I have a Corolla Excel Hybrid with a problem

[Valerian]

I have been unable to use my car due to cataract surgery and now have a problem. You’ve guessed it! I have a flat Battery. Called out Green Flag who started it for me about 10 days ago. Left car engine running as advised and Battery appeared full. Have been 2 short drives in it and the Battery is flat again. Green Flag man had shown me how to charge the battery, so I bought an automatic switch off charger. Trouble is that the charging switches off after 8 seconds, and then the battery charger says ‘full’. I have tried a non automatic charger and this continues to work intermittently. Occasionally the rear lights come on or the side lights come on during the charging process but that is all. It simply hasn’t the power to start the engine.

Will probably have to have a paid visit from Green Flag again, but is there any other way out of this situation?

Thanks for reading this.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Moved to the Corolla Club.

Have a look at the information contained within the link in the following topic:

 

[forkingabout]

Depending how long the vehicle was left unused its highly likely the 12 volt Battery is now beyond saving & requires replacement. 

[bigblock]

1 hour ago, Valerian said:

I have been unable to use my car due to cataract surgery and now have a problem. You’ve guessed it! I have a flat battery. Called out Green Flag who started it for me about 10 days ago. Left car engine running as advised and battery appeared full. Have been 2 short drives in it and the battery is flat again. Green Flag man had shown me how to charge the battery, so I bought an automatic switch off charger. Trouble is that the charging switches off after 8 seconds, and then the battery charger says ‘full’. I have tried a non automatic charger and this continues to work intermittently. Occasionally the rear lights come on or the side lights come on during the charging process but that is all. It simply hasn’t the power to start the engine.

Will probably have to have a paid visit from Green Flag again, but is there any other way out of this situation?

Thanks for reading this.

When you say "Left car engine running as advised and Battery appeared full" was that the main hybrid Battery on the info screen that you are refering to? If so that Battery has nothing to do with the charge state of the little 12v battery. Once you get the engine started again you must let it run in "Ready mode" for a good hour. Do it often  to be sure that the 12v battery gets a good charge from the hybrid system so that it can begin to recover. Those 2 short drives were not enough to revive the 12v battery. Hope your cataract surgery goes well. I had my eye done last year and can see much much better now.

[Valerian]

I have a feeling that the Battery has been damaged… 

And yes, bigblock, it was what showed up on the system screen. Sigh.

 

 

 

[Catlover]

Hi Valerie, I a little confused that the Battery charger says full after about 8 seconds. I wonder if you connected the charger cables to the wrong parts of the Battery, but please don’t just connect them the other way round. You need to follow instructions carefully.          
I too feel the Battery is now lacking. The battery has to be fit and healthy, but it’s not a really powerful battery, and it does not have to be. For example the Corolla hybrid battery would not start a non hybrid car. It has not got the power to turn the starter motor. The hybrid battery simply has to activate some start up procedures which when complete will show up READY on the car screen, you can then drive off. From then on the big hybrid battery under the back seat that Joe public is NOT encouraged to mess with charges up the 12v battery. To do this it is not necessary to move the car from your. Garage/drive/front of house. Just have your car in Ready mode for about 45-60 minutes and the 12v battery will then be in a healthy charge state. But left for more then a week especially in cold weather (and you get that in Cumbria) you need to repeat the process. Taking the car on short runs to the local shops takes more out of the 12v battery then is being put in, so Ready mode needs to be kept up.  During the time the car is standing in Ready mode the engine will not run all the time, in fact most of the time the engine will be off but the 12v battery is still being charged.         
Your problem now is getting that 12v battery charged or a new battery, and if the 12v battery is an AGM type they are not cheap. If you 12v battery is in the back of the car, in the load area, it will be an AGM. Do not be tempted to put a “ordinary” 12v battery in the car, even though it’s cheaper. The AGM battery does not have acid sloshing about in it, so in case of an accident and the battery splits open occupants of the car will not get acid burns, I sure you will understand that.

[Valerian]

Thanks Catlover, I did familiarise myself with leaving, but not abandoning, my car in Ready mode, and was aware that the engine would switch off leaving the Ready mode on and the on screen system showing a Battery charging until all but the top two panels showing green.

I have now spent about 20 minutes trying to locate the Reddit webpage that I viewed yesterday about a Battery charger going on and off in a Toyota car and a logical reason for this happening. The car was a Prius. The ‘solution’ was to ‘force charge’ the Battery by putting the gear lever from P to D and then applying the brake and giving the car some gas at the same time. Certainly couldn’t do this with the Corolla as one can’t move the lever from P whilst the engine is not running😀

I will call out Green Flag, but to be honest, apart from the garage where I bought the car, nobody seems very familiar with the workings. Like, for example, the Garage say it is impossible to open the car boot when the battery is flat. I’ve certainly not found a way!

I didn’t have any problem with the Corolla last year, but then I was having to drive at least 120 miles a week for the December and January months for my eye clinic appointments. 

Is the Yaris hybrid as dependent on regular charging too? Wondering if I should change to a smaller car now as I no longer need a larger car to carry my late husband’s  mobility equipment.

A huge thank you to all who have contributed to this thread. I am, in fact, not a new member. I had an Auris previously but cannot remember my username and the email address is extinct.

 

[Catlover]

 Valerie,            
your first paragraph, the on screen showing a Battery charging, that is the big hybrid Battery not the 12v Battery.       
second paragraph, I have a Prius (all Prius are hybrid) and I have never read or heard about “force charging” in the manner you say came from Reddit webpage, and I definitely would NOT do that, there is no need to “give the car some gas”. My Prius works no differently to your Corolla.         
third para, if you get Greenflag out and they manage to get the car into Ready mode, then just leave it for an hour in Ready mode. When I say leave it, I don’t mean leave the car unless it is in a secure place, you don’t want anyone driving of in it!  And leaving a car unattended on a public highway is an offence, you probably know that.  Also, true, if the 12v battery is flat you will not get into the car unless you use a key (drivers door), to get in the load area you would have to scrabble over the seats. However, once car door open you can release the bonnet and you can connect to charge the battery from designated points under the bonnet.          
Fifth para, the new Yaris hybrid I believe to be a good car, but may still have the same situation, lack of use and cold weather usually will cause problems. Ready mode for 45-60 minutes is the solution, or regular driving of some useful miles.

[Mikw]

24 minutes ago, Valerian said:

Thanks Catlover, I did familiarise myself with leaving, but not abandoning, my car in Ready mode, and was aware that the engine would switch off leaving the Ready mode on and the on screen system showing a battery charging until all but the top two panels showing green.

I have now spent about 20 minutes trying to locate the Reddit webpage that I viewed yesterday about a battery charger going on and off in a Toyota car and a logical reason for this happening. The car was a Prius. The ‘solution’ was to ‘force charge’ the battery by putting the gear lever from P to D and then applying the brake and giving the car some gas at the same time. Certainly couldn’t do this with the Corolla as one can’t move the lever from P whilst the engine is not running😀

I will call out Green Flag, but to be honest, apart from the garage where I bought the car, nobody seems very familiar with the workings. Like, for example, the Garage say it is impossible to open the car boot when the battery is flat. I’ve certainly not found a way!

I didn’t have any problem with the Corolla last year, but then I was having to drive at least 120 miles a week for the December and January months for my eye clinic appointments. 

Is the Yaris hybrid as dependent on regular charging too? Wondering if I should change to a smaller car now as I no longer need a larger car to carry my late husband’s  mobility equipment.

A huge thank you to all who have contributed to this thread. I am, in fact, not a new member. I had an Auris previously but cannot remember my username and the email address is extinct.

 

Well, i have a Yaris Mk4, and have had it for a year now and have no problems with the Battery. However, i do journies during the week totalling 3 hours or more.

During lockdown i made sure i gave it at least an hour in ready mode twice a week to be on the safe side.

You can leave these cars for a week or so without worry, but the Battery will deplete a bit, and then a couple of short journies will take out more than it puts in and that's when you get the problems.

[Catlover]

You have had no problems, Michael, because you have been doing very reasonable runs, and then put it into Ready mode for 1 hour twice a week. So, as you know I think, if you didn’t do what you have done you probably would have had problems. 

[Cyker]

Yea, barely used mine over the xmas period and it didn't have any trouble starting yesterday, but then again the car is less than a year old and normally gets driven a lot so I'd be livid if I had that problem already!  

Already racked up 12k miles in this thing... at the rate I'm racking up the miles, someone is going to get a bargain when I next change cars!!  

[Rosgoe]

I have seen this many times on 12V lead acid batteries when they are Allowed to go dead flat they are usually u/s as the plates tend to buckle and cause all sorts of problems and yes they will sometimes show a full charge after a very short time.

you tend not to get this problem with traction/leisure batteries as the plates are thicker so are better suited to being discharged repeatedly.

I Don’t know why Toyota don’t use these leisure batteries as if the Battery is not required to turn a starter motor then it makes more sense but they are physically bigger and more expensive and generally only come in 75amp or bigger.

[Valerian]

Just want to thank everyone for their assistance and advice.

Here is the total outcome.

Thank to Catlover. As I always open the passenger door first (habit of usually having a passenger or to put my handbag etc on the front seat), I wasn’t aware there was a keyhole in the driver’s door and keys in the keyfobs. I simply thought it was good technology that allowed me access into the car on the two occasions I had a flat Battery.

Also some one mentioned the designated charging points. I had asked Green Flag man no. 1 where these were. The positive terminal was clear, but when he pointed to the other, I did not see the tiny nut with the cross on it. I had used the nearest piece of unpainted metal near to his finger, hence my Battery lost more charge.

No charge for the second call out as I was not instructed to get anything fixed. Green Flag man no.2 started the car and after almost an hour of leaving it charging under the carport. I drove the 18 miles to the Toyota Garage where the car was given a full health check. Battery is ‘good’. Toyota only replace under warranty if the battery fails. Car was washed and the inside vacuumed and all for no charge.

I met the member of staff who was the previous owner of the Corolla, who is absolutely lovely. I asked to speak to the salesman who sold me the Corolla as I am interested in changing to a smaller car. Given my spec, the Yaris Excel fits the brief. Went for a trip out in the demo and fell in love with it. Left a small deposit. Delivery time is around 6 months as it is a new car.

Had coffee and a chat. Was informed that Toyota advise that if the car is not driven for a period of time, it should be charged for one hour twice weekly. Salesman shared a tip on charging, especially using the key to lock the door so no one can steal the car. He also told me not to leave the remote keyfob in the car.

After another sleepless night and lots of stress, this afternoon has left me feeling very, very happy.

On top of all this excitement, it is great to be a member of this helpful Forum. 💕

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TonyHSD]

Great news from the op 👍,  here some interesting off topic info:
latest Tesla cars comes with a new type 12v li-ion batteries to prevent that dead Battery issue that is wide spread within the Evs too. Few days ago we had discovered that my gf electric car has sort of built in trickle charger function that charges the 12v Battery when the car is parked. She noticed her blue light indicators located on top of the dashboard is flashing , then after over 12 hours the traction Battery went down from 71% to 68% , she said never happened before and even once after 3 weeks holiday in the summer the main battery didn’t loose any percentage of its charge, quick check showed to us that one blue light flashing when car is parked and not plugged in means main battery is charging the 12v battery, but Evs has a big tc batteries where Toyota hybrids has small and this is not possible, perhaps it might be in future phev models👍

[Cyker]

I assumed there was some sort of rule (e.g. the traction Battery contactors are not allowed to be engaged when the car is not in use), for why nobody seemed to do that, because it seems obvious! If there is no such rule or if it's been changed, then that is a function all cars with traction batteries should have! i.e. the ECU wakes up when it detects low 12v and automatically engages the traction Battery contactors so it can charge the car. That's just a no-brainer!

Pity about the Corolla, but the Yaris is dare I say it even better so I'm sure you will enjoy it!  

 

[Bernard Foy]

45 minutes ago, Valerian said:

Just want to thank everyone for their assistance and advice.

Here is the total outcome.

Thank to Catlover. As I always open the passenger door first (habit of usually having a passenger or to put my handbag etc on the front seat), I wasn’t aware there was a keyhole in the driver’s door and keys in the keyfobs. I simply thought it was good technology that allowed me access into the car on the two occasions I had a flat battery.

Also some one mentioned the designated charging points. I had asked Green Flag man no. 1 where these were. The positive terminal was clear, but when he pointed to the other, I did not see the tiny nut with the cross on it. I had used the nearest piece of unpainted metal near to his finger, hence my battery lost more charge.

No charge for the second call out as I was not instructed to get anything fixed. Green Flag man no.2 started the car and after almost an hour of leaving it charging under the carport. I drove the 18 miles to the Toyota Garage where the car was given a full health check. Battery is ‘good’. Toyota only replace under warranty if the battery fails. Car was washed and the inside vacuumed and all for no charge.

I met the member of staff who was the previous owner of the Corolla, who is absolutely lovely. I asked to speak to the salesman who sold me the Corolla as I am interested in changing to a smaller car. Given my spec, the Yaris Excel fits the brief. Went for a trip out in the demo and fell in love with it. Left a small deposit. Delivery time is around 6 months as it is a new car.

Had coffee and a chat. Was informed that Toyota advise that if the car is not driven for a period of time, it should be charged for one hour twice weekly. Salesman shared a tip on charging, especially using the key to lock the door so no one can steal the car. He also told me not to leave the remote keyfob in the car.

After another sleepless night and lots of stress, this afternoon has left me feeling very, very happy.

On top of all this excitement, it is great to be a member of this helpful Forum. 💕

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a result of all this the knowledge and information and experience you will have gained will stand you in good stead when your new Yaris Hybrid arrives. It’s a brilliant wee car and you will love it 🚘

[Mikw]

4 hours ago, Valerian said:

Just want to thank everyone for their assistance and advice.

Here is the total outcome.

Thank to Catlover. As I always open the passenger door first (habit of usually having a passenger or to put my handbag etc on the front seat), I wasn’t aware there was a keyhole in the driver’s door and keys in the keyfobs. I simply thought it was good technology that allowed me access into the car on the two occasions I had a flat battery.

Also some one mentioned the designated charging points. I had asked Green Flag man no. 1 where these were. The positive terminal was clear, but when he pointed to the other, I did not see the tiny nut with the cross on it. I had used the nearest piece of unpainted metal near to his finger, hence my battery lost more charge.

No charge for the second call out as I was not instructed to get anything fixed. Green Flag man no.2 started the car and after almost an hour of leaving it charging under the carport. I drove the 18 miles to the Toyota Garage where the car was given a full health check. Battery is ‘good’. Toyota only replace under warranty if the battery fails. Car was washed and the inside vacuumed and all for no charge.

I met the member of staff who was the previous owner of the Corolla, who is absolutely lovely. I asked to speak to the salesman who sold me the Corolla as I am interested in changing to a smaller car. Given my spec, the Yaris Excel fits the brief. Went for a trip out in the demo and fell in love with it. Left a small deposit. Delivery time is around 6 months as it is a new car.

Had coffee and a chat. Was informed that Toyota advise that if the car is not driven for a period of time, it should be charged for one hour twice weekly. Salesman shared a tip on charging, especially using the key to lock the door so no one can steal the car. He also told me not to leave the remote keyfob in the car.

After another sleepless night and lots of stress, this afternoon has left me feeling very, very happy.

On top of all this excitement, it is great to be a member of this helpful Forum. 💕

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's good! You'll love the Yaris, it's great.

When you get it just remember to give it an hour a week in ready mode, especially if you've done a few short trips.

[Felicityanne]

I have a Corolla Hybrid 2019 and have had to pay for a new 12v Battery because I have twice had to call out rescue service to get me started. Toyota say it is not covered under warranty as my mileage is too low. Lockdown means I have only done 5000 miles. Someone has said there is a solar charger you can leave in the car to ensure the Battery does not go flat (plugs into the cigar point but cant find mine). don't know if this will work with mine.

[Valerian]

Rather like my situation, Felicityanne. I had 2 call outs within 10 days. The Toyota garage said the Battery was good  and would only have been replaced under guarantee if it had failed. They had tested it out and although it wasn’t in top condition in hadn’t failed. Told to leave the car in Ready mode for 1 hour twice a week when it wasn’t being used regularly.

I am glad I didn’t have to buy a new Battery!  This flat Battery thing with EVs is a real nuisance. 
Not sure a solar charger would be sufficient to charge in my car as It is in a North facing carport. I do wonder what I am supposed to do when I need to leave it at an airport for nearly three weeks.🤔

[Roy124]

Sad to hear you had to buy your new Battery.  I did only 3,300 miles and my garage fitted a new larger Battery under warranty. Car bought in March 20 Battery changed in March 21.

ICE used not to need cosseting like the EV.  New EV owners would not know of this need to put it in Ready mode. 

[Valerian]

16 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

Sad to hear you had to buy your new Battery.  I did only 3,300 miles and my garage fitted a new larger Battery under warranty. Car bought in March 20 Battery changed in March 21.

ICE used not to need cosseting like the EV.  New EV owners would not know of this need to put it in Ready mode. 

Ignorant me! Not sure what ICE means in your post, Roy. I only know ICE as ‘In Case of Emergency’ as in my mobile phone. 😂

[Roy124]

Internal Combustion Engine

Of course all the Hybrids have ICE as well as EV though they don't all work the same way

[forkingabout]

In this case ICE = Internal Combustion Engine

[Valerian]

Thank you, forkingabout, obvious when one gets into the right mindset! 😂🤣

[50p]

2 hours ago, Valerian said:

I do wonder what I am supposed to do when I need to leave it at an airport for nearly three weeks.🤔

For this very reason I have purchased a NOCO jump / boost start, just in case. Although due to Covid haven't been able to go anywhere as yet!