How to Jump a Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is a midsized hybrid electric car that runs on gasoline and electric power to increase distance and gas mileage. Normally when a car battery fails, it's easy to connect a working battery to the battery to restart it. However, since the Prius has two batteries that power it (one for the vehicle and one for the on-board computer), you'll need to take different steps, depending on which battery fails.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Another vehicle
• Standard jumper cables
• 12-volt power supply
• 12-volt power cables

1. Car Battery Failure

   • 1

     Open the hood of the Prius and locate the battery that's used to power the car itself. Place another vehicle with a working battery in front of the Prius, with the front bumpers almost touching.

   • 2

     Turn the working car off and open that car's hood. Find the battery and clip the standard jumper cables to the appropriate battery terminals (red for positive and black for negative).

   • 3

     Clip the other end of the cables to the terminals on the battery of the Prius.

   • 4

     Turn on the working vehicle and let it rev for a few seconds. Once the working vehicle is on, start the Prius. The Prius car battery should come to life and the car should start.

   Computer Battery Failure

   • 1

     Open the rear of the Prius and locate the computer battery access points, which are connected to the auxiliary battery in the rear cargo area.

   • 2

     Plug one end of the 12-volt power cable into the 12-volt power supply. Plug the other ends into the battery connectors located in the Prius.

   • 3

     Start the power supply and wait until it's fully powered up (this usually takes a few seconds).

   • 4

     Start the Prius once the power supply is fully powered up. The on-board computer should begin to operate.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to drive the car around for at least 30 minutes after battery failure to build up a charge in the battery so it starts again on its own.

• If you're jumping the computer battery, you may be able to use the 12-volt power supply in a car cigarette lighter or from a computer USB port.

• Batteries can be highly volatile and can explode if they're powered up in the wrong order. Always make sure the cables are connected when the power is off; turn on the power supply and then activate the dead battery.