[herrroaa]

Hi All,

I have 2008 highlander hybrid. Two weeks ago I forgot the interior lights on for 12 hours, and I had to jump start the 12V battery to be able to start the car.
Several days later, I was trying to start the car, but it did not start and there was a message "check brake system" along with several error messages on the dashboard. I tried to restart it and I was able to start it after 3 or 4 trials.
This happened twice in the last 10 days.

What is causing this problem?
Could it be the battery?

Regards

 

[gatorheel]

Almost for sure it's the 12V battery. I got a new one two years ago and it's already failed last month w/ similar errors. I'd make sure it's fully charged (via a battery charger) and/or replace it, and I bet your errors disappear.

 

[moosemaneo]

Did the new battery solve your problem?

Having the same problem....did the new battery solve your problem? I cant get mine to start at all. Checked the battery and it has 10.8V, which is low. Hoping that this is the problem as the battery is 4 years old. Thanks

 

[Beachguysc]

Are you getting your battery from the toyota dealer? I've got a 2010 hybrid and none of the toyota batteries have lasted as long as they are rated, and have been replaced via the battery warranty. If I ever have to buy a battery again, it will not be from the dealer. There is a recent thread about these batteries in the 3rd gen highlander forum. But as long as they keep failing early, I will just keep getting new free batteries from the dealer.

 

[gatorheel]

Interesting. The last Bosch battery I got (from Pep Boys) failed after two years, and they replaced it, no questions asked, under their warranty. I wonder if the HiHy is just hard on the 12V battery?

 

[Beachguysc]

Interesting. The last Bosch battery I got (from Pep Boys) failed after two years, and they replaced it, no questions asked, under their warranty. I wonder if the HiHy is just hard on the 12V battery?

I wondered that, too. But it is mostly non-hybrid commenters in the the 3rd gen forum that have had battery issues. I think the general consensus was that batteries in general don't stand up as long as they used to. Maybe all the electronics and computers draw more energy from the battery, even while the engine is running.

 

[ukrkoz]

To give credit to OEM Panasonic I had in my TCH, it's 11 yo and is still working as backup for gate opener.
12V is not directly charged from engine. There is no alternator. It's charged from traction battery, only when car is in motion

 

[millerman61]

Having the same problem....did the new battery solve your problem? I cant get mine to start at all. Checked the battery and it has 10.8V, which is low. Hoping that this is the problem as the battery is 4 years old. Thanks

Sounds like you have a bad cell in that battery.

 

[freakbrian]

Interesting. The last Bosch battery I got (from Pep Boys) failed after two years, and they replaced it, no questions asked, under their warranty. I wonder if the HiHy is just hard on the 12V battery?

Most hybrids are, since there's so many computer systems and they're all pulling power from the 12V battery, both during use and while the car is off, to keep volatile memory alive. A battery with a long replacement warranty is nice to have, especially an AGM one.

Lead acid car batteries haven't changed much in decades, and to think that 25 years ago, having power windows and an aftermarket deck was already considered electrically demanding compared to what many people were used to.

 

[FunkyFred]

2nd time having this issue.

Last time was about 3 months ago. Parked it, left hazards on, took groceries upstairs and got the error code. I did the reset process twice from a thread done by JSTCD and it worked! I thought I bought a bad car. Everything worked fine til today

Drove 30 miles to work, parked it and didn't leave lights on. Came back 2 hours later and I got the check brake system, and SRS airbag warning/error lights. Except this time when I tried the JSTCD "trick" I would see that the dash lights would turn on and off rapidly. Then for a bit, lights wouldn't turn on quickly and remote unlock would not work. I left the car unlocked and unlatched hood followed by a call to AAA.

Battery is 4 years old and test low. I could have drove somewhere to get a fancy Optima yellow top but they didn't have it and I needed to be somewhere QUICK. Just bought the regular battery from them which comes with a 6 year warranty. Car fired immediately afterwards. Batteries are normal maintenance items that I don't mind paying for regularly. 4 years from an old one is okay I guess. Plus it was only a bit over $100. AAA has insurance on their employees and traction battery is still under 10 year 150k mile warranty so I said **** it and do it.

Send me a private message if you want an update. If I don't post back here.. most likely everything went well for quite a while.

I'd get your battery tested if I were you. AGM batteries are supposedly good. Nothing wrong with getting a regular lead battery but you'll risk being stranded at inopportune times. I do love AAA though. Arrived in under 30 minutes.

 

[mbfmichele]

2nd time having this issue.

Last time was about 3 months ago. Parked it, left hazards on, took groceries upstairs and got the error code. I did the reset process twice from a thread done by JSTCD and it worked! I thought I bought a bad car. Everything worked fine til today

Drove 30 miles to work, parked it and didn't leave lights on. Came back 2 hours later and I got the check brake system, and SRS airbag warning/error lights. Except this time when I tried the JSTCD "trick" I would see that the dash lights would turn on and off rapidly. Then for a bit, lights wouldn't turn on quickly and remote unlock would not work. I left the car unlocked and unlatched hood followed by a call to AAA.

Battery is 4 years old and test low. I could have drove somewhere to get a fancy Optima yellow top but they didn't have it and I needed to be somewhere QUICK. Just bought the regular battery from them which comes with a 6 year warranty. Car fired immediately afterwards. Batteries are normal maintenance items that I don't mind paying for regularly. 4 years from an old one is okay I guess. Plus it was only a bit over $100. AAA has insurance on their employees and traction battery is still under 10 year 150k mile warranty so I said **** it and do it.

Send me a private message if you want an update. If I don't post back here.. most likely everything went well for quite a while.

I'd get your battery tested if I were you. AGM batteries are supposedly good. Nothing wrong with getting a regular lead battery but you'll risk being stranded at inopportune times. I do love AAA though. Arrived in under 30 minutes.

Hi there,
I just wanted to know what the JSTCD trick is that you mentioned? Is that the same reset that you do after an oil change? Mine is a 2008 Highlander hybrid, and I got all 3 error messages on dashboard after trying to jump start it, but it probably didn't have enough juice to start. I have it on trickle charger now and battery looks to be charging, so fingers crossed that the 12v is the problem!
M

 

[stanczykjenny]

Hi All,

I have 2008 highlander hybrid. Two weeks ago I forgot the interior lights on for 12 hours, and I had to jump start the 12V battery to be able to start the car.
Several days later, I was trying to start the car, but it did not start and there was a message "check brake system" along with several error messages on the dashboard. I tried to restart it and I was able to start it after 3 or 4 trials.
This happened twice in the last 10 days.

What is causing this problem?
Could it be the battery?

Regards

Had exact same on my 2009 Hybrid. Bad battery. New battery and it's all good.

 

[bill the cat]

Hi All,

I have 2008 highlander hybrid. Two weeks ago I forgot the interior lights on for 12 hours, and I had to jump start the 12V battery to be able to start the car.
Several days later, I was trying to start the car, but it did not start and there was a message "check brake system" along with several error messages on the dashboard. I tried to restart it and I was able to start it after 3 or 4 trials.
This happened twice in the last 10 days.

What is causing this problem?
Could it be the battery?

Regards

Same thing with my 2008 HiHy ... replacement battery got weak due to "someone" leaving interior lights on. Booster would start it immediately but got old really quick. New battery fixed the problem. Probably got 4-5 years out of the Toyota battery, which was killed by human error. Also, it is my understanding that the 12V battery in HiHy are of lower total capacity than regular.

Anyway ... all those bogus messages were due to my battery being to weak.

Hope that helps!