'05 Prius Battery Drain
Created March 13, 2005, at 1:03 am by Anonymous
After 5 days of not driving my new Prius there
was no response from the power button.
Call the Toyota help number, car was taken to
a dealer who could find nothing wrong, but did
use a jumper to get it running.
Owners manual suggests disabling the smart
key function if vehicle will not be driven "for an
extended period of time", but does not
elaborate on how long that should be.
Therefore, I suggest pushing the disable button
even for overnight to evert 'surprises' the next
day.
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Hi, Lee. That's what I am afraiid of. I am looking into buying a Prius, but I drive only on weekends. I don't know if I'll be having such probelms all the time. Have you encouneterd this problem again? Thanks,
Dmitriy
No. I have had no further problem in this regard.
The vehicle is totally great, rewarding, and
pleasurable.....this from a man who was a dedicated
sports car afficianado not many years ago.
And, learning how to drive it properly saw my gas
mileage increase from 48.5 to 51.5, not registered
by the onboard computer, but by actual calculation.
Just remember to push the cancel button if you have the 'smart key' function. I do it automatically
now when I secure it for the night or longer.
Lee
Interesting... I've had my '04 Prius with the smart-key for just over a year now, and have never had that problem. I leave it for up to a week and a half on a regular basis and have never had start-up issues. I read in the owner's manual about disconnecting the battery in the trunk, but never thought to do it since I've never had any trouble. I think I'll have to start disabling the smart-key if I leave it for long periods now.
Murray:
Thanks for your input.
I'd only had the car for a short time, and had not driven it for about 5 days. Pushed the power button
and nothing happened. So, I did what the book
said to do -- called the 800 number. A flatbed
arrived, put a jumper on it [by then I know to
pop the fuse panel cover], it started. Drove it
down the street and back, but did not understand
the system, so sent it to the dealer.
Next day I picked it up; they could find nothing wrong! Amazed, I researched the owners manual
from cover to cover, concluding that I needed to
switch off the 'smart key' button. Have had no further problems. This is why, though, that I put out the warning.
Really interesting that you have not experienced the
same. Thanks for the input. Lee
I've never had a problem with the smart key function enabled and leaving the car for 3 days on a couple of occasions.
My commute and my driving does get my battery bar to the top and sometimes when I go to start it, it is still there.
On one occasion with AC going hard and lined up picking up kids from a school dance I ran the battery down to the last 2 bars ... if you parked it right after that ...
I'm glad I read this though ... I only use the smart key and would have never thought of being concerned about this and I'm sure I'll have to park it for an extended period eventually.
I just got my 2005 Prius about a month ago. I did quite a bit of research which included reading through this site. I really love my new car. I am a bit concened though now about the issue of the "battery drain" that you all are discussing since I routinely leave my car at the airport for a week and would hate to come back to it and not have it start. What is the reason that the "smart key" system should be disabled? Am i really going to run into a problem leaving this car for long periods of time? Help is appreciated on this subject. I have not encountered any problem so far for just a couple of days. On this subject, sort of, how do you all suggest the best way may be to "valet" the car without going into a 10 minute lesson on driving the car, so it isnt left on while we are dining. The last valet had a bit of trouble reading the tag we left with the key! Thanks for the help...
Ric....
We both love the vehicle.
That said, pushing the "smart disable button" can
only be considered as 'insurance', if you are going
to leave it for more that a couple of days.
As for valet parking, would you let you 5 year old
be in control?
Until these machines become commonplace, you are better off trusting yourself.
Lee Sipngas
Lee,
Thanks for the information and the reply to my questions. Great point on the Valet issue, your originallity also gave me a good chuckle this morning.
Ric
I usually travel for 4 to 8 weeks...Will the battery rundown even with the smartkey disabled? Do I just get a pair of jumper cables and jump-start it? Shuld I disconnect the battery cable (+) where ever it is located?
Thanks
I've been away for about a week a couple of times and had no sign of problems on returning to my Prius. That said - I have the model without the 'smart' key.
I've heard from other drivers about other problems with the smart key, perhaps it's not so smart after all.
A possible issue is where you leave the key, it seems that the car can detect the key at a much greater range than it operates, and if the key is close but not near enough, eg in a room next to the garage it keeps checking the distance to see if it should activate.
There are a lot of fallacies on this board ... the smart key is a feature many vehicles have (not just hybrids). Electromagnetic sensors are placed on the two front doors and the rear hatch. They are activated at regular frequency to 'search' for the corresponding transponder with the matching ignition code. Ok, now, each of the sensors is EXTREMELY low power draw such that the car can power them for an extended amount of time. My suggestion is that if you know you will be leaving the car for more than 1 week, disbable the smart system. You should be fine for durations less than that. In any event, it is a good idea not to leave the car for VERY long periods of time without starting the hybrid system for batteries to avoid a deep discharge state .. done.
I have had my Prius for a year now, I have never had a single problem with the car, and in the last 3 months, due to nijury, I have only been driving it once a week. The car is the single greatest item I have ever bought!
Hi all!
My wife and I are thinking of purchasing the Prius. We have had a Toyota Celica GT now for 14 years. It was bought brand new. Will I get the same life span on this vehicle? More importantly, how well does it handle in winter and heavy snow conditions? Thanks!
Signed: Arsenio
Anyone: What about sitting in standstill traffic? I recently watched the blue bars drop one by one to the extent that I became quite concerned. I managed to exit the highway and all was well in a few minutes' driving. Yesterday, however, I watched the blue bars turn to two red bars. In neither instance did the gas engine come on to charge the batteries. Anyone know what's supposed to happen in situations like this? Would appreciate any insights you might have. Thanks.
P.S. I have scheduled a diagnostic appointment with the dealer for next week.
herbgifford
Were you running the A/C or the radio in either instance? This will drain the battery, even when the car is not moving. The fact that the ICE did not immediately kick on when it got to the "red" bars is not to worry. It will kick on eventually and recharge the battery. This is all normal behavior (assuming you were running either the A/C or the radio). I generally turn the A/C off when I'm sitting in stalled traffic.
cdurnell:
Yes, I had the a/c on and probably the cd player. Thanks for the reassurance. I assumed it would kick on eventually, but didn't wait that long--for fear it wouldn't! I will see what my dealer says. In every other respect, my Prius is a superb vehicle.
Toyota (Torrance, CA) says the system is designed so the enghine will come on and recharge the battery when it reaches 43%, two red bars. In some instances, it may not come on until you reach one red bar. My dealer says the energy monitor (bar graph) is, at best, approximate. They can, however, check your system with thier diagnostic scanner if you're really concerned about it.
I'm just now venturing out to investigate hybrid cars. I've been a Toyota aficionado for years (Celica was my first car in '85) and I now drive a Camry. This is why I'm headed to the Toyota dealership first to check out the Prius. My mom and dad are big Honda fans, so I'll be going there too to check out the Civic. I've read a lot of posts here on tips and suggestions for upping the MPG and I've seen some comments about air conditioners. I live in East Texas and "no air" is not an option for my family, but at the same time we don't ever run it full blast and I always have mine on the lowest setting and often cut it off and back on when things are cool enough. Question is, "How much does air condition use affect the MPG and what practices (if other than what I already do) should I be doing to help with the MPG?" Thanks for any comments you can share with me.
Robin
Does anyone know what I should do with a Prius 04 when I go away for 6 months?
Search for long-term storage advice at
http://www.priuschat.com
Can you not arrange for someone to drive it for 20 minutes every two weeks or so?
Robin,
In street driving in Dallas my Prius gets 45 MPG or better year-round without trying real hard, and I keep the A/C going full blast. A Sunscreen for the windshield does help a lot (remember to park facing south).
I have some questions for any or all Prius owners.
I drive about 45,000 miles a year and untill recently I was just concerned about the rising costs
of gas but now need to do something. My questions
are is it good for alot of highway driving? Is it good
in the winter? I like to listen to the radio and need air or heat depending on the season. Am I still a good canidate for a hybrid?
Its great for the highway also. Today I was able to get 58.6 MPG going 50 miles. This is on a regular non-modified hybrid. Only about 7 miles of the 50 were in town, the rest were on the freeday doing 55-60 mph. Of course, that's slow for us here in CA but hey, if it gets me 58.6 mpg, it rocks. So far, I'm averaging about 52 mpg a day over a 2 week period. If your thinking about getting a prius, don't think too much cause its just awesome!!!
We are about to buy a Prius ourselves, the deposit has been placed and now we do the WAIT for the highly sought after vehicle. We have heard some 'folk-lore' that when the hybrid battery dies, it costs $5000. to replace. Is this true? I realize the battery is guaranteeed for 100,000 miles, but I am wondering if this 'rumor' is true........please let me know what you may have heard. thanks!
Liz,
We have heard some 'folk-lore' that when the hybrid battery dies, it costs $5000. to replace. Is this true?
I also just got a prius and the battery is warranty for 150,000 miles or 15 years and not 100,000. Now is it true that a battery replacement would costs $5000+. Yes, thats proabaly true today if you had to repalce one of those battery, but the thing is that you got to look at the costs in 10 to 15 years and not now. I believe that that price will probably be closer to 1500 than the 5000 that it is now. No one knows exactly what the price of those battery will costs 10 to 15 years from now but I'm betting that there will be so many brands and varieties of those battery that the competition will lower the price.
I know this is very late, but to answer the questions about battery life, I read that the life expectancy of a Prius battery is about 15 years with normal use and approx. 12,000 miles per year--and that's on a 2001 model. So I can only imagine that the later model batteries will last even longer. Hopefully, it's true. 15 years of lower gas prices sounds good to me!
Yesterday, we left our '05 Prius for 5 days and the 12 v battery went dead. The Dealer says 3 to 5 days is all you can expect. They get lots of tow ins. His suggestion is to disconnect the battery when leaving it longer. They also said you can't charge the 12v battery via the jump port (which would be really nice).
Mileage is better in warm weather and 50 to 55 mpg can be expected at 55 mph, dropping to 45 mpg at 70 mph and above.
The traction in snow is only fair and not confidence building. I would rate it below every front wheel drive car I've driven in snow.
This is a flat land car. Mountains will drain the main drive batteries in 15 minutes and then the engine with its variable transmission revs up and down seeking the sweet spot (which it never finds). Being able to stick it in a gear and forget it would make mountain driving more relaxing. I guess the answer is set the cruise control or hold the pedal to the metal and turn up the audio system really loud.
The Prius has some draw backs ... and I'm trying really hard to get over this 5 day battery death thing. (fyi: The tailgate won't open w/o the battery and that's where the battery lives!)
I have a beat up 93 toyota camary. In city/ hwy milage I get about 25mpg with the ac on full blast. Most of my miles are on the hwy above 90mph, I travel for business and wonder what the MPG of the prius around 100mpg which is my normal crusing speed. Thanks.
opps 100 mph.. yah what is the mpg at 100mph +
talking about batteries, i think i either have a lemon or my dealer is giving me the run around. No matter how long I drive the car, the top two or three bars on the battery display never seem to fill up. Do I have a defective battery or cells? Or am I missing something? I recently took four trips of 600 miles (almost all flat driving) one way, straight driving except for brief gas/potty stops. Max number of bars displayed was 7 out of 9. I tried alternative driving techniques/cruise control and steady as possible foot. I am doing something wrong or expecting the impossible.
Also I can't seem to get over 35 mpg in town (crowded city, lots of stop and go) or 45 mpg highway..... about 70 mph. Any tips on what to do to get better mileage.
No url
I just returned from a nine day vacation to find the power button dead on my 2006 Prius. I had read in the manual about turning off the smart key when gone for two weeks or more. I did turn it off, but now I'm not sure if maybe I drove it for one last errand before we left and forgot to turn it off again. So I'm not sure how long the battery will last with or without the smart key turned off, and no one, neither the dealer nor the tow guy could tell me either.
I had been told by the dealer who sold it to me that if the battery dies, always call Toyota and have them come out and fix it or tow it. I also paid $1600 for the extended, full 7-year, 100,000 mile warranty. I naively took this salesman at his word that all I had to do was call the nearest dealer, or the service number, and Toyota would be there in a flash to get me up and running again.
First, I called the dealer who sold it to me, and the service guy said that it was my responsibility to tow it into them (although theoretically I would get reimbursed for the tow charge), and they wouldn't be able to get to it until the next day at the earliest. He told me I should just jump it myself, but I told him I was not comfortable doing that because the salesman had told me not to do that, but rather that I should call their service center and have Toyota send someone out who knew Priuses.
Then I called Toyota's service number that was listed in the warranty document. They were closed--only open from 7am -7pm. So then I called another dealer in Minneapolis who I had been using for oil changes because they were closer to where I lived than the dealer I bought it from. Their service guy also suggested I jump it, but I told him I didn't want to do that because of what the salesman had told me, and because I'm unfamiliar with the Prius' two-battery system, and because I couldn't open the hatchback without power to get to the back battery. He did finally get a towing company to call me back who had experience with Priuses.
This towing company guy came to our house after finishing some other towing jobs after about two hours. This guy definitely had experience with Priuses, and was knowledgeable about them. But even so, it took him about an hour of troubleshooting to figure out how to jump start the car, especially since it was in a single car garage, and there was no access to the back battery because we couldn't open the hatchback because there was no power.
He finally figured out that we had to pull off a plastic cap of an electronic panel, located on the far right side looking back under the front hood of the car (that can be opened without power). There he finally located an innocuous postive battery post sticking up. He said that the location of this positive post had changed from the 2005 Prius. He then hooked the jumper cables (which were long enough to reach from the back of the car to the front) to this positive post, and then attached the second negative cable to a screw post sticking up from the car frame nearby, and we were able to jump start the car with no problem.
This towing guy's recommendation was to invest in a small, $15 battery charger, and hook it up to the rear battery if you're going to be gone for extended periods. He said that should keep the battery alive.
Some summary points:
1) Buy the $15 battery charger and hook it up to your rear battery if you're going leave your Prius parked for extended time periods.
2) Turn off your smart key switch under your steering wheel on the left (see owner's manual) if you're gone for extended time.
3) Find out from your dealer who they use as a towing company, so that you get one that knows Priuses. Then get their number and just call them diretly if something goes wrong. DON'T wait until the battery goes dead, or something else goes wrong to find out how little help the nearest Toyota dealer might be. I was glad I had not stalled out on the freeway somewher late at night. DON'T assume that if you call the Toyota service number after 7pm that they will be there to get you help. DON'T assume that the dealer will necessarily be of much help either, even if they happen to be open.
I have a 2005 Prius that in the past few weeks has refused to start. The dashboard icons light up but the car does not start. I got it jumped the first time, but it happened again.
Last year, I left in for a few months without following any of the suggestions that you guys have mentioned here. (I didn't know). I'm afraid that this has permanently damaged the battery. Or maybe it's just from the cold weather?
I don't drive it every day...more like twice a week, but not far distances.
How can I fix the problem? And prevent reoccurences?
Sounds like the 12v battery may be going bad.
In a "normal" car, you know your battery is going dead when the engine cranks S-L-O-W-L-Y. But with the Prius, the big 200v battery cranks the engine, and the 12v battery only has to run the computer.
So the 12v battery can go 99% dead before you notice a problem.
And the biggest problem is, unless you know how to "dive" into the hidden menus, there is NO indication as to how low the 12v battery actually is!
This looks like a very informative page. Thanks for all your contributions. Here is my question:
My wife and I own a 2004 and a 2005 Prius. Can you please tell me the location(s) of any accessible positive battery posts in the engine area of these two models that can be used to recharge the auxiliary battery? Yesterday, I couldn't start one of the cars due to a dead aux battery (a dome light had been left on all night), and I had to crawl through the back seat and the trunk area just to open the rear door so that I could gain access to the aux battery. This was not easy for somebody my age. I infer from one of the postings to this forum (above) that such a thing exists. But where? I can't find any refernce to these in either of the owners manuals. Thanks. Rich
I have a 2007 prius and just let it sit for three weeks in the wisconsin winter. Had the smart key off.when I went to start it I had no problem. I do have a question though. Why do the blue power bars turn green?
I am a new owner of a 2008 Prius. I love the car, especially the gas millage. I do have a concern. Recently in heavy traffic, I watched the blue bar graph steadily drop to two bars. Does anyone know what would happen if/when the battery drains and what, if anything prevents that from happening? My dealer told me to put the car into the "B" shift slot. This will cause the hybrid battery to re-charge.
Bob: you got bad info.
Putting the car in "B" mode reduces the recharging of the propusion battery. "B" mode is for long downhill slopes where the battery cannot absorb all the braking energy. "B" mode is a mechanical engine brake similar to the truck "Jake" brakes.
If you are driving around in "B" mode, the propulsion battery is NOT being recharged every time you hit the brakes.
The bar graph display shows the status of the propulsion (200V, 1.6 Kw hour) battery. It has NO relation to the 12V battery that runs all the accessories, AND the computers that control the entire car.
The propulsion battery should begin to recharge when the computer calls for the engine to charge it OR when you are braking to a stop. The little arrows from the engine to the battery should show you when the proplulsion battery is being charged.
Great discussion. I have a 2004 Prius that I have left untouched for as many as 16 days without doing a thing, and it starts perfectly every time. I never pay any mind to the "bars" or other electric and battery functions. I consistently get 43 to 48 MPG - even in hot desert summers with the AC used regularly. I drive my car, on average, from 5 to 15 miles about 5 days each week, and sometimes take it on long road trips. It's been an absolute dream car with virtually no maintenance other than the usual tires and oil change (has about 40K miles now). I will be leaving idle for 5 weeks, and I plan to turn off the smart key thanks to the recommendations herein. I wish a Prius on everyone!
My battery just died and had to be replaced after 3 years of normal use. The dealer changed it at no cost to me (had to pay car rental for one day). Now I have 5 years on the warranty left and that worries me. A new battery costs $3,500! I have to get another car for my daughter soon and though the Prius gives great mileage, I am hesitant on getting another one.
suzy: I would not be too concerned. The vast majority of Prius proplusion batteries are lasting for 8+ years. Only a few go bad after a few years. Sorry you got caught with one of the bad ones, but that's what a warrenty is for.
Good news is that in 2 years, Toyota will be selling plug-in hybrids with lithium-ion batteries. Hopefully there will be a plug-in retrofit made available for series II Prius.
Why plug in? Because using grid power to recharge your battery instead of the ICE, you are getting mileage for the cost equivelant of $1.30/gal gasoline.
We have a 2005 Prius and have noticed that the battery seem to be draining overnight. How do I know this? The car seems to struggle in the mornings because of the low battery trying to get charged and the night before, it is fully or 95% charged. Is this common for a 3 year old Prius?
Hi,
How do I actually work to disconnect the prius 12V battery in the back trunk and stop it running.
we are going out of town for a week!
last time I gone out of town for 3 days, it die on me!
very frustraded
please help
thanks!
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