Prius 12 volt replacement battery
Eventually all Toyota and Lexus vehicles will need a new starting or auxiliary battery. The battery is responsible for cranking and/or maintaining the vehicle’s electrical system hot or cold, wet or dry, day or night and will eventually fail. This usually happens around 5-6 years of service. When the battery is due for replacement there are a few precautions to take before driving the vehicle again. They are:
Use the correct cold cranking amperage rating, reserve capacity, dimension and style (flooded vs. AGM) for your vehicle. When in doubt, call the dealership for the type of battery you need.
Most Toyota and Lexus models take battery sizes 24, 24F, 35 or 27F – sizes that all reputable auto parts stores and battery outlets will have in stock. When in doubt, call the nearest Toyota or Lexus dealer for what type of battery your vehicle takes before going to purchase one. CARspec stocks Interstate batteries for the majority of Toyota and Lexus applications (Interstate also supplies Toyota and Lexus dealers with the same batteries). A small subset of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, especially hybrids like the Prius, GS450h, and CT200h, use AGM sealed batteries. These should only be purchased from the dealership. Hydrogen gas venting into the cabin can result if a genuine Toyota or Lexus battery isn’t used in these application
Make sure your battery terminals are clean
Battery Terminal Cleaner
If you’ve got green/blue buildup on the battery terminals, a cleaning spray and a wire brush will take care of the majority of the corrosion if you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease.
Install the battery tie down correctly
Here’s what can happen if your battery tie down is loose:
Starting Battery Fire
This tie down wasn’t bolted down correctly. The bracket came loose and grounded the positive terminal, welding the bracket to the chassis and starting a battery fire. The owner was fortunate to not lose the entire vehicle.
Check your idle and engine behavior
When you disconnect your battery your engine control module loses it’s learned memory for many parameters, including the correct learned idle settings. If your idle is rough, you may need to clean your throttle of deposits. Check this out for more information.
Reinitialize your windows and reset the clock
Resetting the clock is simple. Reinitializing your windows can be a bit trickier if you don’t know the steps.
As Eden Prairie and Chanhassen’s independent Toyota and Lexus repair shop CARspec stocks the most common replacement batteries for Toyota and Lexus vehicles and can install them quickly at a fair price. If you’ve got battery woes, give us a call today at (952)426-4798!
