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Master Warning Light, Malfunction Indicator, VSC, (!), and Hybrid System Warning on Screen

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by seanmcp, Jun 19, 2011.

  1. seanmcp

    seanmcp Junior Member

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    In my one-owner purchased-new 2005 Prius w/ 74K miles and w/ no maintenance/accident history other than doing all scheduled maintenances at Toyota Dealers along w/ recalls applicable at each time (other than we had Toyota replace the 12V battery last year just because I knew it would die at some point anyway and I don't like pushing my luck; I'm not 100% certain if there's been a recall on any water pump for this car and if so, don't believe the dealer has mentioned it), I have the following indicators which appeared all at once while I was driving along at around 45 MPH in no unusual circumstances (80F, dry afternoon, about 30 minutes into a trip of mixed speeds, no loads in the vehicle, no effect on the car while driving):

    From Left to Right on the display:

    1) Red Triangle - Master Warning Light
    2) Orange (Symbol)CHECK - Malfunction Indicator Lamp
    3) Orange (!) - Brake Warning Light (but it didn't highlight the word 'Brake' in red)
    4) Orange VSC - Vehicle Stability Control Warning Light

    On the Screen:
    Orange Car w/ the ! symbol - Hybrid System Warning Light

    We immediately aimed for the house (about 5 miles away); the car drove perfectly fine, with the engine stopping and starting at lights as needed, with speeds going from the 55MPH we were traveling at the time of the alarms down to 0 and back up thru 35/45 MPH and such per normal off-interstate driving. The battery currently shows all the blue bars, and the engine and hybrid systems showed charge/discharge as usual as we drove. There was no discernible change in the driving reaction of the car to brake, steering, accelerator, etc.

    I drove to the house, parked it in the side lot, and took photos before turning the car off. We've tried to identify any issue, but all I can detect is a VERY slight 'groan' from the passenger rear wheel if I press the brake while the car is 'On' (not in accessory - ready to drive but in park). I'm taking it to Toyota in the AM (only a few minute drive from the house), but thought I'd see if anyone had any ideas? I'm pondering hydraulics on the brake/regen assembly, but hadn't heard of anyone having something just go 'doink' like this w/o warning or obvious effect :) There's no leak of any kind visible after it's sat for a bit, and it starts back up just fine (but has the lights). Nothing under the hood or that I can *see* around that wheel is visibly wrong and I may just only hear the groan now because I'm trying to spot an issue and assumed 'wheel assembly' since I got (!) and VSC lights, and figured only a regen motor or hydraulic brake+regen issue would get that set of lights.

    There's been NO trauma to the car of any kind; my wife and I were in the car in no particular hurry, we've had no accidents or jolts on the highway (bad potholes, etc), and the last service was around a thousand miles ago w/ the only non-'oil-change' type of thing being new tires.Everything has been fine. We do have a 7-year 100K Toyota Warranty and a great relationship w/ our dealer (just bought a brand new Camry there recently), so I'm 'scared for my baby' but not in any financial panic or whatnot.

    Any info appreciated, although I may get lucky and have good info back from the dealer in the AM if I can get over there before work. Thanks!
     
  2. mikewithaprius

    mikewithaprius New Member

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  3. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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  4. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Put your 12v battery on a charger if you have one, before driving to the dealer. If the inverter cooling pump shut down, then so did the 12V DC converter, and the 12V battery has been partially drained. You can also check for proper inverter cooling pump function by checking the reservoir for flow/turbulence with the car in Ready.
     
  5. seanmcp

    seanmcp Junior Member

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    12v was replaced by Toyota w/ new last fall as mentioned above. Service signal check showed me 12.6v last night w/ 12.2v at display after second power button press and 14.1 after putting car into ready state; left interior light on for an hour this AM and retested and got .1v lower results afterwards for starting voltage but was back up after driving the car the couple of miles to the dealer. I drove it in as Car at ready doesn't seem to have the inverter pump running. That's kind of what I expected it might be and thus the mention at first post. Will see what dealership says once they open shortly. Posting via phone, sorry for short note :)
     
  6. seanmcp

    seanmcp Junior Member

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    Yup, seems to be the inverter pump. New one will be put in tomorrow AM, so they did all the other 75K mile items for me today since it was basically due and I'll get a break on the labor from the usual price since they're doing the warranty work at the same time (I like my dealer; they never try to sell me crap I don't need, tell me I can't use the tires I want, etc). Yay for an easy and semi-expected 'part lifespan' item; I knew the water pump issue existed, but it hadn't been listed as an actual recallable item from what I can see, as opposed to a bulletin. That poses the question: Should this actually be something I should have received as a true recall notice? I've received the others for the floor mats, steering column tweaks, etc (and had them all addressed as appropriate).
     
  7. mikewithaprius

    mikewithaprius New Member

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    Sean, for what it's worth, I never received a notice from Toyota, which I thought was sort of weird, too. Luckily I had seen it all over the place on PriusChat.
     
  8. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    That's an interesting data point, that the DC converter will work once the inverter has cooled down, even with P0A93 in the system. Thanks for sharing your story and a positive outcome. You are lucky to have an honest and competent local dealership.
     
  9. andyprius

    andyprius Senior Member

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    Was not actually a recall, I think it was called a Limited service campaign, or something like that. I learned of it thru PC. Another good reason to use PC:rockon:
     
  10. kimseongjae

    kimseongjae Junior Member

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    I have a '05 with a 170K miles. I have already replaced the pump before the recall. I would say I have driven quite a few miles since the first pump replacement. However, I just had the same symptoms of all the lights including the car logo with a exclamation point on my Nav. screen come on. I can hear the electric motor /pump running after shutting off the car- A short winning noise from the driver's side. So, I'm not sure if it's the inverter cooling pump. I did noticed the engine cooling fan coming on more often recently than before.
    I Just unplugged the rear 12 v. battery for about 10 min. and all the warning lights went away. I'll let you know if it comes back. If it comes back after few miles of driving, I can assume it may be the pump again. Is there a warranty on this replacement part? I'm probably out of luck if it is the pump.
     
    #10 kimseongjae, Jun 9, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2014
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Check your usual oil and coolant levels first. If the warning lights return, you should have it read for codes. I don't think it's your pump, possibly a coolant valve problem.

    SM-N900P ?
     
  12. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    No assumptions needed. Just make the car Ready and look inside the inverter coolant reservoir. There should be ripples on the surface showing fluid motion.
     
  13. kimseongjae

    kimseongjae Junior Member

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    Update on the warning lights issue after reset--
    The car drove fine. While driving, I did noticed that battery meter was doing funny unusual thing. One minute the charge was full to green then another minute, its totally empty- purple. The car seems to charge to regular blue bars. The lights came on again. So, I disconnected the battery and it went away. It drove fine for a short trip. Noticed the same erratic charging pattern going from full to empty. But this time, it wasn't charging or holding the charge compared to first time. Going up hill, the warning lights came back on and the car hesitated- lacking power. Also noticed the hybrid battery cooling fan running next to the right driver passenger seat. Continuing on , noticing more that the battery was not holding the charge although the engine was charging it. This was last night and I was going to scan the car next morning to see what kind or error message I would get ( waiting for the newly ordered OBD scanner).
    This morning, I was surprised to find that the car didn't start. The remote and headlight worked fine. Check the 12V. and it read 12.4 V. So, I am guessing it's not the starter battery. Now, I can't even scan the car. It doesn't turn on- nothing.

    At 9 years and 170,000 mi. Is this a classic sign of hybrid battery needing replacement?
     
  14. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Yes it is. You have gotten the full use out of that battery pack.

    You can decide if you want to locate a used pack from a salvage yard, rebuild the pack yourself with newer modules, get a rebuilt pack from a commercial rebuilder, or go with a new one from Toyota. You might try Avi's Advanced Automotive in LA area for advice if you are not a DIY.
     
  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There shouldn't be any issue with the car scanning. It doesn't need to start to pull the codes.
     
    2milgroove and wjtracy like this.
  16. kimseongjae

    kimseongjae Junior Member

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    Thank you everyone. What a comfort knowing that there is a forum like this to share ideas, troubles and solutions. On the subject of reading the error codes with the OBD scanner, there is no life when trying to power up the car with a brake on or off -no response, nothing. Is it possible to scan a car without the ready mode? virtually, the car is dead. By doing some research and getting some feedback from the forum, I've decided to bite the bullet and order the battery from rockauto.com It's a Dorman re-built battery. $1,350. Core charge was $1,080. Standard Fedex 1-6 day ground shipping was $52. This battery comes directly from Rock Auto warehouse in California. Either from San Diego or near San Francisco so I am guessing it will take about 2-3 day shipping. As a matter of fact, it was shipped out the same day with a tracking number. Dorman offered the longest warranty on the re-built battery based on my research- 3 years. The price from Rockauto.com was the least expensive for the same Dorman battery compared to other retailers. The shipping was also less compared to other retailers- $52. Vs. upwards of $300. No tax for ordering from Los Angeles. Out the door, it was about $1,400. I believe priusbuilder.com was about $100 less including shipping. However, the warranty was only 6 months. Therefore, I decided to order from Rock Auto . A Dorman battery for $100 more, I get a 3 year warranty from the company that seems to been around. I am going to replace the battery myself. For those of you who are handy, there are couple of very detailed instructional video on priusbuilder.com and a condensed version on rockauto.com. It's under the "info" within the actual part section by Dorman. It looks to be a straight forward process with some caution during the disconnect and connect. Most of the labor during the stripping of the rear interior and trunk area. I will keep you posted after the exchange. Let's hope it starts! Thx. again.
     
    #16 kimseongjae, Jun 12, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2014
    2milgroove and JC91006 like this.
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The car should not be dead, is your 12v in good condition?

    That's a great price for Dorman, thanks for the info

    SM-N900P ?
     
  18. kimseongjae

    kimseongjae Junior Member

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    I've tested the 12V. Aux. battery with a volt meter and it was good at 12.4V. By the way, the the Optima yellow 12V. battery is gong on its' 5th year now. For those of you needing to replace the Aux. battery, I highly recommend Optima yellow battery. I'm not sure why the car wouldn't light up. Maybe, the car has a shut off switch to preventing the car from being driven when the main battery is completely dead below "Purple" charging bar and unable to charge.
    As for the delivery of Dorman Battery by rockauto.com, it was shipped out from Northern California on the same day (Wed.) Via. Fedex. and the tracking said that it's out for delivery today (Fri) to Los Angeles. So, those of you needing a main battery from Los Angeles area can expect the delivery in 3 days from Rock Auto. Since the stripping the rear end is the most time consuming task, I am going to start before the battery arrives.
     
  19. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There must be some loose connection, you will not have a dead car from a bad hv battery. It may not start but you will have lights on your dash, your radio should work.

    Your yellow top at 5 years old, may or may not be functioning correctly, I would change that out. It would need to be changed in the very near future, why not do it now when you are putting in a new Dorman?

    SM-N900P ?
     
    #19 JC91006, Jun 13, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2014
  20. kimseongjae

    kimseongjae Junior Member

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    The Dorman battery was delivered in the morning. It took 5 hours from start to finish.
    When I tried to start the car with a new battery, it wouldn't start - Nothing. I panicked thinking maybe it wasn't the main battery which caused the problem and eventually a dead car.
    Next, I inserted the remote key into the slot as a last ditch effort. The car came to life! The new battery started to charge. slow at first showing only 2 bars and when I took the car for a spin, the charging was normal. I read somewhere in the forum that it was not a good sign for the drivers to see full green bars to the top and that was not normal charging sequence. The normal full charge should only show 80%- like 6-7 blue bars. Before the battery failure, did see the car charging to full green for about a year. Maybe that is a sign the battery is getting old and it needs to be replaced. With a new battery, it only charges to 80% blue bars- which is said to be correct charging process.
    Going back to the remote being inserted into the slot in order to start the car, I am wondering if the remote problem was there before the battery change. I did have the remote in my pocket instead of having it inserted in the slot on Wed. morning when the car did not turn on. If so, JC91006 might be right. Main battery problem should not have cause the car to die. The remote works to start the car in the slot- locks and unlock when the button is pushed. However, grabbing the handle or pushing the black button on the handle does nothing. I wonder if it has something to do with disconnecting the 12v. battery. Humm... It worked fine when the 12V. battery was changed out before - although I did disconnect it 3 separate times. Does anyone know what the problem might be? Does it need to be programmed again with the new main battery? Is it the 12 V. batt. disconnect or does it have anything to do with disconnect and replacing the main battery. How can I get the touch control and the remote working again on the car? In the end, so far, no warning lights and the car charges and drives fine. Thx.
     
    #20 kimseongjae, Jun 14, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2014