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Turtle Light

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Dia, Jul 30, 2006.

  1. Dia

    Dia New Member

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    Hello,

    I'm new on this forum. I drive a Classic Prius 2001 and my turtle light came on. I've never encountered this problem before and had to look up what it meant. In the manual it says the battery temperature is either too low or too high or the battery is drained.

    I live in California today's temperature is about 78 degrees cloudy and i was parked for over an hour outdoors. The battery indicator says it's full, though my battery does feel hot. (some websites say the battery temperature must reach over 105-110 degrees for the turtle light to turn on) It didn't feel ~that~ hot.

    Is this a temporary problem? The manual tells me if this light comes on the course of action is to "Drive without hard acceleration" but it does not tell me whether i should go to the dealer or go and get this looked at. Will driving without hard acceleration fix the problem? I should imagine for any battery to reach 105ish degrees (so some websites say the turtle light means) would be dangerous. Is it really true it must reach to such an extreme temperature for the light to turn on? Is my vehicle safe to drive? Should i get it checked out? Any suggestions?

    Thanks for your attention
     
    #1 Dia, Jul 30, 2006
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The turtle, to my understanding, just means that you won't have full acceleration available (i.e. the battery won't be able to assist in acceleration) so it's telling you to keep that in mind when passing or requiring extra power.

    It should be okay to drive.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Jul 30, 2006
  3. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    Hi Dia, welcome to PriusChat. I'm sorry your first post has to be about a problem.

    I have a 2005, so I can't speak from experience, but I know the interior of a car can get very hot very fast sitting in the sun, even at 78° F. Since the cabin air is used to cool the battery (sucked out of the cabin, over the battery, and blown out the side vent) you could actually heat your battery at first. That's why driving without hard accelleration, which would use lots of battery charge and heat the battery more, is good. If you are comfortable in your car, your battery will be too.

    If the problem persists, go see the Toyota dealer, of course. Don't panic, Prii know how to take care of themselves.
     
    #3 Bill Merchant, Jul 30, 2006
  4. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Jul 30 2006, 10:18 PM) [snapback]294866[/snapback]</div>
    Why? To have a 5 year old hybrid and never needing any advice until now deserves a "congrats" instead.

    The turtle is nothing but a less-power-available indicator, as previously stated. There is absolutely no reason to worry unless seeing it becomes routine. Rare sightings are perfectly normal, like in the winter when it is extraordinarily cold and the Prius hasn't been driven for awhile.
     
    #4 john1701a, Jul 30, 2006
  5. Dia

    Dia New Member

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    Thank you for your quick responses, i do feel better ^-^

    yeah i love my car, it's rare that anything goes wrong with it. One computer error in 5 years and one accident where the people who repaired my car didn't properly plug my battery in, but it was quickly righted by the dealership.

    Again thanks so much for the replies
     
    #5 Dia, Jul 30, 2006
  6. Debora

    Debora Junior Member

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    Dear Bill, I have a 2002 Prius with 130k miles and for the past three years in summer, the turtle light has been coming on and going off. Acceleration becomes spotty. I can brake at a light and with my foot off the accelerator, the car wants to move forward. Sometimes, when stepping down on the pedal, acceleration is late. Here in LA in the summer, it can be 90-133 degrees F. in my car. Thank you for your information. I'm going to park in the shade or air out the car before driving. Have they solved this design flaw?
     
    #6 Debora, Jul 14, 2015
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