Prius 2009 - Where's the Driver's Side Fuse Box ?

Hi,Vernon,

Close but no cigar. Look directly above the parking brake pedal where the panel you're talking about has about a 4 inch long cutout/notch. If you get down on your knees & look in that cutout area you should see a white sticker with a blue grid of fuse positions on it (not that easy to read until you get the cover off). In the middle of the cover edge closest to the panel you were talking about, you should feel a large tab (it's a tight fit for your finger between that tab & the edge of the panel). Just pull gently on that tab & the cover should pop right off (if it's never been off before, it may be a little difficult the first time---& it may even seem a little harder to re-position & snap it back on).

You're probably looking at replacing the fuse in position #29 (the function identification is below the numbered fuse position on the grid---the #23 position is probably the "pwr outlet" inside the center console). I hope this helps.

Of course you know the main fuse & relay box (where the little red-covered remote emergency battery jumping lug is) is under the hood behind the driver's side headlight & an auxiliary relay box is below the tray at the bottom edge of the windshield. If you haven't had to jump your car before, it's a good idea to get a look in there in the daylight to get familiar in case you ever have to jump it in the dark or with very little available light. Since the front release tab on the cover behind the headlight is very difficult to see, I suggest you look at the passenger side of the auxiliary relay box & press on its tab. Once you get that cover off & see how that tab works, you'll know exactly how the same type of release tab works at the front of the main cover right behind the driver's headlight & you'll be able to do it by feel even in the dark.

Ken (in Bolton, Ct)

 

Help. I believe the fuse for my outlets is burned out on my 2009 Prius since nothing I plug into either outlet works. I’m not at home, so I don’t want to mess with the fuse box right now although I think I can feel it. ‘Rather do this in the garage since it’s very cold outside.

This seems like a redundant question, but I’d feel better if someone tells me I’m on the right track. Do I just remove the fuse, look at the number, then buy and replace using the same number?

How do I remove the fuse? Can I use my fingers, should I use a screw driver, or am I going to get a shock (or worse) if I try to use a screwdriver? It’s been many years since I’ve had to remove a fuse from my car. Not sure if they even look the same any more. Old fuses used to be little glass tubes with metal caps on either end with a metallic filament inside.

‘Hate to have Toyota replace. They’re charging more than ever now. Oil changes have doubled in my area.

I’ve had two Toyotas exclusively in the past 27 years, almost 400,000 miles between the two, and this is the first time I will need to replace a fuse.

 

Oh I think I found the answers to my questions.

“How to replace a blown fuse in your car”

Fuse Box Diagram How to replace a blown fuse in your car

move down....


Learn more about fuses:
How to check the fuses?

Why do car fuses blow?

Types of automotive fuses

 

Yes the fuse box in the cabin is hard to find actually and even harder to get a mini fuse out if it. It’s upside down you either have to contort your body to get under it and lookup to see the fuses or use a mirror.

Look in your owners manual to see which fuse supports the outlets. The cover of the fuse box has a directory on which fuse is which number in
The box. Pretty sure there is a fuse pulling tool included in the cover but it’s been a long time since I looked at it.

 

There is a fuse grabber stored in the under-hood fuse box. So you can pop the hood, open that fuse box, grab the fuse grabber from there, then take it to the in-cabin fuse box and use it to grab the fuse.

It is a lot easier to pull fuses using the grabber than without it.

The under-hood fusebox, while on the topic, also has some larger fuses that the supplied grabber doesn't fit, if I remember right. I bought a grabber for those at the auto parts store, and keep it in the glove box. The one from the auto store actually has the fat jaws on one end and the narrow ones on the other, so works for both sizes.