Please help! 2012 Prius C ''Check Hybrid System, Stop Vehicle at Safe Place', replace battery?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by savenscence, Apr 20, 2020.

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  1. savenscence

    savenscence Junior Member

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    Hello, I'm a first-time Prius owner! I have a 2012 Prius C with 140k miles on it, still running on the original battery. Because of the quarantine, I've been home and have only used the car 3-4 times since February, I don't know if this is part of the issue.

    I went grocery shopping yesterday and the car was running fine, I tried to start it this morning and I got the 'check hybrid system' warning messages and a bunch of warning lights on the dash. The 'ready' message is still lit, but it seemed like something was off with the brakes (sounded different), had a hard time accelerating the car as well. My car was checked over and serviced, brakes were changed a few months ago so that couldn't be it.

    Does it sound like I need to replace the battery or could there be something else wrong? I read that most Prius batteries can last the lifetime of the car... How can I cut down on costs if I do need to replace the battery?

    The nearest autobody shop/Toyota dealership is over 20 miles away via highways too, is my car safe to drive that far?

    Thank you in advance

     
    #1 savenscence, Apr 20, 2020
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2020
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    start with a check of the 12v. you can bring to an auto parts store for a free load test
     
    #2 bisco, Apr 20, 2020
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  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Given that the car is a 2012, there is a fair chance that the warning is legit and that you really do need a new battery.

    Braking and acceleration will both feel different because the battery usually participates in both actions, but now that the computer has detected a potential fault it is limiting the battery's contribution, so the car is going to have a very different feel to it.

    Some owners just disconnect the 12v battery for a bit to reset the computer to get a little more "normal" utility out of it.

    You can use a smartphone app + OBD connector to get a snapshot of the battery health if you want more details on the battery condition.
     
    #3 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Apr 20, 2020
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  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    BUT.....given the scant amount of ON time it's had lately......it is much more likely that the 12 V battery is original and IT has failed.
    I would suggest that he call around to find a Toyota dealer or auto parts store that is open and has a compatible battery in stock......and is fairly nearby. A test is likely to show that his 12 V battery is bad.
     
    #4 sam spade 2, Apr 21, 2020
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  5. savenscence

    savenscence Junior Member

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    Thank you for your suggestion, I just ordered an OBD connector so I'm waiting on that now. I’ve rebooted the car a few times since I made this post and it seems that the battery still works(?) as the gas engine shut off after a few seconds of the car being turned on. And I was able to run the AC/lights etc. without triggering the gas engine again. Is it still mostly like the battery or could something else have failed?
     
    #5 savenscence, Apr 21, 2020
  6. savenscence

    savenscence Junior Member

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    I’ve rebooted the car a few times since I made this post and it seems that the battery still works(?) as the gas engine shut off after a few seconds of the car being turned on. And I was able to run the AC/lights etc. without triggering the gas engine again. I know I have to get the battery tested to figure out if that's actually it, but could it be that something else has actually failed in my case?
     
    #6 savenscence, Apr 21, 2020
  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Battery failure is progressive. The computer sees a certain threshold condition being reached and then administratively decides that the battery should not be trusted- so you get the odd performance you saw before. The battery still isn't completely toast, so if the computer somehow loses awareness of this fault it will try to operate normally again. And it may continue like that for a while before the threshold conditions are met again, so you get normal-ish performance for a while before recurrence.

    If the 12v battery goes flat through extended parking/disuse, things can become complicated. You might see a legitimate error forgotten, or a phantom error triggered. Did you charge or replace that 12v battery by any chance?
     
    #7 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Apr 22, 2020
  8. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Are you still talking about the HV hybrid battery ?

    If so you NEED to get the 12 V battery tested first......because a failing 12 V can throw false failure codes on other things.
    And if it still has the original OEM 12 V battery, you REALLY just need to get a new one BEFORE you spend any time or money chasing other "ghosts".
     
    #8 sam spade 2, Apr 22, 2020
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