New Prius Owner Having Issues

Do you know if the car is still on its original 12 volt? If so, it's probably on its last legs.

See http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/73400-weird-stuff-happening-mpgs-dropping-test-battery.html or the procedure at http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/73400-weird-stuff-happening-mpgs-dropping-test-battery.html. I'd personally make a note of the voltage after the car has been sitting many hours or overnight.

As for SKS "now not working to unlock the doors", did she bump the SKS disable button under the steering column? If it hasn't been accidentally disabled (and the 12 volt isn't low/bad), perhaps you need a new CR2032 for the fob.

 

I see. I'd test it anyway.

The previous owner could've killed the replacement by doing things like leaving the interior lights on.

When the SKS is "now not working to unlock the doors", can she still power on the car w/o putting the key in the slot? A totally dead SKS battery or disabled SKS system (via switch under steering column) would mean she'd have to put it in the slot.

Also, if you have a low SKS battery, after you've driven 20 minutes (IIRC) and then you shut down, the car will emit a beep (so obvious! ). It's mentioned in the manual but I don't recall if you have to have driven around w/the key not in the slot for that to happen.

Side note: If the transmission fluid hasn't been changed, I'd get it done soon. There was a recent discussion of cost at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...alerships-transmission-fluid.html#post1282115.

 

I'm not a chemist, but it's not good for it.

Patrick Wong, one of our resident repair experts, has suggested a number of times (such as below) that you need to use a charger or leave the car on for 8 (!) hours to fully charge the battery.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...le-12-volt-battery-going-bad.html#post1198459
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...jump-starting-our-dead-prius.html#post1255820
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...y-stuck-in-prius-wont-turn-3.html#post1139203
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...in-service-replace-not-yet-6.html#post1246838 (discusses taking readings after the car has sat for 8 hours or more)

 

Yes, a charger is fine and the recommended charging rate is 4A or less. 45 minutes of Prius READY operation is insufficient time to charge a 12V battery from a discharged state.

 

That happens if you get into the car to try it when your wife asks you to check the car out and you drive away without the key in your pocket! Change the battery in her FOB. Hal

 

Also make sure the SKS button under the steering column is in the OUT position. If it's pushed in, the SKS is disabled.

 

The battery in your wife's fob needs to be replaced. CR2032, which you can obtain at any drugstore.

 

OK. However, at some point the fob battery becomes too weak to run the Smart function effectively. Allow me to explain why the fact that the lock/unlock buttons still work, is not a good indication that the fob battery is good enough:

If the fob battery is new, the lock/unlock buttons will work over a very great distance. If you can see the car, you can probably unlock or lock the doors.

As the fob battery ages, the lock/unlock range will decrease. If your test is to stand next to the car while using the fob lock/unlock buttons, this says little about the fob battery's condition except that it is not totally dead.

Now consider what happens when the fob is called upon to act in the Smart mode. As the fob gets within 3 feet of one of the car's Smart antennas, the fob will pick up the car's signal and respond. This two-way communcation continues at all times while the fob is in close proximity to a Smart antenna.

If the fob battery is weak, the fob is not able to maintain this two-way communication, hence the Smart system will refuse to recognize the fob. You then have to insert the fob into the hole in the dash, which allows an RFID process which does not require the fob to be powered.

The car's immobilizer ECU did not forget your wife's fob. The proof is that the car would become READY, when she inserted her fob into the dashboard hole. I recommend that you first replace the fob battery which will cost <$5, before looking for a more difficult and costly issue to be solved.

Your alternative is to take your car to your local Toyota dealer and pay for one labor hour of time. The likely outcome is that you'll be told the fob battery needs to be replaced.