# 2001 toyota prius **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** toyota\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199 "2009-04-15T20:51:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Folarinegunjobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4af34b/32.png) [@Folarinegunjobi](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Folarinegunjobi)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/1 "2009-04-15T20:51:41Z")
I have a toyota prius 2001 and would like to know why it’s showin problem with main baterry pls I need help I just got this car and it’s giving me a lot of concern ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/2 "2009-04-15T21:00:08Z")
Please define “showin problem with main battery.” If there’s a light on the dash board indicating a main battery (by which I mean the propulsion battery, not the battery under the hood) problem you’re probably going to have to visit a Toyota dealer. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/3 "2009-04-15T22:32:26Z")
You may have discovered why the previous owner got rid of this car. I agree with mcparadise that it is time for a visit to a Toyota dealer whose service department has a good reputation. Just be prepared for some bad news. ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/4 "2009-04-15T22:59:24Z")
Did you buy it from a private seller or a reputable dealer? Can you take it back where you bought it? Is it covered under any kind of warranty? ---
**Author:** ![Folarinegunjobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4af34b/32.png) [@Folarinegunjobi](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Folarinegunjobi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/5 "2009-04-16T05:29:59Z")
I bought the car from an insurance auction as salvage and I was told I only had to do the body work which was not really bad but after I was done with the body work, I had to replace the airbags and the module. Then I replaced the small battery in the trunk and it started fine until after a couple if days it went dead and the electrian told me he would have to diagnose it to find out what’s going on. I got this car from a friend who bought it from the auction and that was his story that there was nothing wrong with the car, that I inky needed to do the body work. I don’t know what to do. Does the battery get charged when you drive it for a long time or it will still be showing the main battery problem ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/6 "2009-04-16T11:12:03Z")
This is rapidly going from bad to worse. Buying a salvage vehicle is a major toss of the dice, simply because the hapless new owner rarely knows the total story of why it was considered to be a salvage vehicle. It could have been the result of body damage, or the situation could have much deeper roots. In this case, a possible scenario is that the car was in poor mechanical shape prior to the body damage. Or…who knows? I have no better suggestion than to get the car to a Toyota dealer whose service department has a reputation for both competence and honesty (yes, I know that this may be a rare commodity), since independent garages are unlikely to have either the equipment or the expertise to properly diagnose the situation. I like a bargain just as much as the next guy, but when it comes to salvage vehicles, I don’t think that I can afford to save that much money. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/7 "2009-04-16T11:33:56Z")
Agree with advice to take the car to Toyota for an evaluation. Few other repair facility options for you due to the unique nature of the car. I suspect the impact was significant (fired off the airbags) and the battery pack was damaged internally. You can not see the damage as the pack is several batteries in a case that make up the battery pack. Toyota’s price for a new battery pack is likely to be high, so you may want to find used battery packs from salvage yard(s) prices too. Labor to replace a battery pack isn’t too bad, it is the cost of the part itself. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/8 "2009-04-16T11:43:23Z")
Oh my. “Salvage!” “Air bags!” Did you pay money for this car? ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2001-toyota-prius/29199/9 "2009-04-16T13:06:15Z")
The small “regular” battery is going dead. This is a problem similar to any other car. Your electrician, or an independent shop maybe can work on that. You have options on the main propulsion battery pack also, I think. If it offends thee, pluck it out. Really! If the regular gasoline engine will propel the car, to your satisfaction, after the battery pack is removed, and its weight subtraction makes enough difference…maybe. To learn a little of how the car is powered by engine and electric motor, read this article: [http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=43877/pageNumber=5](http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=43877/pageNumber=5)