Have you checked your
Have you checked your alternator/voltage regulator ( if a Prius has a voltage regulator?). Something isn’t recharging your battery. First thing to check would be your alternator.
Battery issue
I have a 2013 Prius V. The battery has died twice in the last six months. I put in a new battery and it died a few weeks later. I suspect that there is a short or loose connection where the hatchback locks. The dashboard light does not go on, but clearly something is slowly draining t he battery.
Has anyone had any issues like this? Any thoughts?
I would like to avoid going to the dealer because it is so inconvenient so I thought I would give the forum a try first
thanks
moggie
Has anyone had any issues like this? Any thoughts?
I would like to avoid going to the dealer because it is so inconvenient so I thought I would give the forum a try first
thanks
moggie
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
Also stop by a part dealer and have them check to see if it has thrown any errors.Have you checked your
Have you checked your alternator/voltage regulator ( if a Prius has a voltage regulator?). Something isn’t recharging your battery. First thing to check would be your alternator.
Are we talking about the "drive" battery or just the little battery that sits in the very back of the spare tire compartment? If it is just the little one in the back of the spare tire compartment, I have to ask, do you leave your car parked for really long periods of time? You see, the little battery is the one that runs your auxiliary functions of your car as well and the alarm system.and the computer system. When you turn off your car the cars computer turns on the alarm system and puts itself into standby mode. This means it is still drawing power from that little battery and if the vehicle is parked (and not used) for a long enough time to drain the battery down to where it won't have enough power to turn your car back on and with have to be jumped. The first time I had my catalytic converter stolen It sat in the dealers lot for more than 3 months (I was number seven in the lot waiting for the stock to come in). In that time my battery fully drained. When it finally got repaired and I went to pick it up, the dealer told me that my battery was completely dead and would have to be replaced but I had just gotten it a year before. I told him to just give it a jump and I'd get a new one later. After just driving it home (about 7 miles) my battery was fully charge. I let it sit in my driveway for 48 hours without driving it and then went out and it powered right up. It's the same battery now and that was 3 years ago. If it is the dealer telling you the battery that isn't that old, is bad, he might just be trying to sell you another overly priced battery. Charge your battery (either with a charger or using your car. Then take just the battery to almost any auto parts dealer and ask him to put it under an stress test and see if it passes. If it does, the battery just may not be the problem.
obscott made some good points that hadn't occurred to me in Prius mode. My wife isn't driving and her Subaru. It died a couple of times. I say died but stone cold dead. Now I put a charger on her car every couple weeks to keep it alive. I've always liked diagnostic tools. I bought a volt meter that plugs in my cigarette lighter 12 volt port. At rest your battery should read 12.4 volts +/-. When your car is on (READY) you should read 14.7 +/- volts. I agree that your battery could be dying from sitting. But the meter will tell you two things. (1) If your battery is healthy (2) If your charging system is working properly. If your charging system needs service. You don't necessarily need a battery too. It will charge back up. Especially if it is only a year old.Are we talking about the "drive" battery or just the little battery that sits in the very back of the spare tire compartment? If it is just the little one in the back of the spare tire compartment, I have to ask, do you leave your car parked for really long periods of time? You see, the little battery is the one that runs your auxiliary functions of your car as well and the alarm system.and the computer system. When you turn off your car the cars computer turns on the alarm system and puts itself into standby mode. This means it is still drawing power from that little battery and if the vehicle is parked (and not used) for a long enough time to drain the battery down to where it won't have enough power to turn your car back on and with have to be jumped. The first time I had my catalytic converter stolen It sat in the dealers lot for more than 3 months (I was number seven in the lot waiting for the stock to come in). In that time my battery fully drained. When it finally got repaired and I went to pick it up, the dealer told me that my battery was completely dead and would have to be replaced but I had just gotten it a year before. I told him to just give it a jump and I'd get a new one later. After just driving it home (about 7 miles) my battery was fully charge. I let it sit in my driveway for 48 hours without driving it and then went out and it powered right up. It's the same battery now and that was 3 years ago. If it is the dealer telling you the battery that isn't that old, is bad, he might just be trying to sell you another overly priced battery. Charge your battery (either with a charger or using your car. Then take just the battery to almost any auto parts dealer and ask him to put it under an stress test and see if it passes. If it does, the battery just may not be the problem.
obscott made some good points that hadn't occurred to me in Prius mode. My wife isn't driving and her Subaru. It died a couple of times. I say died but stone cold dead. Now I put a charger on her car every couple weeks to keep it alive. I've always liked diagnostic tools. I bought a volt meter that plugs in my cigarette lighter 12 volt port. At rest your battery should read 12.4 volts +/-. When your car is on (READY) you should read 14.7 +/- volts. I agree that your battery could be dying from sitting. But the meter will tell you two things. (1) If your battery is healthy (2) If your charging system is working properly. If your charging system needs service. You don't necessarily need a battery too. It will charge back up. Especially if it is only a year old. Your battery doesn't need to be load tested. Unlike non hybrids you have no high amp starter to spin. All you need is enough electricity to boot your computer. A made a cable for my car that will plug into the cigarette lighter of my car and another car to get me going if I ever get stuck.Are we talking about the "drive" battery or just the little battery that sits in the very back of the spare tire compartment? If it is just the little one in the back of the spare tire compartment, I have to ask, do you leave your car parked for really long periods of time? You see, the little battery is the one that runs your auxiliary functions of your car as well and the alarm system.and the computer system. When you turn off your car the cars computer turns on the alarm system and puts itself into standby mode. This means it is still drawing power from that little battery and if the vehicle is parked (and not used) for a long enough time to drain the battery down to where it won't have enough power to turn your car back on and with have to be jumped. The first time I had my catalytic converter stolen It sat in the dealers lot for more than 3 months (I was number seven in the lot waiting for the stock to come in). In that time my battery fully drained. When it finally got repaired and I went to pick it up, the dealer told me that my battery was completely dead and would have to be replaced but I had just gotten it a year before. I told him to just give it a jump and I'd get a new one later. After just driving it home (about 7 miles) my battery was fully charge. I let it sit in my driveway for 48 hours without driving it and then went out and it powered right up. It's the same battery now and that was 3 years ago. If it is the dealer telling you the battery that isn't that old, is bad, he might just be trying to sell you another overly priced battery. Charge your battery (either with a charger or using your car. Then take just the battery to almost any auto parts dealer and ask him to put it under an stress test and see if it passes. If it does, the battery just may not be the problem.
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