unable to start in cold weather?

HV battery good, 12v bad or on verge of reaching its end life. It's that time of the year that it gets significantly colder, any battery that's near it's life's end will suddenly stop working w/o any symptoms. I work with government employees and there's a few co-workers are going through the 'my battery worked all this time, why now?' Jumping vehicle successfully wouldn't necessarily say 12v is all fine from there on out. If in a couple of weeks, the car doesn't start or the prius starts to act up electronically or MPG-wise, get it tested at automotive shop. If they're too chicken to run a test while still installed in the prius, take out the 12v battery and have it to them to test it.

 

That is a built-in feature that you simply didn't notice before. Pull out the Owner's Manual, and look in the index for Touch Tracer Display.

This has no connection to the condition of your various batteries.

 

I've replaced my batteries. Watched the youtube proving it can be done in 5 minutes! First time took 40 minutes, second 20.

 

This reminds me of driving via navigation, somehow. And believe me, I've been there, lol.

There's something about relying on YouTube videos for everything, that starts to erode away at your deductive reasoning, maybe. OTOH, if you are completely stumped, they can be indispensable, save your bacon.

But this assumption that you CAN'T muddle through something, something relatively mundane, until someone (just like you) has posted a YouTube video showing how to do it? Not true.

 

Well, it's saying "good and recharge", and battery voltage is 12.27 volts? That very low. Rated cranking amps 330 sounds about right (that's one elusive statistic btw), and 359 measured cranking amps sounds good. That date is a little odd, guess they never set it?

At this juncture? Invest in a 4 amp range smart charger?

 

Get a new battery. Dealer battery testing is often, notoriously wrong. FYI: The better way to test is using the on-board electronics, after a full night's rest:
1. Foot off Brake Pedal
2. Push POWER Button twice
3. Hold in INFO button on right of NAV display while doing next step.
4. Turn Headlights On and Off three times. - Menu comes up.
5. Press "Function Check/Settings" on NAV display.
6. Press "Vehicle Signal" on NAV display.
Battery Voltage is displayed
7. Turned on headlights and it adjusted. Turn off headlights.
8. Place Foot on Brake Pedal and Press POWER button turning on the car. New reading.
9.. Press POWER button to turn off car.

 

I would expect a semi-neglected but decent shape battery to be above 12.5 volts, and an in-the-pink, regularly coddled with charging session (or just driven a lot) battery to be between 12.7 and 12.8.

Cranking amps (and Cold Cranking Amps) are benchmark measures, which indicate, beyond the raw voltage of the battery, the potential or capacity of the battery. They're commonly used to assess the "health" of the battery, and the crux of a load-test.

I'm using a CTEK 4.3, and also have an older 3.3. The newer has a few more bells and whistles, I believe both are still available, and the 3.3 is cheaper I'm sure.

The grey area in your case is the age/condition of your battery. I would suspect it's getting on, has one or more drainings followed by jumpstarts. Hard to say. Investing in a charger and giving it a go first doesn't hurt, and a decent charger will be useful for years to come.

At the least also consider getting a digital multimeter, so you can at least monitor the at-rest voltage.

 

Suggest you do a search here and read up on "test 12v battery".

 

google "the 12 volt side of life". Good site on basics.

 

As you now know...You have a 12 volt battery, and a HV battery.

If it was me? I wouldn't pass go, I'd just get a new 12 volt as soon as possible. It's already failed once, albeit after a stay in the airport. BUT, it's is indicative of approaching end of life.

You can mess around with testing it, or gamble with extending life, but IMO...it gave you a "nice" warning that it's about time to replace it.
That's what I would do.

 

They're certainly not doing you any favours at $260 + $35. Here's the OEM through an online US dealership, $188. 82. Obviously some shipping costs, but suggested retail is $239...

Battery - Toyota (28800-21171) | Toyota Parts

Up here I can pick up the OEM equivalent in a Motomaster (rebadged Exide) for $240 Canadian:

MotoMaster Eliminator Ultra AGM Automotive Batteries | Canadian Tire

 

To chime in: your 12v battery was poorly diagnosed by the dealer. Unless you find it entertaining to plug it in and charge it every day AND you actually enjoy being stranded waiting for jump starts in the winter AND after six years and a complete discharge ... the time to replace it now. Important info: your car info screen tells you the State Of Charge (SOC) on the large HV battery ($3000). It does not tell you the state of charge on your small 12v battery ($250) which is the cause of your starting problem. Please post the results of the specific 12v testing that was posted earlier. FYI: I can often find a 10-15%off coupon from my local dealers, but don't wait for a Black Friday coupon, it just doesn't happen.

 

That's not unreasonable for the Toyota battery, especially installed.