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Hybrid System or Traction Battery Failure - Japanese Import

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Shirjeel Agha, Aug 3, 2014.

  1. Shirjeel Agha

    Shirjeel Agha Junior Member

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    I have recently imported a 2012 Prius Plug-in 20K driven from Japan. The car took good about two and a half months in the shipment. On arrival in my country, it had to be jump started. I drove the car 1-2 miles after which master warning sign came on, alarm sounded and the car stopped. Now the car is not moving to Ready mode and the transmission changes to position N only. I also tried to charge the traction battery through the charging cable but it did not charge and the display also didn't show the charging state. The two warning signs that were displayed are:

    Page 547 of the 2012 PiP Manual: "Check Hybrid System, Stop the Vehicle in a Safe Place".
    This still shows whenever I switch on the vehicle.

    Page 563 of the same Manual: "Charge Stopped due to System Malfunction"
    This message was displayed when I tried to charge the hybrid battery through the charging cable.

    Following are some of the indications that may assist in the diagnosis:

    1) The vehicle is not moving to ready mode whereas rest of the electronics like display, lights, wipers etc are working.
    2) The Start button light turns green from amber when brake is depressed.
    3) When charging cable is attached, it neither charges nor shows the same on the display.
    4) 12 V battery is fully charged.
    5) When you press the start switch, the fans in traction battery come on and can be clearly heard.
    6) The vehicle transmission can only shift to 'N' from 'P'.

    Following error codes are being shown by the scanner:

    C1259
    C1310
    P1a61
    P1a64
    P1a67
    P31AB

    The car is legally imported by all means. However, the local Toyota dealership here can only support conventional hybrid since it has been officially introduced by them. Well, things here are little skewed may be due to wrong Government policies. The new hybrid sold by the Toyota dealers here is much more expensive than the imported used Japanese cars. So you would see a lot of imported Prius on the roads here. The only disadvantage is that these are not covered by warranty and so is my case.
     
  2. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    If the car was imported legally, then it should be under warranty, right?
     
  3. TRUC NGUYEN

    TRUC NGUYEN Junior Member

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    I believe it's the alarm
     
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The 12v battery could be bad due to the discharge.
    I feel like you need some help from Toyota to initialize system.
     
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  5. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Unlikely. It sounds like a grey import. We get them in the UK too. RHD cars from Japan are often much cheaper and have a higher spec than the official versions sold in other RHD countries, so much so that there is a keen market importing such vehicles. The only problem is that there can be some problems with Japanese characters in display information (cars computer) and the local Toyota dealers will often give you a very sluggish service. I guess they're cheesed at losing a local sale. Warranties do not transfer but that's the risk you take with these cheaper imports.

    If this car has been sat at the docks in Japan for 3 months, sat on a ship for another 2 and then in the docks in Pakistan for another 3 months the 12v is likely damaged beyond repair. It's an easy change and often (but not always) can help remove error codes.

    As the owner has likely paid significant money for this car, paying another £100 for a brand new 12v is not going to break the bank and will also be beneficial going forward. If replacing the 12v doesn't cure the issues, then it sounds much more serious.
     
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  6. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    If there are no "issues" concerning importation then I don't quite understand this:

    "The car is legally imported by all means. However, the local Toyota dealership here can only support conventional hybrid since it has been officially introduced by them."

    Unfortunately, I think you need dealership support here. If you are NOT going to be able to get it in Pakistan? Then ownership is going to be problematic.

    I don't know if I'd want to own a Hybrid, Plug In or Standard, if I did not have access to a knowledgeable hybrid repair infrastructure.

    Do you have any other official Toyota support options?
     
  7. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Think about it. Toyota Japan sell all sorts of weird and wonderful cars for the home market that are just not sold elsewhere. The same applies here. There's a big difference between a car being legal to operate and for the local dealers providing warranty.

    I could import a Chevrolet whatever and legally import it to the UK but if I walked down to the local Chevy dealers asking for warranty work they'd laugh. It is also unlikely that recall information would catch up with me.

    And to complicate issues, the PIP from Japan might look the same as the US or the European versions but there are also many differences. Brakes are often different. Rust proofing can often be an optional extra as salt on the roads in winter is either not used or not used to the same extent as here.

    I just hope the OP get's his car sorted.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i believe he is stating that they don't sell or support the pip. we have the same problem here, in non pip states.
     
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  9. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Great post with codes and everything, wish more people with problems would do that!

    But I would like to clarify the text part:

    You most likely had a DEAD 12v auxiliary battery when you got the car. Even when healthy, 2 and a half months in shipment will kill it. Once you READY'd the car, you should have been charging the 12v via the inverter. For the car to die a couple miles later, it almost sounds like an out of gas scenario... I know in Pakistan the petrol you can buy ranges in quality from crap to acceptable and then the octanes are all screwed up compared to other places. A shipped car most likely had a completely dry gas tank for hazard shipping reasons, so what if any fuel did you fill the tank with?

    Presumably as well the plug-in part of the battery was not charged after sitting so long, so you might have been in HV mode or it could just be super low to begin with.

    I am unfamiliar with the power system of Pakistan, but do you share the same voltage and frequency that Japan does? I am unsure if the stock Toyota EVSE can handle a "universal" input like some of the other models. While unlikely, it would be an easy first order check to make sure you are feeding it what it wants to charge the car.
     
  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I wanna say a Gen2 HV Batt can be charged by putting foot one foot on brake and the other foot on accelerator, but I'd be clueless if this works on a PiP.
     
  11. CharlesH

    CharlesH CA HOV Decal #5 on former PiP

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    I think that this no longer works on any Prius after a firmware update which disables the throttle if the brake pedal is pushed. This is in response to the "stuck throttle hoopla" a couple of years back.
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    but there isn't a service and maint. section to the pip forum and many experts who could help don't visit here.
     
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  13. TRUC NGUYEN

    TRUC NGUYEN Junior Member

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    If it's the battery can we use jumper pack or another battery with jumper cable for testing before replace the battery?
     
  14. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Yes BUT be very careful jumping a Prius. Do NOT allow the donor car to rev their engine and do NOT cause any short as you could fry the computers on the Prius.

    If you do change the 12v in future be careful which one you get. Remember it's sat in the rear and needs a vent hose.
     
  15. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    I would not jump a Prius but that's just me. Lots of potential damage by doing so. I would call a tow truck and have it towed to Toyota if mine would not start.
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    he doesn't have a toyota dealer who works on plug ins.
     
  17. CharlesH

    CharlesH CA HOV Decal #5 on former PiP

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    I think the jump-start process is the same for the PiP and standard Prius. Recall that the PiP is essentially just a standard Prius with a traction battery on steroids that can optionally take an external charge.
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    right, i didn't mean for a jump start.
     
  19. Astolat

    Astolat Member

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    Charging - Japanese EVSE is going to be 100 v. Pakistan is 220 v.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    2k1toaster mentioned this earlier, wouldn't the wall plug be a dead giveaway?