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dead hybrid battery & drivability

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by msandsm, Dec 22, 2023.

  1. msandsm

    msandsm Junior Member

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    Hi - haven't been here in a while; I hope the answers are as helpful as they were last time.

    I have a 2009 (Gen II?) Prius with a mostly dead hybrid battery. Unfortunately I don't have the error code, but it's almost certain to be the battery.

    One day when I was driving it, the car died. Several lights came on: the red triangle, VSC, check engine, maybe a couple more. I broke down on the side of the road, and when I tried again, 5 or so minutes later, it started fine but would only drive a few minutes, with almost no power, before it died again; I used this to get off the road into a parking lot. So I had to call a tow truck to take the car back to my house.

    The tow truck driver said every time the car was turned off, it "recovered" some charge that would be enough to drive it a few feet, but it had zero power.

    My questions: is that true? Can the car be driven without a fully functioning battery? My son wants to drive it about 50 miles to a repair shop; I think I should have it towed to the shop. Who's right?

    thanks for everyone's help

    Melissa
     
    #1 msandsm, Dec 22, 2023
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It’s probably not the hybrid battery, a failure will not shut down your car. I suspect your car overheated with a bad inverter coolant pump with code P0A93.

    You should also check all your fluid levels, oil and fuel..

    What part of CA are you at?
     
    #2 JC91006, Dec 23, 2023
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2023
  3. Trombone

    Trombone Member

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    - First thing to do is get the trouble code(s).
    - Second, whether it's the traction battery or the inverter pump or whatever, don't try to drive it 50 miles! Have it moved to the repair shop on a flat-bed rather than towing. It should be covered by your AAA membership (you are a member, I hope!).
    - Third, you have a Gen II Prius, and you posted in the Gen I forum. You might get more attention if you moved this topic to "2nd Gen Prius" on this site.

    Good luck solving your problem, and Happy Holidays!
     
    #3 Trombone, Dec 23, 2023
  4. msandsm

    msandsm Junior Member

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    2007 Prius
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    Trombone ~ The text shows this as being posted in the Gen II forum, so I went here. Sorry if I've got it wrong. I will get the codes - I believe a friend has a code reader so I shouldn't need to buy one.
    Thanks all!
     
    #4 msandsm, Dec 24, 2023
  5. Trombone

    Trombone Member

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    My bad——right you are. Don’t know how your post ended up in my Gen 1 feed. Apologies tendered. Please let us know how everything turns out with your car. Good luck, and Happy New Year!
     
    #5 Trombone, Dec 24, 2023
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