Need help please with 2008

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by J Borges, Mar 5, 2026 at 9:39 PM.

  1. J Borges

    J Borges New Member

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    2008 Prius . She ran over a cinderblock and cracked the oil pan. It was towed to the house. I installed a new pan but after done it won't come out of park or start. Says it did this before, when she was in an an accident. I have pulled the B- cable for about 5-10 min but that didn't do anything.

    Is there a global reset that I haven't found. Any other idea what is happening here?

    Thanks for you help,
    John
     
    #1 J Borges, Mar 5, 2026 at 9:39 PM
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Your 12v battery is probably dead
     
    #2 JC91006, Mar 5, 2026 at 11:03 PM
  3. J Borges

    J Borges New Member

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    I doubt it's the battery. My 2018 V has had a dead battery and the dash was dead till it had power again. This dash lights right up when you hit the start button and the lights work fine.
     
    #3 J Borges, Mar 5, 2026 at 11:50 PM
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    2nd that check 12 V must be 12.4 or better
     
    #4 Tombukt2, Mar 6, 2026 at 7:32 AM
  5. Hayslayer

    Hayslayer Active Member

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    Several years ago, I had a guy tell me his Gen 2 shut off after hitting a huge pothole. He got it towed to a repair shop, but he didn't know what they did to fix it.

    Does your car power up the dash when you press the power button?
    If you get absolutely nothing, I'd lean toward the 12v being very weak.

    I don't know if this will help or not, but there is also a safety relay mounted to the driver side of the inverter. My understanding is that it disables the hybrid system following a significant impact. I thought it works off the front impact airbag sensor but maybe it triggers from something else. I never got a chance to mess around with it. It's one of those things that's part of the car but rarely, if ever, gets messed with. I never dug into it, so don't know if it's resettable or just has to be replaced or what.
     
    #5 Hayslayer, Mar 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Is it internal to inverter case or lid off ?
     
    #6 Tombukt2, Mar 6, 2026 at 2:33 PM
  7. Hayslayer

    Hayslayer Active Member

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    No, it is mounted to the outside, on the driver side of the inverter. Easily visible when you open the hood, between the inverter and the fusebox cover, but mounted to the inverter. Heck, it's been so long since I really even glanced at one, it may even be an inertia switch, but most inertia switches have a reset button and I don't remember it having one. But, if so that could explain a big bump killing the car. Heck, I may even be remembering incorrectly and it kills the fuel pump, not the HV system. Idk, check it out and let me know, lol.
     
    #7 Hayslayer, Mar 6, 2026 at 3:26 PM
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2026 at 3:37 PM
  8. J Borges

    J Borges New Member

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    See the relay. It does not click w/key in or with key in and ON pushed. All the dash lights up and moving the shift lever goes to N only.
    Car sits level / E brake on / Batt charged to 13.8 / also tried with a jump / no start.
    Anyone know if the relay should have an audible click or if I should feel a click?

    An impact sensor make sense to me. Does anybody know where it is located?
     
    #8 J Borges, Mar 6, 2026 at 6:31 PM
  9. J Borges

    J Borges New Member

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    Also: the battery is old (2019), but would that matter if it took the charge?
     
    #9 J Borges, Mar 6, 2026 at 6:33 PM
  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Okay the yellow thing has an airbag connector on it some kind of a shock sensor or something yeah I see that all time I thought it just part of srs as a whole .
     
    #10 Tombukt2, Mar 6, 2026 at 10:52 PM
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The 2nd gen Prius has a well know combination meter problem where the dash won't light up. So maybe that's your issue
     
    #11 JC91006, Mar 6, 2026 at 11:14 PM
  12. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    How did they tow it?
    Possibly, if its capacity is nearly zero. Put a DC voltmeter between the jump point and body ground and have somebody else turn it on. If the voltage drops below 11 volts the battery is shot. If it never goes below 12V the battery isn't the problem.

    It wouldn't hurt to power it up as far as you can and then try to read codes.
     
    #12 pasadena_commut, Mar 7, 2026 at 1:41 AM
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