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2013 Prius v 12v battery dead

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by kellybarron, May 12, 2016.

  1. kellybarron

    kellybarron Junior Member

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    A few hours ago I tried to unlock my Prius v5 and to make a long, frustrating story short the 12v battery is dead. I'm no kind of mechanic, and my husband who is just slightly more knowledgeable than I is going to try to replace it. I have several questions however:

    1) I've seen the Optima battery recommended, what do you folks think? I've also seen mentions of blowing my car up with the wrong battery, which I assume would be a bad thing, lol.

    2) I've also seen discussions about a battery charger. Would this charge my battery just long enough to go get a new battery or would this charge hold? What kind of charger would I get and where?

    3) I’m a pretty conscientious driver, but I didn’t see any idiot light that looked like OMG YOUR BATTERY IS DYING. Is there one and I just missed it? I mean, there’s an idiot light for my tires but not my battery? What if I were in the middle of nowhere? I live in Oregon where there’s lots of middle of noweres. Now I’m stuck at home 5 miles from town working via Facetime!!

    4) Does the dead battery mean that all my settings are gone? Like my nav address book, my phone numbers (which are easy to re-sync), my radio settings, etc.

    I’m pretty cheesed off about this. Other discussions say the battery life is 2-4 years, so should I just plan to replace mine every 3 years?
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    First things first. Did you try to jump start it? You may not need a battery. There are two easy ways to run a battery down, one is to leave the rear hatch slightly ajar, that will keep the hatch light on. I leave mine off at the light's switch for this reason. Two, did someone manually turn on a map light? They will then stay on and run the battery down. My wife and I have done both, jumped the 08 and 12 and have yet to change either. Most likely you have not lost your settings yet, the voltage was probably just too low for the electronics to start.

    I will add a post with a procedure to jump from under the hood and another with how to check the voltage from your console screen.
     
  3. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    Once a 3-year old battery has been run down for any reason, its dead. You might resurrect it again for a short time but it WILL leave you stranded again. Yes, by all means replace it but be sure to get the correct model battery for the v. The Optima is popular around here.
    If you want to jump it just to get it from point A to B, one of those little "jump pack" deals should do it, just connect it to the actual 12 battery terminals which are easy to access in the right rear corner.
     
  4. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Jump Start the Prius V.
     
  5. booke02

    booke02 Active Member

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    After returning from a 10-day holiday (without the car), we came back to find that the 12V battery had run down. Jump started it, and no problems since then. The current 12V battery is over 6 years old.
     
  6. kellybarron

    kellybarron Junior Member

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    Ok, so it might need replacing or not. I'll probably replace it just to be safe. I'd hate to get stranded somewhere. I'm almost positive that no lights were left on. I take my dog out just before bedtime and I'd notice a light in my car.
    Do you know which Optima model I need?
     
    #6 kellybarron, May 12, 2016
    Last edited: May 12, 2016
  7. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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  8. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    The exact model Optima will be listed for you wherever you buy it. Just be sure it connects to the external vent tube.
    I think its very cheap insurance against being stranded again. Here in the desert heat, batteries fail in the blink of an eye and are never reliable again. Been there, done that and never again. Even at $200 its worth knowing its OK. Besides, the new one will outlast the car. OEM batteries are crap.

    I'll add that checking voltage is a completely unreliable indicator of battery health.
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you can go to the optima website and select the correct battery for you model and year.

    looks like a mo.# 8171-767.

    elearnaid.com lists all prius V as mo.# DS46B24R not sure why the discrepancy.
     
    #9 bisco, May 12, 2016
    Last edited: May 12, 2016
  10. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    If the hatch or any door is even slightly less than fully latched, that will run down the 12-volt battery within a day or two, even if no interior lights are on. In the case of the hatch, being half-latched is not at all apparent with the car parked.
     
  11. kellybarron

    kellybarron Junior Member

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    Ok, a new battery is sitting in my carport and my husband will install it Saturday. I read the manual on how to open the hatchback from inside and got most of the and now I'm stuck. I removed the little plastic access door on the inside of the hatch and the manual says to turn the thingie inside to open the hatch. I tried that but the thingie doesn't move. And yes, that's the technical name for it. Ok, kidding. I don't want to force it and make things worse. What do I do next to open the hatch? I'm attaching a photo of the thingie.
     

    Attached Files:

  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you hook up the new battery to the jump point under the hood with jumper cables, you can open the hatch from outside.
     
  13. kellybarron

    kellybarron Junior Member

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    Yes, but I don't have jumper cables. There must be a way to open the hatch from the inside!
     
  14. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Talk about the school of hard knocks. Yes, buy the cheapest set of jumper cables from Walmart or the Dollar store (maybe $13) and jump the car! Or borrow some. The smaller the better. The car will start and all will be well. Then change the battery if you must. Realize this 12v battery is not "cranking" the engine, it's inside rather than under the hood and generally does very little because the engine's inverter provides all necesary 12v when in "ready" mode.

    Frankly it's important that you know how to jump it because the average guy does not and Toyota specifically detailed how to do it in the owner's manual to avoid towing, crawling over the seats, etc. Really. And a light left on or a door ajar could mean the same thing a week from now even with a new battery.

    Capri Tools 21082-UL Booster Cable with Storage Bag - Walmart.com
     
  15. kellybarron

    kellybarron Junior Member

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    Would. Someone. Please. Tell. Me. How. To. Open. The. %&%#@ Hatch. From. The. Inside???????
     
  16. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Cool your jets! I will go out and check mine for you. One time my cargo net (like yours) jammed the lock and nothing would work. Hopefully that is not your case.
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'd like to know how the dang latch works too. Do post if and when!
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what latch?
     
  19. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Ok you have to move the silver "lever" to the right, pretty hard at the end and you will hear the latch pop. Then push the hatch up. My screwdriver is on the left. You need a light to see the lever.

    hatch lock.JPG

    From the manual: image.jpeg
     
    #19 rjparker, May 12, 2016
    Last edited: May 12, 2016
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe take some tools for 'leverage'. i suppose if the mafia stuffed you in there, adrenaline would take over.
     
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