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2009 Prius not starting, MFD screen black

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Morphyn, Jul 25, 2017.

  1. Morphyn

    Morphyn New Member

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    2013 Prius
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    I have a few questions and need help troubleshooting for my boyfriends 2009 Prius since he is at work right now. We want to check to see if there is anything we can do before sending it off to a shop.

    I assume it was fine on his way to work but when he got out to start the car it refused to work. He claims it might have been the engine immobilizer being triggered because he accidentally tried to start the car with the fob halfway into the starter slot.

    When I went over there to look at the car I noticed a few things weird with it. The multi display is not coming on at all. The car will unlock but the other doors were being extremely stubborn about unlocking. The back hatch refuses to open despite beeping that it is aware of the fob being near it. The power windows roll down and up very slowly. I assume it's battery related ( the 12v ) but I wanted to be sure before we did anything else with it because it also has the red triangle of doom. I took a picture of the dash display in case it helps.


    Also, in case it is related. When he last got the car serviced they replaced the engine coolant sensor.

    So my questions are did he trigger the engine immobilizer and if so how do we fix it? Is it a bad 12v battery or some other electrical problem?
     
  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    That is the very first place to start looking. It's best to get it load tested at an auto parts store as they will usually do it for free; however, it will need to be removed to do this.

    Be very careful jump starting it. The other car doesn't need to be on. Make VERY sure of the cables polarities before attaching to Prius. Read the owners manual.
     
  3. Jmack111

    Jmack111 Member

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    Look up my post about pulling fuses to reset the display. But it a low 12v battery that made it go out

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. Morphyn

    Morphyn New Member

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    An update on the 2009:

    So he managed to get a jump last night and his car is back in working order. He also stated the fuel efficiency improved significantly. Should he still get the 12v battery tested to make sure it wasn't the initial cause?
     
  5. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Yup.
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Confirmed.

    Glad it's running again.;)
     
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If the 12v battery is from 2009, you should replace it.
     
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  8. Morphyn

    Morphyn New Member

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    Oh boy... so we thought it was fixed...

    The check engine light came on and the computer threw out a pretty good list of problem codes:

    C0200 - Right Front Wheel Speed Sensor Signal Malfunction
    C1241 - Low Battery Positive Voltage or Abnormally High Battery Positive Voltage
    C1242 - Open Circuit in IG2 Circuit
    C1256 - Accumulator Low Pressure Malfunction
    U0126 - Lost Comm. w/ Steeping Angle Sensor Module
    ***P2601 - Coolant Pump Control Cir. Range / Performance

    He thinks the AAA guy jumped his car wrong by incorrectly placing the negative cable. However there are a few other factors. It had a similar issue when he bought the car but it worked fine for awhile. We also just had a pretty significant thunderstorm roll through here with a pretty good downpour.

    I checked out the car myself just now and the computer inside the car had a warning about the "P" lock mechanism malfunctioning. It will start if you follow the instructions to apply the parking brake.

    I think this is actually probably residual problems from the accident the car had prior to purchase but I wanted to be sure that this was not the result of the AAA guy jumping the car incorrectly.
     
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    All those codes are because the 12 volt battery sag to no volts.

    Please stop jumping the car do not test the 12 volt battery please replace it before you total the car.
     
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  10. BK310CH

    BK310CH Junior Member

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    One more for a FAILED 12V battery. It's dead. Just replace it.
     
  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Sounds like there's nothing wrong but a dead 12V battery to me as well. Nothing works right without enough power.
     
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  12. Morphyn

    Morphyn New Member

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    I checked it out again this morning and the 12v is definitely bad. Is there a place I could take it for him that can change it out real fast? Assuming it will actually start that is.
     
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  13. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    We used to live out near Andover and avoided Eddy's like the plague ;). Had 2 bad experiences there and they know they are the only Toyota dealer in town.

    If you have no other option, call them and see if they have a battery in stock. You could also call Midwest Toyota in Hutchinson or Olathe Toyota and see how comparable they are. If pricing is better there, I would call Eddys back and see if they would price match. Once you buy it, ensure it is fully charged prior to install. If you have a multimeter, take it with you to check.

    The battery replacement is easy. Just getting a battery in short notice can be the challenge:(.

    Good luck(y).
     
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  14. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Dont jump it again. Buy a Optima Yellowtop DS24 12 volt battery online from Advance Auto for around $160 out the door buy online pickup locally. Uber back and forth. Install the battery move along.
     
  15. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    The dealer battery is excellent too but not sure of the going price on that ....
     
  16. Morphyn

    Morphyn New Member

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    Good news! We fixed it. Had to go to the dealership to get a replacement battery though. It was roughly $250 for just the battery. We installed it ourselves because the car wasn't going anywhere. That battery was super dead.

    Everything is in working order now. Thank you for all the help and advice everyone! :)
     
  17. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Very cool after much research I believe the factory 12 volt battery is superior to just about anything out there so $250 very well spent.

    Just remember one simple thing this works for every car on the planet if the car will not start and it's dead turn on the headlights.....no headlights it's a dead 12......if it's a dead 12 in a Prius step back and be afraid lol......
    I know much more about cars than you and if I was out and about and my Prius 12 went dead I would have it towed home and replace the 12 it's that scary.

    Hundreds and hundreds of posts about the 12.
     
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