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Strange Issues with 08 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by kscableguy, May 23, 2009.

  1. kscableguy

    kscableguy Prius Owner

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    Been awhile since I have posted here. We bought our Prius new in July of 2008. Due to long commutes, the wife has racked up 25,000 plus miles so far.

    We have notice a few strange issues that that dealership can not explain.

    1) Three times now the MFD has went completely black and when it came alive (2-4 seconds later) all pre-programed radio stations were gone.

    2) The horn will just start to beep. These are short beeps. Maybe 1 sec at most. Only have noticed it when at a complete stop.

    3) The doors will lock, even though the key fob is in the car. The SmartKey system is suppose to prevent this. This has only caused one issue when our son was in the car the wife accidentally hit the lock doors when she got out. If the SmartKey would have worked right, it should have unlocked the doors when she shut her door but this didn't happen.

    I believe this is an electical issue but the dealership says nothing is wrong. I want to get this fixed before 36,000 miles even though I plan on buying the extended warrenty soon.

    Does anyone have any idea's or have had the same probelm?
     
    #1 kscableguy, May 23, 2009
  2. howardbc

    howardbc Member

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    I also have a 2008 bought new in February 2008, but so far I haven't had any of the same problems you're reporting, although my car only has about 9600 miles on it. I would like to know if anyone else has had the same issues or if someone has any idea what might be causing it.
     
    #2 howardbc, May 23, 2009
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    This sounds like a problem with the 12V system.

    Tom
     
    #3 qbee42, May 23, 2009
  4. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    +1 on what Tom said.

    Weirdness in the electrical circuits is a classic symptom of a 12v
    battery on the way out. Some posters have reported the windshield
    wipers coming on by themselves, and dash warning light light-shows
    and no-shows as well. IIRC, the car has 7 CPUs and 14 ECUs --
    Electronic Control Units; baby CPUs -- that react differently to reduced
    voltage.

    Typically, the service life of the battery should be ~4 years. But if it
    has ever been deeply discharged and required charging, its life is
    greatly reduced. In this same vein, if the battery was not fully charged
    by the dealer in the pre-delivery check procedure, this also leads to
    shortened life.

    You should consider having the 12v battery removed from the car,
    tested and fully charged before opting for a new battery. A new
    battery from your dealer goes for ~$170 and $90 installation,
    though you can do it easily enough yourself.

    There is an after-market battery, the Optima, that many speak highly
    of as well. Go here for details:

    Prius Optima Aux
    Prius 12V swap

    Hope this helps.
     
    #4 Rokeby, May 23, 2009
  5. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hi ks...,

    I seem to remember some PC posts about the 12V battery clamps not being tightened on some newly delivered Prius. Check, or have this checked out first.
     
    #5 donee, May 24, 2009
  6. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    donee,

    Good call.

    kscableguy,

    There is also the possibility that the grounding strap -- actually a wire --
    from the 12v battery to the body is loose or corroded.
     
    #6 Rokeby, May 24, 2009
  7. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    This happened to me and took me a couple days to figure out. lol
     
    #7 F8L, May 25, 2009
  8. Genoz World

    Genoz World ZEN-style living

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    very interesting. i think patrick wong told me once that if you use the car often, no need to change the battery for a while (meaning years). this is the 12V battery you all are talking about right?
     
    #8 Genoz World, May 26, 2009
  9. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Yes. If the 12V battery is correctly installed and is not abused (that is, never drained by leaving the lights on) then it should last for four years or more.
     
    #9 richard schumacher, May 26, 2009
  10. kscableguy

    kscableguy Prius Owner

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    So posted this last year. Dealership fixed the radio by replacing it. They say it was a known issue now. But the horn issue has gotten worse. Seems to only happen when the brakes are being used. If the foot is on the brake, it will just beep once or twice. Its crazy.
     
    #10 kscableguy, Feb 11, 2010
  11. lextoy

    lextoy Active Member

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    its not your horn, its your brake actuator
    look up "barking brakes"
     
    #11 lextoy, Apr 27, 2010
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