Prius (2004-09) :: Battery Drain When Driving And Not Apply Brakes
Jun 27, 2014
At about 92k miles (2 months ago), my 2005 Prius started having a battery issue... When going about 40 mph and above and not having to stop or apply my brakes, my battery would drain (to just 1-2 bars) in about 5-10 minutes and not recharge until I got into stop-and-go traffic (this would happen about 9 out of 10 times). Mpg was still pretty good during that time, but when I finally had to stop, the engine had to kick on to recharge the battery and my mpg just sucked...I went from averaging 45 mph to 39 mph.
I took my car into the dealership for them to have a look and to also perform my 95k service. When I told them that I feared the battery was dying, they said that the good news was that I had another year on my warranty (not sure if the battery warranty is extended in California). The service advisor eventually came back and stated that they had also observed the battery charging problem and that they had to pinpoint the exact problem (either an igniter, a battery cell, or something else that I can't remember). They even started the process of getting me a rental car for a couple of days.
However, the service advisor then came back and stated that no problem was found...he even walked me back into the garage where they were working on all of the cars just to ask the technician working on my car if there was a problem...he also stated that no problem was found. When I asked how initially a problem was found and then suddenly not found, I really didn't get a straight answer (I should have pressed harder). Anyway...after 10 hours in the shop, they pulled my car around and the manager came out to speak to me...stating how the 95k service showed no problems and how no problem with the battery was found. When I asked about how to prove to them that there really was an issue, he stated that if the problem kept occurring I could bring it back in and they could have one of their tech leads drive it home for the night as kind of a road test.
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My Honda Accord 2002 feels like brakes apply themselves when driving. Car slows down and brake pedal is really sensitive meaning it feels harder than usual and easier to brake. Dont know if it is the brake master cylinder, brake booster or something else.
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I started having a problem last week when my 2007 Prius was setting for two days while I was using my pickup truck. Found the 12 volt battery dead so I disconnected it and tested it with a battery load tester. And it showed it was bad. Well Ok, that figures, since it was an OEM battery and ~6-7 years old.
I have another 2007 Prius here for body repairs so I took the aftermarket (newer) battery out of it and topped the charge off in it. The battery load test indicated it was still a serviceable battery.
Put it in the car and cleared the red triangle, etc.. Everything was fine.
Since I was still going to be short one battery, I contacted Battery Systems, my shops battery dealer and ask them to drop off a new Yellow Top Optima that fits the Prius (FYI my shop price is $159.96). I would be a couple days til their deliver truck would be here and again I left the car sit for a couple days and drove my truck. On the day of the delivery, I had an appointment and drove the Prius, about 15 miles. No problem. Left it at in a street parking space for about 2 hours. Came out and all systems were dead. Nothing. Dome light was the only indication that the battery was so low that it was very dim. Head light were off and I hadn't used them while driving.
I called for road service and got a jump start and the systems came up and I was able to clear the Read Triangle when I got home by turning the car off and back on again.
The new Yellow Top Optima arrived shortly there after and I installed it. Drove the car for 6 days and this morning everything was fine when I drove to church and left it, head lites off (never had used them), came out 2 hours later and when I started the car, I got the Red Triangle and Ready but continued home. I turn it off and on again but this time I got no Ready but the Triangle and the whole sting of check light. Could only get it from park into neutral. Nothing else. Wouldn't clear.
Using my Torque Pro program, tried to read the ECU and it indicate no codes stored, Several tries, no codes or history. Called friend who has reader that will read the CAN Bus and he managed to find an odd P0503 code having to do with a speed sensor. Cleared that and the Triangle went out.
In the end I went and checked the voltage of the new battery and it was only 12.01 volts. I put the load tester on it and the condition is fine. Just the charge voltage is low.
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We have experience dead car, no start conditions with our 07 Prius at least 4 times. The nearest we can figure is that there is a drain when we place the car in ACC mode, close the power windows then turn it off. This kills the car in less than 3 hours. The last time the hybrid system complained about being in neutral when jumped...we NEVER use Neutral
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I have recently noticed that if I am driving at speeds above 40 mph and apply the brakes, the car (including the steering wheel) seems to buck/shake. I've learned to ease off the gas and let the speed drop before applying the brakes-- this seems to work, but I'm concerned about what is going on. This is an '07 Nissan Versa...
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I go over a mountain pass, to and from work. It is about a two mile up and down incline/decline. On several occasions while going up the pass,the gas motor has rapidly accelerated at a high rpm. I back off the gas pedal and check the 'battery indicator bars' and there are none. I then drive very slowly to the top of the pass and the batteries quickly recharge on the decline to a color of all light green bars, indicating a full charge. Same experience coming home. Once I do normal town driving, the bars settle around 'four or five blue bars.' Local dealer says there is on problem. I am driving at 55 mph when this happens.
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I have had this happen before (and drove right to the dealer but it was fine when I got there) and it happened again today. Its a very hot day and I had forgot to turn off my AC and radio when I shut the car down. So I started it up put it in drive (or reverse) and it would just jump to neutral and the battery was drained (purple lines) because this had happened before I knew that if I held it in place and turned off the AC I could drive and be fine in a few minutes and that's what happened. Is it just because on a hot day it drains the battery too fast. Its a 2008 Prius with no other problems but this. Its just an annoying thing that makes me crazy.
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Will it drain the battery to leave the rear hatch open for extended time? i.e. for tailgating or camping (2008 Prius)
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I have had my certified 2010 Prius II, not two because it is a 2010 and 2010 used uppercase roman numerals for model designation, with 82000 miles about 3 months and sometimes when I apply the brakes I hear a high pitched whirring noise. I think the closest thing to compare it to would be a skill saw but not that loud.
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On my way home tonight, I received several messages on the screen that a battery drain is happening and I should start the car. However, it WAS running!
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My mechanic put in a button starter which works pretty good. It is "touchy" and I need to hit the gas just right to get it to catch. Once it starts it runs beautifully but the battery seems to drain instead of charge while driving. When I turn the car off,and then try to start it again, the battery sounds really low, and often dies before I can get it to turn over again. It fires right up with the first sign of a jump. The mechanic has looked for an ignition (says he cant find the right one). Other people have suggested an alternator or voltage regulator....or a short somewhere.
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Just trying to get a list of possible reasons my car is acting funny. I may have one problem or more than one problem.
-The dashboard lights started going on and off intermittently while driving. I could feel the power steering was off but the engine never shut off. This happened first while I was running the A/C, but eventually started happening when the A/C was off. When the A/C was on, the car made a funny squeal sound then more of a grinding. The A/C stopped blowing cold air.
-The same thing would happen when driving through water/rain (the dashboard lights would come on and it felt like the car died but it didnt).
-The other night, the SRS light came on, cars electrical started shutting off. Car died. Jump started it, it ran for a couple miles, then died again. This happened the whole 12 mile trip home.
-Mechanic came over, said it was my battery. Replaced battery. Car died again 3 days later. I noticed the lights on the dashboard came on more while making a turn, but they came on while driving too, so idk if that is a good assumption.
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1996 F350 PSD 7.3
Front Dana 60 mono beam
4 x 4
Last week I broke my front right caliper. I replaced the caliper, rotor and pads. Now, when I apply the brakes I pull to the left. I took the truck into my repair shop and let them figure it out. They were unable to repair the truck. They replace the master cylinder, all brake lines, calipers on both sides, brake pads, bearings on both wheels, vehicle alignment, tire balancing and tire rotation. The tires are three months old. Prior to last week i did not have any problems braking or steering. Driving at 60kmh the truck goes straight until i gently brake, it will slightly pull left.
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Just wondering if leaving the USB plugged in with the car is off drains the battery at all? Should I unplug it when I shut the car off or is it ok to just leave it plugged in?
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As the title states. It seems like the hatch release button is sticking due to the melting rubber. Would this cause a parasitic drain on the 12v battery?
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I have a 2010 Prius that I really love. In two separate incidents, I parked the car in a NYC parking garage and when it was delivered to me about 6 hours later the battery indicator only had two bars. There was no problems since the car recharged in about 15 minutes. On both occasions, I believe, the parking attendant left the key fob in the car the whole time it was parked. Is the car being drained because the key fob is in the car, or are the parking attendants doing something wrong? I can leave the car in my driveway for a few days and the battery is not as drained a sit is in 6 hours in the parking lot.
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Is there some sort of battery drain when hatch is raised, even though the courtesy light has been manually turned off? Seems like I read something about this recently, and don't want to damage the 12v if it's true...
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I've just returned from a late-night walk, where I discovered I'd left on the dome (interior ceiling) light in my 20-year-old car (soon to be replaced by a Prius c Two!) about a half-hour previously. I thought: if I hadn't noticed my mistake, tomorrow morning the battery would probably be dead!
Could this happen with a Prius c? Or is there a sensor that automatically douses any interior light(s) after, say, 15 minutes?
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Relatively new Prius owner. I have a 2007 Touring model. I have two concerns I'm hoping some veterans can address for me.
1. I noticed last night that my left HID headlight turns off randomly (I saw it in the reflection of the car in front of me). I turned off the lights and turned them back on, and the headlight was working again for about 5 minutes before turning off again. This consistently happens so I'm pretty much driving with only one headlight on. The right headlight isn't having this problem, luckily.
Looks like Toyota had a settlement over the issue. I would post a link but since I'm a new users it's not allowing it.
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One day, I drove my Prius with my key fob in pocket. Parked the car. Turned off the power. Opened the driver side door to get off. Heard the continuous beep of "key fob in the slot" warning. I had never heard of it so I did not what it was. Tried closing / opening the door several times. The warning kept coming when I opened it. Tried getting off the car, pushed the lock button. It locked with lock beep normally.
After a few hours, I found the battery was dead. Had it jump started and the problem had not come back for a few weeks.
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2015 prius solar roof does it drain the battery when the sun is not out and the cooling fan is running, not AC?
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