My 7k miles Prius has broken down on me !

prius_fr · 08-08-2006, 01:01 PM

Hello there

Yesterday, on my morning commute on the freeway, suddenly all the warning lights went on and the car start beeping. I was approximately 1 mile from my workplace and right acrross the street there is a Toyota Dealer.

Since the car was still running, I thought I was going to try to go straight to the dealer. I quickly notice that in fact the heat engine wasn't running anymore and I was strictly going on the electric engine, draining my batteries. I however managed to stop right in the front of the service department, the last 30 feet on freewheeling.

On the driveway I could turn on and off the car but couldn't engage D anymore.

They took the car and told me they have only two Prius certified techs: one was on vacation and one is coming back on Wednesday (tomorrow). That's f*cking great.

I believe something went wrong with the heat engine. I think this is serious.

I somehow regret of having continued to drive the car up to the dealer: as soon as the problem occurred and the lights went on, I should've stopped on the emergency lane and called the towing company. What you guys think? Did I made a mistake?

I attached some picture I took of the dashboard and the MFD. I'll keep you update on what's going on...

[attachmentid=5059]

[attachmentid=5060]

[attachmentid=5061]

DaveG · 08-08-2006, 01:08 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(prius_fr @ Aug 8 2006, 10:01 AM) [snapback]299661[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Since the car was still running, I tought I was going to try to go straight to the dealer. I quickly notice that in fact the heat engine wasn't running anymore and I was strictly going on the electric engine, draining my batteries. I however managed to stop right in the front of the service department, the last 30 feet on freewheeling.

I somehow regret of having continued to drive the car up the the dealer: as soon as the problem occured and the lights went on, I should've stopped on the emmergency lane and called the towing company. What you guys think ? Did I made a mistake ?
[/b]

It's not a good idea to drive only on the high-voltage battery unless you are stopped in an unsafe location and a short drive would get you somewhere safer. The car will shut-down to protect the high-voltage battery when the power level drops too much, however it's still not recommended.

Your gas gauge reads full, so it doesn't appear that you ran out - hopefully it's nothing serious. Let us know what the dealer reports to you.

Dave

**TonyPSchaefer** · 08-08-2006, 03:00 PM

At least your Vehicle Stability Control was engaged. So you were covered in that regard.

Seriously, sorry to hear of the problem. The dealer should pull the error codes from the car's electronic system. Please keep us posted.

tumbleweed · 08-08-2006, 03:16 PM

I doubt you did any damage by driving it the extra mile on the battery. DaveG is right, it's not a good idea, but I would have done the same thing. Hope the problem isn't to serious.

richard schumacher · 08-08-2006, 05:05 PM

How many bars were on the gas gauge when this happened?

[D'ohh!! Nevermind.]

HokieHybrid · 08-08-2006, 05:28 PM

You can see the gas gauge is at least half full in the first pic...

galaxee · 08-08-2006, 06:22 PM

take heart... if anything was going to go wrong, it was going to go wrong early. good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Salsawonder · 08-08-2006, 10:51 PM

When did the ice become heat???

**Tideland Prius** · 08-09-2006, 01:27 AM

haha

Anyway, looking at the signs and remembering what it means from the manual, the MFD shows that there's something wrong with the hybrid system and the main HV battery and the usual "Take it to a Toyota dealer immediately"

The ones on the dash indicate an ABS and VSC problem. Not sure why the CEL came one though. The ABS/VSC lights are "Take it to a Toyota dealer as soon as possible" and wouldn't affect driving. It's the ones on the MFD that would be of greater significance and would require you pull over immediately.

Godiva · 08-09-2006, 01:40 AM

Do I see that you were running the AC?

How hot was it in the car and was the back seat vent to cool the batteries blocked by anything?

You didn't have a radiator leak and the car overheated, did you?

08-08-2006, 01:01 PM	#1
prius_fr Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 24 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Hello there Yesterday, on my morning commute on the freeway, suddenly all the warning lights went on and the car start beeping. I was approximately 1 mile from my workplace and right acrross the street there is a Toyota Dealer. Since the car was still running, I thought I was going to try to go straight to the dealer. I quickly notice that in fact the heat engine wasn't running anymore and I was strictly going on the electric engine, draining my batteries. I however managed to stop right in the front of the service department, the last 30 feet on freewheeling. On the driveway I could turn on and off the car but couldn't engage D anymore. They took the car and told me they have only two Prius certified techs: one was on vacation and one is coming back on Wednesday (tomorrow). That's f*cking great. I believe something went wrong with the heat engine. I think this is serious. I somehow regret of having continued to drive the car up to the dealer: as soon as the problem occurred and the lights went on, I should've stopped on the emergency lane and called the towing company. What you guys think? Did I made a mistake? I attached some picture I took of the dashboard and the MFD. I'll keep you update on what's going on... [attachmentid=5059] [attachmentid=5060] [attachmentid=5061] Attached Thumbnails __________________ 06 Classic Silver Metallic / Pckg #8 Nw Received on 03/09/06 Surrendered on 02/19/07

08-09-2006, 01:27 AM	#9
Tideland Prius Moderator of the North Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 19,633 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: N/A Package: Technology Package (Canada) Thanks: 229 Thanked 346 Times in 245 Posts Friends: 23	haha Anyway, looking at the signs and remembering what it means from the manual, the MFD shows that there's something wrong with the hybrid system and the main HV battery and the usual "Take it to a Toyota dealer immediately" The ones on the dash indicate an ABS and VSC problem. Not sure why the CEL came one though. The ABS/VSC lights are "Take it to a Toyota dealer as soon as possible" and wouldn't affect driving. It's the ones on the MFD that would be of greater significance and would require you pull over immediately. __________________ 2005 Tideland Pearl Premium Package 25/10/04 VVT-i Emblem, Sport Pedals, All-Weather Mats, Cargo Mat, EV Mod, JDM Prius Footwell Lighting, DICE iPod Kit 2008 Deep Black smart fortwo passion coupé - sold (6.1L/100km) 2010 Blue Ribbon Metallic Technology Package 29/08/09 All-Weather Mats, Homemade Console Pads, LED lighting "Ask an Expert" on Facebook I am not employed by Toyota, and the opinions expressed by me as a Prius Expert are not those of Toyota.

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08-08-2006, 03:00 PM	#3
TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 10,508 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 168 Times in 109 Posts Friends: 23	At least your Vehicle Stability Control was engaged. So you were covered in that regard. Seriously, sorry to hear of the problem. The dealer should pull the error codes from the car's electronic system. Please keep us posted.

08-08-2006, 03:16 PM	#4
tumbleweed Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Eastern Oregon Posts: 1,692 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: V Package: Adv. Technology Thanks: 33 Thanked 105 Times in 84 Posts Friends: 0	I doubt you did any damage by driving it the extra mile on the battery. DaveG is right, it's not a good idea, but I would have done the same thing. Hope the problem isn't to serious.

08-08-2006, 05:05 PM	#5
richard schumacher Destination: Eschaton Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5,514 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #6 Thanks: 100 Thanked 93 Times in 66 Posts Friends: 0	How many bars were on the gas gauge when this happened? [D'ohh!! Nevermind.]

08-08-2006, 05:28 PM	#6
HokieHybrid Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 197 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	You can see the gas gauge is at least half full in the first pic...

08-08-2006, 06:22 PM	#7
galaxee resident lab rat Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: boilermaker territory Posts: 9,675 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: N/A Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 94 Times in 37 Posts Friends: 26	take heart... if anything was going to go wrong, it was going to go wrong early. good luck and let us know how it turns out.

08-08-2006, 10:51 PM	#8
Salsawonder Silver Lining Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: La Mesa California Posts: 1,611 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 32 Thanked 22 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 0	When did the ice become heat???

08-09-2006, 01:40 AM	#10
Godiva AmeriKan Citizen Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 10,342 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 7	Do I see that you were running the AC? How hot was it in the car and was the back seat vent to cool the batteries blocked by anything? You didn't have a radiator leak and the car overheated, did you?