1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

12V Battery and the AM/SAT button

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by jfdrums, Nov 30, 2013.

  1. jfdrums

    jfdrums New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2013
    2
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi everyone,
    I have a 2009 with the iSimple Gateway installed. For the second time this year, my 12v battery died after the car was driven very lightly for about 6 weeks (taken out for 20 minutes or so once a week), and now nothing happens when I hit the AM/SAT button. It never changes from AM. Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep the battery from dying in the future, and how to make the audio system recognize the SAT function again?
    Thanks for reading.
     
    #1 jfdrums, Nov 30, 2013
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,933
    49,510
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i would keep a trickle charger on it, and you may need to replace the 12v now.
     
    #2 bisco, Nov 30, 2013
  3. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    873
    194
    0
    Location:
    Boulder, CO
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Just look around this site - there are a ton of discussions about issues with the 12-volt battery. I too have a 2009 (purchased in October of 2008) and I replaced the original 12-volt at least 2 years ago. I have an Optima and have been very happy with it. If yours is original I'd replace it as soon as it is practical to do so. After that a trickle charger as Bisco recommends would be good. At the very least be sure to turn off the smart-key features to conserve your battery.
     
    #3 stevemcelroy, Dec 1, 2013
  4. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    5,131
    1,338
    0
    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    To try to answer your question concerning the SAT radio my guess is that you will need to reprogram your channel presets. These were lost when your battery died.
     
    #4 jdcollins5, Dec 1, 2013
  5. jfdrums

    jfdrums New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2013
    2
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for the replies.
    I had to have the dash pulled out to re-set the iSimple. As soon as it was unplugged and then plugged back in, it worked fine. It is pretty annoying that a dead battery causes so much hassle, but oh well.
    As for the battery issues, there seems to be many different opinions on here. Some say it is a myth. The dealership told me to get a trickle charger, so I will. All in all, this has been a pretty frustrating car for many reasons, but now that I am spoiled on the gas milage, there really aren't many other options out there that can compare.
     
    #5 jfdrums, Dec 5, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)