Can't jumpstart - help!

I don't have personal experience in jumping a very dead battery, so I won't dispute your assertion of large currents flowing into the "really dead" battery. Do you have any idea how big those currents would be with a 12 volt battery that shows about say 6 volts and has no shorted cells? I would imagine its also a function of the type and size (Amp-Hr) of lead acid battery we are talking about jumping. My prior statement was assuming a battery that had recently malfunctioned and was just under the voltage needed to start the car. The original posting sounded like the battery was to low to start but not completely dead. Multiple shorted cells and big currents definitely will flow.

I definitely agree that if sizeable sparks fly bad things can happen to the electronics.

 

Excellent post and correct on all points! The real crux of the problem is most car owners and Prius owners do not carry a multi-meter, if they did, then my post # 36 would apply to any and all situations. Failure at home or failure in the middle of the desert.

 

There's something going on here for sure with so many posters getting a simple jump from AAA or doing it themselves with devastating results.Its scared me enough not to even try a jump. I have AAA since the wife demands it for our other cars so I would tow my beloved 07 home. I'm old school and believe a car battery gone dead just once will leave me when I need it most and I would immed. install an Optima red top battery. Its only like $150 every 3-4 years.
But especially Gen 1 owners who are limping along on a 4 year + battery are inviting disaster with the coming winter. One sub zero temp soak will kill a borderline battery. And that night is coming! And then it begins.

PriusShop should sell Optima battery kits!!! Gen 1 Winter alert!!!

But most people are not into preventive maint. They drive & drive & drive then freak out when things fail. Like our car's a freakin' savings account.
But its all about oil..trans fluid...rad coolant..inverter coolant..battrys...and then the car will run 200K+ no problem. I swear.

 

I can imagine some poor uninitiated waiting for a tow truck out in the boondocks. Ah good, here comes the tow truck with his superdooper 200AH battery, just removed from the charger and raring to go. And Zap ( A quiet Zap) OK OK Mam, start your car, and nothing.The poor Tow driver, he did nothing wrong, he's been doing this for years, he knows plus from minus. Guess we'll have to tow it in to a Toyota repair shop. Toyota blames reverse polarity connection! NO warranty protection. Sound familiar?

 

Again right. I'm truly disappointed that I'm going to have to wait 35000 more miles before I can change the inverter coolant. The procedure looks incredibly easy.:cheer2: