Battery filter won’t unscrew

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Jared Leibowitz, Feb 5, 2026 at 1:17 PM.

  1. Jared Leibowitz

    Jared Leibowitz Junior Member

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    Hey I’ve got this warning message on my 2016 Prius and when I try to unscrew it it just keeps spinning. I’ve tried no pressure as I unscrew it and using a flat head underneath as I use a Phillips to unscrew, but both methods won’t work. I have a shop that’ll fix it and clean my fan for $250 but I’d rather try to open it and replace the filter before spending that money. Any tips?
     
    #1 Jared Leibowitz, Feb 5, 2026 at 1:17 PM
  2. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Don't know what panel your trying to remove.
    On mine; you just peel back the rear door weather strip and pop the filter retainers out. You should've been doing that every oil change.
    That might just be a maintenance scheduled warning that you can clear through the maintenance reset procedure.
     
    #2 BiomedO1, Feb 5, 2026 at 5:33 PM
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2026 at 7:53 PM
  3. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

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    There is a trick to it. Use a Phillips of course, and engage the tool lightly into that plastic screw and turn lefty-loosy trying not to press and the screw should back out. It's a captive screw, so unscrew until obviously loose and extract the panel.
     
    #3 AzWxGuy, Feb 5, 2026 at 5:53 PM
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