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Battery dead, cannot jump start

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Nandeesh N, Apr 26, 2020.

  1. Nandeesh N

    Nandeesh N New Member

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    2014 Prius
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    LE
    Hi Folks -

    I am a happy owner of a 2014 Prius since the past 2.5 yrs (bought it certified-used), and I recently noticed that my car battery is dead. I don't think I had left any lights on when I parked the car in my garage, and I noticed that the battery died (pressing the start button doesn't start, cannot unlock trunk, no lights inside car...) after about 1 week of the car sitting unused in my garage.

    Yesterday, I had a towing service guy come in to jump start my car, and that didn't work either. He had the jump starter connected but I wasn't able to start the car, nor unlock the trunk. The key fob battery is fine, I can see the red light blink whenever I press any button on the key fob.

    I spent a lot of time yesterday researching what could've gone wrong - my guess is that the towing guy didn't connect the jump starter correctly, or didn't leave the jump starter connected long enough (it was connect for about 3-5 mins) or there's some other serious issue with the car.

    Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do next? Is it a good idea to try to jump start again? I am trying to avoid having to tow the car to the toyota service center unless it's really needed.

    Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 Nandeesh N, Apr 26, 2020
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Yes the towing guy probably didn't have a good connection at the jump points. Most likely a dead battery that's 6 years old, it's a little early for it's death, but it happens.

    Good time to get a new one
     
    #2 JC91006, Apr 26, 2020
    Nandeesh N likes this.
  3. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Your original 12v battery is probably defective.
    The tow truck person may not have connected the jumper cables incorrectly, he or she might simply not have used a good ground when trying to restart your car.

    1. You're going to want to get a replacement battery and put it in the car. If you cannot do this yourself then you can at least manually release the rear hatch for the next jump attempt:
    Fortunately.....the good folks over at @NutzAboutBolts made a video showing you how....


    2. You will want to avoid taking your car to the dealership for this problem.


    Good Luck!
     
    #3 ETC(SS), Apr 26, 2020
    ASRDogman, Nandeesh N and 2012 Prius v wagon 3 like this.
  4. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    Might be worth thinking about getting a jump starter of your own because it might come in handy later either for yourself or to become a Good Samaritan for someone else even if it does not solve your immediate problem and you have to buy a new battery now anyway. I bought this one, although I haven't had occasion to use it yet:

    Sorry: I don't know why the link I posted previously doesn't work, but it's Amazon item B07DWSYYZR
     
    #4 NewHybridOwner, Apr 26, 2020
    Nandeesh N likes this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    try disconnecting the 12v negative, then jumping it
     
    #5 bisco, Apr 26, 2020
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  6. Nandeesh N

    Nandeesh N New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
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    LE
    Thanks for the your responses folks. I am going to try to jump start again, and this time I'll make sure to confirm that the jump start is done correctly. Once I get the car to start, I'll go and get the battery replaced.
     
    #6 Nandeesh N, Apr 26, 2020
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