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Can’t Charge 2017 prime

Discussion in 'Prime Technical Discussion' started by Gomango, Mar 21, 2021.

  1. Gomango

    Gomango New Member

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    St Louis, MO
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    I purchased a used 2017 Prime recently but was never able to charge with plug-in.
    The cord seemed to be defective so l purchased a new generic cord from Amazon but still no charge. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they can’t fix it and can’t give me a reason. They told me they are trying to contact Toyota for assistance. But after 2 weeks still nothing. It’s been very frustrating. Any suggestions?
     
  2. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Were it me I would contact the Toyota Assistance Center at (800) 331-4331. Being it’s out of warranty may pose a problem but still that’s no reason for the sluggish response by the dealership.
     
  3. dbstoo

    dbstoo Senior Member

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    First: Let's eliminate the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the battery. there is a force charge mode called CHG. You press and hold the "HV/EV" button. This will tell the engine to force charge the battery. It'll top up to 80% in approximately 30 minutes.

    Once you do that you'll know whether the battery can take a charge.

    Second: Are you selecting "charge now" after plugging in the cord?

    Third: The charger has status lights on it. Write down the following:
    • When plugged into the wall but not the car.
    • When plugged into the wall and the car.
    Fourth: There are charge indicator lights on the dashboard right next to the front windshield. What are those lights doing when the charge cable is plugged in?
     
  4. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    No surprise that the dealer is clueless. And I'm pretty sure that the major bits of the HV system could still be under warranty.
     
  5. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    also there is an red/orange indicator light on the charger cable, on the box next to the 120volt plug that lights when the charger cable is plugged in to an electrical socket, in case it's the socket you are plugging the OEM and Generic cables into
     
  6. walterm

    walterm Active Member

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    It may sound obvious - but is there a scheduled charge set? If so it won't charge when you plug it in unless you override it while the in-car display prompts 'charge now'.
     
    FuelMiser likes this.
  7. Gomango

    Gomango New Member

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    St Louis, MO
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    Thanks all for your help and suggestions. I will follow them up. Wish me luck.

    Thanks! I am not that tech savvy so I am going to give this to the dealership and see if they can do it.
     
    #7 Gomango, Mar 22, 2021
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 22, 2021
  8. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Yeah, it's more than likely that the previous owner set a charge schedule. Does the indicator light flash when you insert the plug into the car? That means a charge schedule is set.

    Press the charge schedule button found near the left knee and choose charge now on the multifunction display. Also, delete any and all charge-schedule events set by the previous owner. That should do it.