angles, and the crash forces usually are not evenly distributed across the front of the vehicle. Consequently, the relative speed between a striking and struck vehicle required to deploy the air bag in a real-world crash can be much higher than an equivalent barrier crash.[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Because air bag sensors measure deceleration, vehicle speed and damage are not good indicators of whether or not an air bag should have deployed. Occasionally, air bags can deploy due to the vehicleÕs undercarriage violently striking a low object protruding above the roadway surface. Despite the lack of visible front-end damage, high deceleration forces may occur in this type of crash, resulting in the deployment of the air bag.[/FONT]


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[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Most air bags are designed to automatically deploy in the event of a vehicle fire when temperatures reach 300 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This safety feature helps to ensure that such temperatures do not cause an explosion of the inflator unit within the air bag module.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Front air bags are not designed to deploy in side impact, rear impact or rollover crashes. Since air bags deploy only once and deflate quickly after the initial impact, they will[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]not be beneficial during a subsequent collision. Safety belts help reduce the risk of injury in many types of crashes. They help to properly position occupants to maximize the air bagÕs benefits and they help restrain occupants during the initial and any following[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]collisions. So, it is extremely important that safety belts always be worn, even in air bag-equipped vehicles.[/FONT]​

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I'm an accountant, not an engineer but I'd check all the fuses & the 12v battery first. If the 12v is original it is probably at the end of its useful life. A very weak battery in a perfectly good car can cause all sorts of weird symptoms.

In a dead car the 12v is a PITA to get to. I'd hook up a battery to the jump points under the hood to see if I could get enough power to open the hatch. Remove the floor & the bin & you'll see the battery in the right rear corner.

Register the VIN at Toyota Owners - Official Toyota Owners Website to get the dealer service records.

Good luck with the project.

 

Unlikely, but it is easy enough to remove the orange safety interlock switch and use an ohmmeter to verify the fuse is good. You need to pay attention when you reinstall the interlock. The handle has to be pivoted 90 degrees, then slid to lock in place. Some owners forget the sliding part, and then wonder why the car will not start.

 

Unlikely.

What happens when the power button is pressed?

 

Most salvage auctions don't know what to do with a Prius. I have purchased many. I have seen cars that were listed as "Start and run" that do not run at all, they just attempt to start. I have seen cars that "don't start and run" that simply need the service plug seated to fire up and drive around the block.

Its a common refrain around here, but the first thing you will need is the ability to scan the car. Search the forum, this has been much discussed. Generic code scanners don't work. I believe Techstream would point you at exactly which crash sensor blew.

If you are going to buy used airbags (and there's no reason not to) be sure you buy them from a dismantler that understands the ARA airbag protocol and abides by it. You will need airbags, seatbelts and the airbag computer. You will also need collision sensors, when you figure out which ones blew the airbags. Also, If the car did get a curb check, the rear axle beam is probably bent.

Good Luck,

PM me if I can help. I have replaced airbags on a few of these cars.

Eric
Adopt A Part

 

The Bentley manual is a good one. Beyond that, you can get temporary subscriptions to techinfo.toyota.com for the factory repair manual. It might also be worth looking at alldatadiy.com for a single vehicle license.

The AutoEnginuity scan tool with Toyota package is a good choice for diagnostics. It will for sure tell you the state of individual modules in the traction battery, and works well as a generic OBDII scan tool for all makes/models.

 

FYI: I can reset the Airbag computer (SRS ECU). I charge $85 to Priuschat members for this service. (you cover shipping)

Note that you must disclose this to anyone you sell the car to.

This will not clear the SRS light until all the deployed devices are replaced.

 

On my salvage car I replaced the following:
Drivers airbag
Drivers clock spring
Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag harness
Instrument panel top
Both front seat belts

I also had the airbag ECU reprogrammed. The airbag system repair was half the cost of the total repair.

 

luckily my 05 prius airbags didnt deploy, but the passenger and driver seatbelts did lock up, I had to replace both seatbelts, both airbag sensors and the airbag ECU.

 

The most common cause is a low 12v battery. (I know it sounds silly, but this is probably 90% of these!)

The other possibility, which is rare, is that you have a problem in the parking pawl actuator system, or it's related parts. If your battery voltage is below 12v then this is probably the cause.

This is very likely if the car has been sitting disused for a long time. Try charging it (use an intelligent charger rated for AGM batteries only) and see if this problem goes away. If the battery is over 4-ish years old, then it probably needs replacement in any event.

If you are going to let the car sit very long, I recommend you fully charge then disconnect the 12v battery. This can be done by removing the battery ground cable located in the far rear right below the taillight, or (easier) remove the red cover from the positive battery terminal and simply unplug the heavy black wire from the terminal block assembly. (no tools needed)

If you are going to replace the 12v battery, I highly recommend the Optima kit from E-learnaid.

 

1. Did you replace the 12V battery yet? (If not, do that now.)
2. Have you tried replacing the CR2032 battery in the fob?

 

[Here's] how to get the top dash out.

The driver's airbag is 2 Torx T-40 (IIRC... could be another size) screws on either side of the wheel under plastic covers that pop off. (the one on the right is surrounding the cruise control stalk.)

Note that the screws won't come all the way out, just loosen them then pull on the airbag cover.