Hybrid battery failure and smoke under the back seat
Hybrid batteries located under the rear passenger seats can fail as early as 39,000 miles or unexpectedly catch fire, filling the cabin with smoke. This leaves owners terrified about whether the vehicle is safe to drive and scrambling to locate and vacuum hidden battery vents to protect children sitting nearby.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1checking for remaining warranty coverage from the manufacturerDid this help you?
- 2performing normal maintenance and minor repairs independentlyDid this help you?
- 3Routinely vacuuming and cleaning the plastic ventilation grill near the rear seats.Did this help you?
- 4Following the specific hybrid vehicle maintenance schedule in the owner's manual.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“When I came back out, I noticed it was full of smoke with the rear seat burning from the inside. No one was inside (thank god), no cigarettes, no seat warmers. I know the battery is in this area… but wtf could have caused THIS😭”source ↗
“What ? Where is the battery vent?! I just bought a used Prius in the spring. My kids sit here. What do I vacuum?”source ↗
“39k miles and failed. Is it safe to drive? Any advice?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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