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car wont turn off

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by jsrichjr, Dec 5, 2011.

  1. jsrichjr

    jsrichjr Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Bought 2005 new, Bought 100,000 mile warranty. At about 90,000 miles had a problem. Dashboard lights did not come on, rear hatch would not unlock, car would not turn off, key would not come out. Dealer could not figure out problem. Problem happened intermittently, Took it in 3 times, they called techs in California and then Japan. Nobody knew what to do but finally they replaced a computer somewhere in the dash I think. 2 years and 70,000 miles later the problem has started again. Warranty is up and I'm afraid to guess what this will cost. Has anyone heard of this happening? 2 years ago dealer said techs in Cal. and Japan had not encountered problem. Hard to believe it is only my car, twice!
     
    #1 jsrichjr, Dec 5, 2011
  2. northwichita

    northwichita .

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    #2 northwichita, Dec 5, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #3 cwerdna, Dec 5, 2011
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  4. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    One of two things: the combination meter, or the 12V battery. The combination meter is the thing in the dash. Have you notice cruise control not working or the speedometer not being lit? Now lets talk about your 12V battery. Is it original? If so, replace it no matter what. It may not fix your problem, but it is way past end of life. A bad 12V, particularly one with a shorted cell, will make the car behave strangely, including lacking the power to shut off all the computers when you try to power off the car.
     
    #4 seilerts, Dec 5, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  5. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Remember that the Prius has no starter, so a low or bad 12 volt will not exhibit symptoms in conventional cars (e.g. slow cranking, starter motor won't turn over, etc.) The ICE in the Prius is started by the big HV battery, not the 12 volt.

    I agree that the 12 volt almost certainly needs replacement. We can confirm that if you tell us the results (all 3 values) of http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/73400-weird-stuff-happening-mpgs-dropping-test-battery.html after the car has sat overnight.
     
    #5 cwerdna, Dec 5, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  6. jsrichjr

    jsrichjr Junior Member

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    II
    Thanks for all the info. 3 second hold down of power button for shutdown is good to know. I use my Prius to deliver mail. With window open it gets lots of dust and humidity inside. Also higher hours to miles ratio (50 miles in 6-7 hours). I get 35 mpg on route, 600 stops/starts in 50 miles, 8 previous vehicles averaged 8-12 mpg. Brake pads lasted 100K instead of 30K. Thanks again.
     
    #6 jsrichjr, Dec 5, 2011
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  7. cnschult

    cnschult Active Member

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    high mileage prius with smartkey will have this problem, this works everytime:
    1. insert smartkey into dash (yeah when having this problem you have to actually take the thing out of your pocket)
    2. press power button
    3. remove key
    4. go about your business.
     
    #7 cnschult, Dec 8, 2011
  8. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^^
    I doubt that would "fix"/be a workaround for the combination meter being out problem along w/all the other symptoms.
     
    #8 cwerdna, Dec 8, 2011
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