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Prius won't become "Ready"

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Erin E, Apr 16, 2016.

  1. Erin E

    Erin E New Member

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    I went to go out for dinner today, and was quite alarmed when my car wouldn't budge!

    I will upload a video of what's happening.


    The car was running fine when I last drove it (which was Thursday night, today is Saturday). It hadn't had an issues prior to this either. When I try to turn it on, it wont become ready, and it won't allow me to to take the car out of park. I already tried changing the battery in my key fob, but this issue still happened.

    As far as the "oil change needed" light, I got the oil changed last on the first on of the year. I'm just waiting for miles to get up to what they say on the sticker.

    I can't figure out what is wrong. From what I've read on the internet I'm hoping it's the 12v battery, but I'd appreciate any insight.

    Thank you!
     
    #1 Erin E, Apr 16, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2016
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! probably, it's certainly worth checking, and your oil level too. luv your star wars guys.(y)
     
  3. Erin E

    Erin E New Member

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    Oh shoot, that was the wrong video that I uploaded.
    I'll update the post with the correct video, just a second.

    Hm, I'll look into the oil. Do you think it could be causing something like this to happen? I just assumed it had to do with one of the batteries.
    Also, thank you! C3P and R2 have been great driving companions.
     
    #3 Erin E, Apr 16, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 16, 2016
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure, but checking the oil level is easy. and checking the 12v is easy too, you just need a ten dollar meter.
     
  5. Yami

    Yami New Member

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    I had a similar issue last year in the winter. I was able to resolve it by disconnecting the 12v battery, waiting ~5 minutes, and reconnecting it. Yours may be unrelated, but it only takes a few minutes to try so I'd say give it a shot :)
     
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  6. Erin E

    Erin E New Member

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    These are great tips! Thank you both for responding so quickly. I'll try checking these things out tomorrow.

    Hopefully it'll be some easy fix. It sure is weird when the car was doing just fine less than 48 hours ago.
     
  7. macman408

    macman408 Electron Guidance Counselor

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    If you're still on the original 12V battery, that's the most likely culprit. Heck, even if you're not on the original, it's still the most likely thing! Costs probably on the order of $200, and is something many people are comfortable doing themselves - otherwise the dealer should be able to swap it for you pretty quickly.

    If you get a jump, you should be able to drive it somewhere with no issues if it is in fact the battery. Of course, once you get there and turn it off, it might be hard to get going again without another jump.

    It's possible the battery just needs a charge (whether from a charger, or from leaving the car on and ready for a while), but given the age of your battery and your climate, it's probably easier to just go straight for replacing it.
     
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  8. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Well it looks to me you are going into the modes that are reached if you don't press on the brake pedal. Do the brake lights come on when you press the brake pedal? It is possible the switch for the brakes is out of adjustment. Try pressing harder on the brake pedal to see if that makes a difference. It looks like the 12V battery is ok, based on the lights etc. but without a measurement I can't tell for sure.

    Just for your info., if the FOB battery is dead -nothing- happens (unless you hold the FOB right up to the "ON" switch).
    If the 12V battery is "iffy" what happens is almost unpredictable. It varies each time you try.
    If the brake switch is not being activated (brake lights don't go on) you will go into "ign. on" and "accessory" mode (first one, then the other, then "off"). You won't get to "ready" from either.

    A quick test of the 12V battery is simple. Turn on the headlamps. Are they really dim? New 12V battery time. Are they "normal"? It's something else.
     
  9. steveoftulsa

    steveoftulsa New Member

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    We've had the same issue with our 2010 Prius 2. Seems to happen sporadically. Then if you get out of the car for just a couple minutes, come back and begin again, it starts right up. But it does seem to be happening more frequently.
     
  10. macman408

    macman408 Electron Guidance Counselor

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    That might be the battery too. The first time you get in the car (or more specifically, open the driver's door), it spends a while charging up the brake system, which will drain the battery a bit, so the voltage will be low. The second time you get in, the brakes will already be mostly charged, and the battery's voltage will have recovered somewhat, so the computers have no problem starting up.

    Might want to get it checked - or do it yourself, even.
     
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  11. Erin E

    Erin E New Member

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    Hi everyone! Two days later, and this is the update.

    It was the 12v battery. The next day when I came out to the car, it was completely unresponsive to the fob this time, so I got a jump and that - of course - worked like a charm. AAA came out and confirmed the battery was out of power, so I got a new one today.

    Thanks to everyone who commented!
     
  12. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    Glad you got it going. I can attest that when the 12-volt gives up the ghost, strange things happen. My incident cost me several hundred $ which also included getting it brought to the dealer on a flatbed. It was not a good day. But once replaced, everything worked well. Replacing the 12-volt batt. is now on my 5 years to the day routine, whether I think it needs it or not. I vow to never go through that again.
     
  13. Erin E

    Erin E New Member

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    How terrible! I hope you never have to have that happen again!
    But yes, I am really happy that I got it going and I didn't need to get it towed.
     
  14. Shahsafi

    Shahsafi Junior Member

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    I have the same issue with my Prius V 2012, when try to start it, the ready light blinks twice and disappears. I have check the HV Battery 12v Battery and the inverter converter too but no luck, any one can help please
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sounds like a computer issue, do you have tech stream?
     
  16. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    So your car is anywhere from 6-7 years old now. Has the 12v battery been replaced yet? Start there if not.