ugh. what headache! This is not a good way to start a new car buying experience

phhhf, I think I would have demanded a different one right at the dealer. I wouldn't even take the one that wouldn't start.

So they're saying this is a problem common to all hybrids? As in, you leave your car at the airport for a week, and it may not start when you return? I hope that's not right!

+1 Opfreak. I would have demanded another one! You may not have got that huge discount, but I think it would have been better in the ong run.
 
In fact, I'm very uncomfortable with the whole idea of buying a car that has been on the dealar's lot with all sorts of people test-driving them (.....unless, of course, the car is used). I believe that a car that is part of the dealer's inventory should be sold at a discount. It's just not fair to the customer.
If/when I buy a new car, I'll simply order it and wait the two months or so for it.
 
Why don't US car dealers have "demo models"? Back in Africa all new car dealers had those.......cars at the dealership specifically earmarked for test-drives, much like Best Buy and Walmart have stereos on their shelves specifically meant for customers to play with. If the customer made a final decision to buy, a new undriven car would be sold to him/her. The demos would then be sold at a discount at the end of the model year.

Interesting to read about your experience. It is one that the majority of the US has absolutely no chance of experiencing as Nissan does not sell hybrids in most of the US.

Blackadder, many dealers do have demos, which they try to utilize for test drives. However, many customers want to drive a specific configuration of a vehicle. The salesfolk then try to find a car on the lot that best matches the desired configuration and have them test drive that.

When I bought my car (a conventional gas powered model - no hybrid) the battery died just after they washed it and were about to deliver it to me. They got it restarted but it went into limp-home mode. They replaced the battery, reset the computer, threw in a free extended warranty, and gave me 30 days to return it if it went wrong again, so I agreed to stay with that car. 2 years later I haven't had another problem with that. The only problem I had was an ignition lock that didn't recognize when the car was in park, an easy fix. I hope this problem can be resolved just as well.

blackadder5639 at that point, I would have demand a different one for the same deal.
 
I hope that the car turns out good. But IMHO, if I am spending money on anything I expect it to work. If I got a bad toaster I'd exchange it.
 
If my new car didn't start. I think I'd flip on them. I'm already a none fan of dealers. How could they possible even given you the keys to a car not working

BS. No car should have to be jump started after two days. Like ewilfong says, there are countless times that vehicles are left undriven for a few days at a time. I've never heard of this before and hybrids have been on the market for years now. Either you're being fed a line of crap (which wouldn't surprise me based on my prior experiences with Nissan dealers), or else Nissan has a serious design flaw that needs to be publicized.

A friend lets his Camaro sit for months every winter. He doesn't even disconnect the battery. Dang thing fires right up every every Spring.
 
A couple of months ago, I did have to jump start a Mercury that had been sitting for two years. That I can understand. Two days? No way!

OK, OK! Stand down, folks. Here's the deal. First off, this was not a demo, and it DID come at a super-deep discount. They weren't going to swap it out, no matter what I did. But it didn't seem necessary to me -- it's just a 12v battery. What does seem like a bigger issue is the fact that all the Altima hybrids on their lot seemed to run that risk -- let it sit for too long, and the battery drains. I think that even when the car is off, there's a drain on the batter. They licensed this technology from Toyota, and apparently Priuses (is that the plural?) had similar problems as well. In fact, the Prius manual advises drivers to use the car at least once a week.
 
More on this topic in another blog entry!

That's absolutely ridiculous. Isn't the 12v battery there solely to start up the engine? I would think it should last Longer than a normal car, because aren't all of the electronics run off of the larger battery? And, if there is some kind of drain on the battery (which is bogus), why wouldn't they put a volt-meter or something on the battery, so that when it gets down to a certain level whatever was "on" gets shut down? It's not like hybrids are the only complicated cars on the roads. And that dealer should Definitely have given you a loaner to drive, preferably another hybrid Altima off the lot. When my mom went to get her Pilot, they hadn't prepped it, so she went back a few days later, dropped the car off, and they gave her a new Accord off the lot to drive for the day. I would have expected them to bend over backwards for you if they sold you a car that failed to even start. That wouldn't be acceptable on a Kia Rio, much less an expensive Altima.
 
Almost forgot- does the push-button start have a card or something that you carry around with you? If you leave the key fob too close to the car, it might be thinking that you're about to be getting in, and thus stay powered up. Do you park next to the kitchen, or anywhere else where you leave your keys? Maybe you did for awhile right before it died? It's just a thought, I remember that was a big problem when Mercedes first came out with this stuff

My father bought a Cadillac Deville off the lot a couple of years ago. It was a new car at the end of the model year, and it had been sitting on the lot for a while. The night he brought it home, it sat in the driveway. The next day he went to use it, and it had a dead battery. Totally discharged. We called the dealership, and they sent out a repair truck that replaced the dead battery with a new one. The car worked just fine after that.
 
Until about a year ago when that battery leaked acid and burned a half-dollar sized hole in the floor pan under the back seat. The repairman said that his battery was the most expensive battery he's ever replaced. Even looking at it, it looked like a boat battery.

"OK, OK! Stand down, folks. "
 
Researchqueen, it sounds like you're getting a bit annoyed. Don't worry, it's normal.....when a topic is interesting we like to talk a lot about it. On some of the blogs we sometimes exceed 100 comments! :)
 
"In fact, the Prius manual advises drivers to use the car at least once a week. "
 
If the car is not going to be used for more than a week, would removing the battery help?

With an uber battery pack, I wonder why hybrids even have a normal battery. Yea, I understand the hybrid batter is ~300V, but that's what transformers are for.

Happenned to us a couple weeks ago. My wife has a 2005 Prius with 29,000 miles. It sat over the weekend and wouldn't start on Monday.
  
I suspected it was the 12V battery but in a Prius the battery is in the trunk...which is power operated. The jumper cables couldn't reach through the back seat's door. There are rumors about posts under the hood but I haven't been able to find them and the dealership service managers gave conflicting info. The owner's manual is useless.
  
Luckily it was under warranty and the towing was covered. The transmission stalk is basically a joystick...which is power operated. They had to drag it out of our garage in Park.
  
The tech that worked on our Prius said he sees it all the time. There are so many electronics feeding off that 12V battery that it shouldn't sit too long.

who is the battery manufacturer?

Yes, jlaszlo, that seems to be the issue. There are SO many electronics feeding off the 12v that it tends to drain. The hybrid battery has nothing to do with it, and PLEASE don't try to jump the battery unless you know what you're doing, because my understanding is that it's extra dangerous if you try to jump the hybrid battery by mistake. The dealer showed me where the posts were for the 12v under my hood, and it's a bit bizarre. Make sure you get someone to show you before you attempt it yourself.
 
As for the "stand down," comments -- forgive me, I meant nothing by it. It's just that some readers seem to think that I'm getting ripped off and are getting steamed on my behalf. Trust me; I know what I'm doing. The dealer would have given me a loaner if I wanted one, but I didn't need it, as I still have my Highlander and live nowhere near the dealership, so it was a matter of convenience for me.
 
I'm pretty confident that the battery problem is solved, and if it isn't, I know how to raise hell! But there's no point in getting nasty with the dealer/salesperson/service person, because so far they've been nothing but terrific with me, despite the issue. I have no doubts that the car they've given me is sound; I think it's a matter of this hybrid techology having battery issues in general... and this includes the Prius too.
 
Sandcountry360 -- The problem wasn't caused by my proximity to the car (with the key in my pocket, etc.) Nothing powers up on this car unless you push the button. What most people don't realize, though, is that while you have to depress the brake pedal to actually start the car, if you press the "start" button without putting your foot on the brake, you will turn the car to the "ON" and "ACC" position. If you aren't aware that you've done that (if you don't botther to look at the ring that surrounds the button) and you accidentally leave it in one of those positions, you could drain the battery that way.
 
If I'm worried about anything at this point, it's that the ODO looks like it may be running a little fast. More on that soon!

I'm glad things seem to be resolved, but I'm still not thrilled to hear that hybrids shouldn't sit very long without use. I don't recall reading about that anywhere before this incident. It's not that often that I leave a car sitting for more than a few days at most, but a 10 or 14 day vacation is not an impossibility in our near future. Imagine getting to your car in the airport parking lot after a four-hour flight and finding it dead!

I have to agree with ewilfong here. How weird would it be to have to take the cable off your car's battery at the airport parking lot in order to keep the clock or even the computer from draining it?!
  
And I still think it's insane to have to deal with this on a brand new car. A person should just turn the key and go, and not worry for the next 5-10 years. Are Altimas built in Japan still, or have they moved their plant over here?
  
On a side issue, it's not the first time I've heard of people needing to buy a new battery for regular new Nissan cars. In fact, I've read where for some people the first replacement they make is to trade the Nissan battery for a DieHard!
  
blackadder, about the demo model you mentioned in Africa, it's not unheard of here in the States, either. In Oklahoma, for example, there are small-town car dealers that are basically storefronts that don't have room for every single color and configuration of car for people to drive. They keep a couple trim levels of each model. I think it's a good concept; I don't necessarily have to drive the same color car as long as it's equipped the way I want.
  
In fact, I feel that if a person could actually take a good test drive, i.e., keep it long enough to drive and pay attention to the car rather than the gabby salesman who tagged along, I don't believe there would be the problem of people discovering how uncomfortable the car is, or noticing the rattles in the dashboard AFTER they buy the car, and not before!

Wow thats weird huh! what a joke! =)
So much so overflowing with all this 'great' 'new' technology, that it wont even start! Maybe you'd find this book that I read not too long ago somewhat helpful, i think the link to it was www.total-driving.com =)
Good luck with getting it started! haha

The batttery in my Prius died after 3 months. I had it towed to the dealership and replaced. Other than the person who ran into me, it was fine.

All of the cars I have owned have eventually had frustrating battery problems (and/or charging/alternator issues). Most recently I left a radar detector on plugged in overnight or over a weekend and my old Impala was "dead in the water" as the battery was ruined by being over-discharged by the slow outflow of current. My new Altima Hybrid kills power to the front outlet when switched off, eliminating that problem (though not the outlet hidden inside the armrest). However, because it is keyless I did manage to forget to switch it off when I dashed out to close the sunroof as rain started (the dash was not dimmed or dark). According to the manual page 6-7, the Hybrid CAN JUMPSTART its own 12V battery from the high voltage battery just by holding the starter 15 seconds longer. If that is true, sweet deal! The 12V battery is in the trunk and to reach it, you would have to pull the manual trunk release inside the backseat armrest. However the fuse box under the hood has a jumper terminal to use (manual page 6-8). In your picture above it is the long, rectangular black cover to the left of the round, gray shape in the upper right corner. It actually has a "+" sign on it for identification. The high voltage battery should not "trickle" down because it only runs the motor, the A/C, the steering, and through a converter to charge the 12V battery.

Nope, read the 6-7 section again because it is a bit ambiguous. If the lights or accessories are dim, the 12V battery needs another 12V to jumpstart. It's if the 12V battery is good (lights come on) but the hybrid won't (high volt battery run down) that the system is supposed to start by holding the ignition switch. Sorry :-(

I really wouldn't trust that dealership...

I have heard of a number of incidents of people buying various cars, and finding that they need a jumpstart after only leaving it a short time (2 days or less). Basically, some dealerships aren't very diligent about making sure that they've closed the doors (leaving a dome light on), or will let people sit in the car in ACC mode for long periods of time trying features out, which will all drain the car's 12v battery. Once a car's 12v battery has been allowed to be flattened once (and not immediately recharged), it never quite holds a charge well again and will go flat again after a very short period of non-use. At minimum, the dealership owes you a new 12v battery, and an apology.

In full hybrids such as the Toyotas and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, the 12v battery is only used to power up the computers at startup, and then to power 12v accessories. (After the computers are on, they hook up the high voltage hybrid battery which actually starts the car through the electric motor - there's no conventional 12v starter motor). Since the 12v battery isn't needed to start the car, it is usually smaller than in traditional cars, so it is more likely to go flat quicker. But on a new car, you should be able to go for 2+ weeks undriven with no problems, hybrid or not.

Perhaps you should check on a forum for other hybrid owners like yourself. On the Toyota hybrid forums I'm on, it is only the rare case of a poor dealership that I hear a story similar to yours, or on 5+ year old cars...

(I'll note that the hybrid battery is disconnected from the rest of the car while off for safety reasons. It also shuts down following accidents as well. It is easy to jumpstart a 12v battery, but not easy to recharge a hybrid battery (which is needed to start the car!), so it would not be prudent to be able to jumpstart the car's 12v battery from the hybrid battery...)

As for the 2004-current Prius, yes the rear hatch is electronically-controlled, so Toyota put jump start points in the fuse box under the hood (easy to reach) as it is difficult to get to the manual release for the hatch otherwise to get to the 12v battery. If you follow the instructions in the owner's manual in the "In Case of Emergency" section (watching the polarity), you should have no trouble jumpstarting it.