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Dead battery problems?
Is anyone else having problems with the 12 volt battery in their HiHy dying after 4-5 days of sitting? For the second time in less than a month I returned from a trip to find my vehicle would not start. I think part of the problem may be a relatively short daily commute (under 10 miles round trip), but this problem did not occur with other vehicles I have owned.
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Re: Dead battery problems?
My experience to date......have left the HiHy unused for up to 2 weeks with no problem starting. 99% of use is around town with trips averaging less than 10 miles each. Base 2006 HiHy 4WD. If I were in your position I would suspect some current drain when turned off is draining the 12v battery. The alternative I would suspect is a bad 12v battery. Do you know anyone that could measure current drain when turned off....possibly see what the dealer can find. Hope this helps....
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Thanks for the suggestion. I can have someone measure the draw at work. Didn't think of that!
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Originally Posted by MI-HiHy
(Post 105132)
Is anyone else having problems with the 12 volt battery in their HiHy dying after 4-5 days of sitting? For the second time in less than a month I returned from a trip to find my vehicle would not start. I think part of the problem may be a relatively short daily commute (under 10 miles round trip), but this problem did not occur with other vehicles I have owned.
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Re: Dead battery problems?
I agree with the other posters, sound like there may be a drain from some component. It could also be a small short within the battery itself.
~X~ |
Re: Dead battery problems?
Lead-acid starting batteries (as opposed to L-A deep-cycle batteries) are notoriously susceptible to irreversibly reduced capacity on being completely discharged a single time, so I'd have the battery capacity tested. A door may have been left ajar, etc, in the first instance. Suspect your're gonna need a starting battery regardless with multiple flattenings of that teenie-weenie little thing.
Pete |
Re: Dead battery problems?
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Dead 12 wolt batteries will also lead to poorer fuel economy. I think there is also a TSB out about such a "battery drain" on some vehicles. Search this site on my moniker for the actual TSB that fixes the fuel economy (and is related to 12wolt battery disconnection). It ALONE got me nearly 2 MPG better Fuel economy.
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Interesting, I have had exactly the same problem with my new Camry Hybrid. I'm on my 3rd starter battery and the dealer has had it in 4 times (2 times for a week) and has found nothing. Every time I have left it for 3 days or more it's stone cold dead. Dealer has given up and I'm not happy! Check out the discussion on the Camry Hybrid thread.
https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ad.php?t=12585 |
Re: Dead battery problems?
Originally Posted by obrienklm
(Post 115570)
Interesting, I have had exactly the same problem with my new Camry Hybrid. I'm on my 3rd starter battery and the dealer has had it in 4 times (2 times for a week) and has found nothing. Every time I have left it for 3 days or more it's stone cold dead. Dealer has given up and I'm not happy! Check out the discussion on the Camry Hybrid thread.
https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ad.php?t=12585 |
Re: Dead battery problems?
In the past year, the battery has drained dead four times after sitting idle (in some cases in 48 hours). Did you ever resolve the issue? Was there a drain occurring or was it just the original battery. I have a 07 HiHy.
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Sorry to hear of your problems,
I had exactly the same situation in my Camry Hybrid... battery was completely dead every time the car was not used for more than about 48 hours. You can read the entire saga at this post: https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...harging-12585/ After this happened about 6 times and the dealer had the car for a total of about 3 weeks checking battery drain in every circumstance (including at home in my garage) they found the problem. It seems that Toyota has notice several similar problems with the THC, all in the northern states, and they have tracked it down to a problem with the computer that controls the remote start. Apparently there is a malfunction between the smart key and the remote start program that is draining the battery over time. They installed new remote start controller/computer and that solved the problem. It’s never happened again. If you dealer needs help, have them call the service manager at Maplewood Toyota, Maplewood Minnesota. Hope this helps! |
12v DEAD BATTERY FIX for Toyota Hybrids
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Re: 12v DEAD BATTERY FIX for Toyota Hybrids
[quote=super10s;163860]Man, its a real pain to own a brand new Toyota hybrid vehicle and have to jump-start it because the 12v battery went dead ,....AGAIN! This is particularly frustrating when you know there's 1.21 gigawatts in the NiCad array just sitting there untappable.
An interesting fact is that if you leave the car in "Ready" mode, the NiMH traction battery will charge the little twit of a 12V battery if the voltage falls beyond a set point. And when the big guy drops, of course, the engine starts and recharges it with MG1. I've used this to power a 700 watt inverter with outages here - the inverter directly connected to the battery with heavy cables - don't have to constantly check on the battery state as I had to with the Volvo, and run it every hour or so to charge. Hopefully your problem was just a defective battery, and not a tricky problem like the Camry with the defective remote starting switch. Pete |
Dead battery wasn't defective, just undersized
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Re: Dead battery wasn't defective, just undersized
Originally Posted by super10s
(Post 163948)
I neglected to mention the specific circumstances that the battery failed under. The 12v battery that I replaced in my '06 Highlander was not defective, just undersized (read previous post on replacement). Every time the 12v battery went dead the car had not been driven for ~2 weeks in winter. Each of the last two winters out here in Denver we have had some huge snow accumulations that have required me use my Tahoe 4wd until the snow receded. The Highlander 4wd-i system isn't the greatest in real deep snow, even when fitted with winter tires. My guess is that the mechanical (dumb) rear differential is happily sending all the torque to the fastest spinning wheel, argh. It would be fabulous if they would ditch the rear differential and just put a smaller electric motor on each rear wheel, since the rear drive is completely electric and separate from the front anyway. With a setup like that I could finally justify getting rid of the gas-guzzling Tahoe. Cheers.
Toyota should really have used a larger 12V battery. I'll bet some motorcycle batteries are larger! The HiHy's winter problem is due mainly to lower ground clearance and smaller diameter tires than most truck frame based SUV's and pickups. It does indeed have an intelligent 4WD in that it will not allow any wheel to spin without traction. If bogged down in deep snow, where no progress is being made, power simply is not sent to the wheels. This disconcerting behavior has been reported by several on this forum. I've had no problems in winter driving in less challenging conditions, including handling steep grades on snow where you can feel the i4WD at work and see the dash icon light - never any uncontrolled wheelspin. I've never tried flooring it on snow, but seriously doubt that it would do anything scary - just accelerate as fast as traction would allow - as it had (in '06) the most advanced traction and stability control system on the market. Pete |
Intelligent? 4wd
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Re: Intelligent? 4wd
Originally Posted by super10s
(Post 163974)
Here's another example where experience beats quoting manufacturer's biased info hands-down. Intelligent is an presumptive adjective that should be reserved for consumer use, not by the manufacturer. Any system that purports to be 4wd, yet shuts down when it can't handle the conditions is not intelligent, it's ridiculous. Toyota is on the verge of greatness with this design and deserves accolades for combining an all-electric rear drive with an electric-gas front drive and keep the combination going straight down the highway. However, that's about where the intelligence ends. Incorporating a design for a rear differential that never should have been copied from the dust bin of American design is a horrendous mistake and the leading cause of this design's failures. Furthermore, I pay no attention to idiot lights on my dash when I'm spinning in snow, but since you've never tried it yet maybe you should go on pontificating about the way it is supposed to work. I was going to tell you how my Highlander doesn't obey the "rules" about tire spin but I guess that's just real life information that is not relevant to the theory of how it works.
Wow! A might touchy, aren't we! You might refer to the thread below that discusses the snow/mud/offroad response of the HiHy: https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...15/index2.html NOBODY - I repeat NOBODY - complained of uncontrolled wheelspin - just the opposite - as I mentioned in my accurate previous post. If the car won't move with all wheels on the point of spinning (maximum traction) then no power to the wheels. Just the facts, however unpleasant they may be to you. If yoiu do indeed have uncontrolled wheelspin, then you have a defective vehicle. This is probably helpful in most situations, where spinning just digs you deeper, which I have certainly experienced with other vehicles in sand and muck. |
Re: Dead battery problems?
Just read that link. I love how a post on snow/ice driving degrades to an "Off-road worthy" debate in 3 posts. BTW, wasn't this a post about dead batteries?
If the HHY gets stuck in snow, it has nothing to do with the "little" electric motor. That motor has 96 ft-lbs at "idle" available to the rear alone. Anyone who says that can't turn a rear axle in snow doesn't know what they are talking about. The issue here is Toyota's traction control system cutting power. I've heard the complaint from people I know and read it numerous times and not just related to the Highlander Hybrid even though the drive systems are different. Toyota just seems to want an overly aggressive setting for some reason. Part of the problem is that one can't turn of TC if you like. I am sure that due to the "Intelligent" system, the new-era fix of pulling the TC fuse in case of emergency isn't an option here either. |
Re: Dead battery problems?
We have the same problem in our 08 Prius. We suggest that Toyota use a bigger starter battery, and/or somehow use the hybrid battery as a backup if the 12v goes dead. We have had times when the hybrid battery was fully charged, yet the 12v was dead cold and we had to jump start the car.
In fact, we purched a small battery pack to jump start the car, as it sits long periods of time. :( |
Re: Dead battery problems?
Three questions for HiHy owners who had to replace their 12V auxiliary battery:
1. Did you obtain a replacement from the dealer or another source? (If another source, what was the brand, model etc.) 2. What price did you pay if not covered under warranty? 3. The HiHy repair manual makes reference to the need to initialize the engine ECU after 12V power has been restored, regarding idle speed control learning (p. IN-54, 2006 repair manual). Did you follow that procedure? If not did you notice any driveability problems? Thanks. |
Re: Dead battery problems?
I had two dead battery experiences from my kids leaving the rear seat overhead light on. I would have thought it would have been easy to turn this off when the vehicle is turned off after a short while.
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Didn't know if wouldn't. Good to know.
Thanks. |
Re: Dead battery problems?
My 08 is on it's forth battery. my wife drives it many miles a day. The dealer service dept. just told us not to leave the keys in the car (we had in pasted in a locked garage). the car senses the key and turns some circuit on that continues to drain the battery. we'll see if this solves the problem.
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Re: Dead battery problems?
Hey, for info...
I have not read the entire set of posts but my '09 has had similar issues. The shop said that it tested fine but they (under advise from my local shop) did a separate test on the battery... The initial test said it was ok but it did not have enough output to light a bulb. They replaced the batt for me, and claim that it is likely a bad set but the tech also indicated that he thought the batt is a bad design as in it is too small for the car. Ever since replacing the battery the vehicle is working much better... Better econ and better hybrid braking. It was having braking issues just before it shat itself. I asked if we can put in a larger batt but he said it is not that easy without the hybrid??? Anyway, I will be watching it. |
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