Please help with a Master Warning Light Problem

cpagal · 08-19-2006, 10:07 PM

Hello. I am a new Prius owner having just gotten my 2006 Prius less than 2 months ago. Tonight I was sitting in my living room and heard what I thought was a car alarm going off. I looked out the window and my Prius' lights were going off & on and the horn was sounding. I ran outside to the car to see what was going on. I got into the car and somehow got the horn to quit sounding (I have no idea how though). I tried to power it up. The dash lights came on, but the MFD did not. One of the warning lights showing on the dash was the big triangle light. I tried to put the car in reverse to see if it would move and it wouldn't. I then turned to car back off & tried to power it up again with the same results.

I went into the house to tell my husband that the Prius was dead. After a few minutes I went back outside to get the owner's manual. While there I tried to power up the car again. This time it came up just like normal. I looked at the MFD I had about 6 bars on my battery. I sat in the car for maybe about 3 minutes just looking at the book and gauges and such and all of a sudden my battery was at 2 bars.

I drove the car around a little bit and the battery regained it's charge and the light did not come back on.

Does anyone have any idea what happened?

Bill Merchant · 08-20-2006, 01:17 AM

All that noise sounds like the alarm system was triggered or the Panic button on the fob got pushed. I can't imagine why it wouldn't start, unless you were upset and did something amiss, which I'm not suggesting. If all those lights came on, it may have set a code. I'd suggest you take it to the dealer on Monday, if you can, describe what happened, and see if they can pull a code. Starting the car repeatedly will clear some codes. If you can get the code and tell us, we may be able to help. Lot's of smart Prius people here.

Sometimes strange things happen, but it's good to try to figure out why. Good luck and keep us posted.

It really is a great car. Welcome to PriusChat!

galaxee · 08-20-2006, 12:32 PM

well, there are 2 possibilities. first, someone could have set off your car alarm, in which case it was doing its job. otherwise, the car set it off itself, which can be caused by a low 12v battery if i recall correctly.

all the dash lights come on when you put the car into one of the non-ready modes, and the car won't go into drive or reverse. or are you referring to the speedometer cluster?

the second time when you did get the car into ready, you didn't see any sign of the triangle light then?

did you have the air conditioning on while you were sitting in the car? that would drain the battery since the compressor is electric.

Ichabod · 08-20-2006, 12:44 PM

It's also possible with the SKS to get out of the car and walk away while it's still on. Leave it sitting for a while with lights, A/C or something else on, and that's a good way to drain your 12v and set off the alarm (if a low 12v sets off the alarm as Galaxee suggested).

I've walked away from my car without hitting "power" 1 time, but I'm in the habit of locking the doors whenever I get out, so when it beeped at me a few times and wouldn't lock I figured it out.

cpagal · 08-20-2006, 10:27 PM

The lights that came on were the dash lights and where the warning lights are at. When I finally got it in the ready mode, the triangle light was not on. The part that worried me the most was when the MFD did not come on.

Bill could be absolutely correct in stating that I didn't do something right. I'm still new at this & I was definitely in a panic. There is a possibility that I could have accidently put it in the accessory only mode and didn't realize it. But I thought that the MFD came on even in accessory only mode.

And, yes, I did have the air conditioner on. I knew the air would drain the battery but I didn't think it would happen that fast.

My first thought when the lights started flashing was that my husband, who was last to drive it, did not lock the doors and it had drained the battery. But he assured me that he had locked the doors.

I'm hoping that it was actually the car alarm going off. But the manual states it will go off if the doors are forcibly opened. Will it go off only if someone tries to get into the car?

**Tideland Prius** · 08-21-2006, 02:58 AM

it's possible you had the door opened hence the red triangle.

08-20-2006, 01:17 AM	#2
Bill Merchant absit invidia Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA \| Oregon \| Portland area \| 97004 \| Posts: 4,100 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #5 Thanks: 18 Thanked 10 Times in 8 Posts Friends: 60	All that noise sounds like the alarm system was triggered or the Panic button on the fob got pushed. I can't imagine why it wouldn't start, unless you were upset and did something amiss, which I'm not suggesting. If all those lights came on, it may have set a code. I'd suggest you take it to the dealer on Monday, if you can, describe what happened, and see if they can pull a code. Starting the car repeatedly will clear some codes. If you can get the code and tell us, we may be able to help. Lot's of smart Prius people here. Sometimes strange things happen, but it's good to try to figure out why. Good luck and keep us posted. It really is a great car. Welcome to PriusChat! __________________ Bill Bill.Merchant@PortlandHSD.info 2007 NL 5 Silver Wraith • 2005 BC 6 Silver Cloud Portland Area HSD Meetup Group: PortlandHSD.info Become carbon neutral: Carbonfund.org or TerraPass.com > < Follow me on

08-20-2006, 12:32 PM	#3
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 93 Times in 37 Posts Friends: 26	well, there are 2 possibilities. first, someone could have set off your car alarm, in which case it was doing its job. otherwise, the car set it off itself, which can be caused by a low 12v battery if i recall correctly. all the dash lights come on when you put the car into one of the non-ready modes, and the car won't go into drive or reverse. or are you referring to the speedometer cluster? the second time when you did get the car into ready, you didn't see any sign of the triangle light then? did you have the air conditioning on while you were sitting in the car? that would drain the battery since the compressor is electric. __________________ black 2005 prius, a few mods that make me happy g: class of '09 in intense science DH: class of '09 in medical equipment hoping to discover the 'reward' part of the sacrifice-reward cycle soon!

08-20-2006, 12:44 PM	#4
Ichabod Artist In Residence Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newton, MA Posts: 1,793 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Friends: 7	It's also possible with the SKS to get out of the car and walk away while it's still on. Leave it sitting for a while with lights, A/C or something else on, and that's a good way to drain your 12v and set off the alarm (if a low 12v sets off the alarm as Galaxee suggested). I've walked away from my car without hitting "power" 1 time, but I'm in the habit of locking the doors whenever I get out, so when it beeped at me a few times and wouldn't lock I figured it out. __________________ 2006 Barcelona Red Metallic - a.k.a. "The Professor" :: Accessories/Mods :: BT Tech Stiffening Plate - Engine Block Heater - OEM EV button - OEM Mud guards - Rear Bumper Protector :: Near-future :: ScangaugeII

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08-19-2006, 10:07 PM	#1
cpagal Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 4 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Hello. I am a new Prius owner having just gotten my 2006 Prius less than 2 months ago. Tonight I was sitting in my living room and heard what I thought was a car alarm going off. I looked out the window and my Prius' lights were going off & on and the horn was sounding. I ran outside to the car to see what was going on. I got into the car and somehow got the horn to quit sounding (I have no idea how though). I tried to power it up. The dash lights came on, but the MFD did not. One of the warning lights showing on the dash was the big triangle light. I tried to put the car in reverse to see if it would move and it wouldn't. I then turned to car back off & tried to power it up again with the same results. I went into the house to tell my husband that the Prius was dead. After a few minutes I went back outside to get the owner's manual. While there I tried to power up the car again. This time it came up just like normal. I looked at the MFD I had about 6 bars on my battery. I sat in the car for maybe about 3 minutes just looking at the book and gauges and such and all of a sudden my battery was at 2 bars. I drove the car around a little bit and the battery regained it's charge and the light did not come back on. Does anyone have any idea what happened?

08-20-2006, 10:27 PM	#5
cpagal Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 4 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	The lights that came on were the dash lights and where the warning lights are at. When I finally got it in the ready mode, the triangle light was not on. The part that worried me the most was when the MFD did not come on. Bill could be absolutely correct in stating that I didn't do something right. I'm still new at this & I was definitely in a panic. There is a possibility that I could have accidently put it in the accessory only mode and didn't realize it. But I thought that the MFD came on even in accessory only mode. And, yes, I did have the air conditioner on. I knew the air would drain the battery but I didn't think it would happen that fast. My first thought when the lights started flashing was that my husband, who was last to drive it, did not lock the doors and it had drained the battery. But he assured me that he had locked the doors. I'm hoping that it was actually the car alarm going off. But the manual states it will go off if the doors are forcibly opened. Will it go off only if someone tries to get into the car?

08-21-2006, 02:58 AM	#6
Tideland Prius Moderator of the North Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 19,606 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: N/A Package: Technology Package (Canada) Thanks: 227 Thanked 344 Times in 243 Posts Friends: 23	it's possible you had the door opened hence the red triangle.