Dash Warning Light

[russ.stevenson]

Hello Folks,

I'm new to the forum. Thanks for having me. I have an '07 Prius with 25k miles on it and yesterday two dash lights came on when I started the thing. One is a triangle with an exclamation point and is located on the dash panel and the other is a car with an exclamation point and is located on the navigation screen. The information screen seems to indicate that the battery is being charged. The owners manual says to take the car immediately to the dealer. Our local dealer has a terrible reputation and I am loathe to take my car there. I suppose the only way to find out what the problem is is to buy the scanner? I like to do my own repairs on my vehicles, but the Prius is a bit intimidating. I'm also not sure if any of these invertors or batteries would still be under warranty after the 12 month/12k mile warranty is expired? Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Russell

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Russell,

The red triangle is the Master Warning light. Its purpose is just to alert you to look around for additional warnings.

The MFD icon is the hybrid system warning icon. This is showing you that the hybrid system has a problem. This is potentially a serious issue. You really need to have the diagnostic trouble codes read to determine the problem.

I suggest that you travel as necessary to find a dealer whom you can trust, since the repair is likely to be covered under warranty. The bumper-to-bumper basic warranty is 3 years/36K miles; while the powertrain warranty is 5 years/60K miles and the hybrid system warranty is at least 8 years/100K miles.

Good luck.

[richard schumacher]

Russell, Prius are reliable cars but complex. So much can go wrong with them it'll turn you white. Don't fool with this; take it to a dealer for proper diagnosis and repair. And read the owner's manual and the scheduled maintenance guide. They will save you bother and expense.

[Bababooey]

Russell,

I recently had the same problem with my 2001 Prius.

Shortly after I started my car the other day, a warning light with exclamation mark on a car appeared on the MultiVisual Display Unit. It has only happened once (so far), but I am concerned that it will happen again and I will need to spend a lot of money to get it fixed.

Did you ever find out what was causing the similar problem with your car? If so, please let me know!

Thank you!

[russ.stevenson]

Hello Again,

We took the car into the dealer this morning and it took them about an hour and a half to fix the problem. They said that the computer needed to be updated - whatever that means. They also said that the computer was giving false a reading concerning the temperature of the engine coolant - that it was taking too long for the engine to heat up. It's all Greek to me. They did fix the problem in a timely fashion. Oh, I also purchased a new cabin air filter whilst there - $20.

Thanks for all of your help. It's nice to have a forum like this to share information with other Prius owners.

Russell

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Russell,

Does your repair invoice show the DTC (diagnostic trouble codes) logged?
Which ECU's firmware was updated (i.e., engine, hybrid vehicle, or ?) I had not heard that 2007 models are subject to a firmware update.
Were any physical parts replaced as part of the repair?

Thanks!