This morning I attempted to start the Prius and it behaved as it would have if I had not pressed the brake pedal, i.e., the dashboard lit up without actually engaging the ignition system, a kind of "accessories only" mode. I found that the start button LED turned red when I took my foot off the brake (a strange development). The start button would not turn the Prius off unless I took my foot off the brake pedal and hit the button twice, first turning the actual "accessories only" mode on and then shutting down the Prius. I repeated this process several times, trying to observe as much as I could. A couple of hours later, in the process of trying to make a video for this post, I found that the Prius would not respond at all. It was just totally dead, in that it will not respond in any way to any stimulus.
I bought this 2011 model about 3 weeks before the tsunami that devastated Japan. I figured I was fortunate. It has exhibited a couple of annoying tics before (the ignition software does not always prevent pre-ignition knock when driving in a light load condition and the 'solar panel driven' circulation fan stopped working last year). The real confidence shaker is that the service team at the local dealership doesn't appear to comprehend much of this engineering marvel.
When I brought it back to them at ~6000 miles over the pre-ignition problem, the "master technician" that examined it tried to convince me that squirrels had deposited acorns in my engine compartment! As I was not convinced, he dismantled all of the cover panels looking for them and found nothing. I tried to explain that I had been working on car engines since 1972 and understood what engine knock sounded like, but gave up, as he couldn't hear it. The circulation fan issue went away when they plugged it into their analyzer, probably a forced reset of the computer fixed it.
I am certain that the battery is fine and charged up. The computer just crapped out. I'll be taking it to the dealer tomorrow... Who knows what the future will bring? I'm not terribly optimistic...
Update from Aug 17, 2015: apparently there is a 12 V battery system (almost entirely independent of the 72V drive system) which runs the various lights and all of the human interface electronics. The 12 volt battery, located in the rear passenger side of the car, died and cost $250.00 to replace (because of its odd shape, any battery that would fit would likely be cheaper). It was explained to me (not by Toyota) that whereas a normal 12V system relies upon a high powered alternator to charge the battery which will increase its longevity, the Prius 12V battery sees only a trickle charge of a couple of amps during operation, from the more robust hi voltage system. and after (in my case) 4 years, the 12V gives up the ghost. I suggest going to the trouble to put a charger on it periodically and look around for batteries that will fit in this compartment at sears. You could do better for less money.
This morning I attempted to start the Prius and it behaved as it would have if I had not pressed the brake pedal, i.e., the dashboard lit up without actually engaging the ignition system, a kind of "accessories only" mode. I found that the start button LED turned red when I took my foot off the brake (a strange development). The start button would not turn the Prius off unless I took my foot off the brake pedal and hit the button twice, first turning the actual "accessories only" mode on and then shutting down the Prius. I repeated this process several times, trying to observe as much as I could. A couple of hours later, in the process of trying to make a video for this post, I found that the Prius would not respond at all. It was just totally dead, in that it will not respond in any way to any stimulus.
I bought this 2011 model about 3 weeks before the tsunami that devastated Japan. I figured I was fortunate. It has exhibited a couple of annoying tics before (the ignition software does not always prevent pre-ignition knock when driving in a light load condition and the 'solar panel driven' circulation fan stopped working last year). The real confidence shaker is that the service team at the local dealership doesn't appear to comprehend much of this engineering marvel.
When I brought it back to them at ~6000 miles over the pre-ignition problem, the "master technician" that examined it tried to convince me that squirrels had deposited acorns in my engine compartment! As I was not convinced, he dismantled all of the cover panels looking for them and found nothing. I tried to explain that I had been working on car engines since 1972 and understood what engine knock sounded like, but gave up, as he couldn't hear it. The circulation fan issue went away when they plugged it into their analyzer, probably a forced reset of the computer fixed it.
I am certain that the battery is fine and charged up. The computer just crapped out. I'll be taking it to the dealer tomorrow... Who knows what the future will bring? I'm not terribly optimistic...
Update from Aug 17, 2015: apparently there is a 12 V battery system (almost entirely independent of the 72V drive system) which runs the various lights and all of the human interface electronics. The 12 volt battery, located in the rear passenger side of the car, died and cost $250.00 to replace (because of its odd shape, any battery that would fit would likely be cheaper). It was explained to me (not by Toyota) that whereas a normal 12V system relies upon a high powered alternator to charge the battery which will increase its longevity, the Prius 12V battery sees only a trickle charge of a couple of amps during operation, from the more robust hi voltage system. and after (in my case) 4 years, the 12V gives up the ghost. I suggest going to the trouble to put a charger on it periodically and look around for batteries that will fit in this compartment at sears. You could do better for less money.
- priux, Nashua, NH, US