My Prius makes white smoke and melting plastic smell on Full Battery.

Asked by Marlin Jul 04, 2018 at 12:13 PM about the 2008 Toyota Prius FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have 2008 Prius. When I am driving down hill and pushing break the battery gets charged as expected,
but if the battery gets fully charged then something turns. I am not sure what turns on, maybe its a fan to
cool the battery down, or maybe its something that discharges the battery so it doesn't stay full (This is
normal, all Prius does that). Either way when that thing turns on I start to smell very strong plastic melting
and seeing white smoke starting to show up from my AC and from the hood of the car. I got in car
accident last month and this started to happen since then. I am not sure what to do!!

Thank you so much in advance from taking the time to help me!!

1 Answer

I think your battery may be getting ready to catch on fire! I would stop driving it immediately and have ti checked out by a hybrid specialist!

Your Answer:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2008 Toyota Prius

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    T_S_T
    Reputation
    1,560
  • #2
    Guru5WT6J
    Reputation
    1,390
  • #3
    TupeloMS
    Reputation
    1,320
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Toyota Corolla
1,396 Great Deals out of 27,607 listings starting at $1,450
Used Toyota Camry
2,124 Great Deals out of 43,930 listings starting at $1,150
Used Toyota Camry Hybrid
263 Great Deals out of 2,979 listings starting at $1,999
Used Honda Civic
1,297 Great Deals out of 26,038 listings starting at $997
Used Toyota RAV4
1,968 Great Deals out of 34,284 listings starting at $2,300
Used Honda Accord
1,522 Great Deals out of 30,102 listings starting at $1,200
Used Honda Civic Hybrid
12 Great Deals out of 7,746 listings starting at $2,300
Used Toyota Tacoma
2,176 Great Deals out of 55,929 listings starting at $3,995
Used Honda CR-V
2,003 Great Deals out of 37,778 listings starting at $1,600

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Toyota Prius For Sale
39 Great Deals out of 4,868 listings starting at $26,995
2023 Toyota Prius For Sale
76 Great Deals out of 761 listings starting at $23,298
2022 Toyota Prius For Sale
34 Great Deals out of 428 listings starting at $15,290
2021 Toyota Prius For Sale
14 Great Deals out of 290 listings starting at $15,294
2020 Toyota Prius For Sale
23 Great Deals out of 206 listings starting at $12,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.