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Red Triangle of DOOM - '06 w/69k miles - Halp meh!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Dodey23, Oct 18, 2010.

  1. Dodey23

    Dodey23 New Member

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    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    III
    So I was driving home last night and went to accelerate and it felt like something slipped, lost acceleration and the red triangle of doom popped up. car worked fine for about 15 seconds then just the electric battery was being used.

    Drove about 100 feet then got no response out of the throttle for anything. Had to push it the rest of the way home.

    Towed it to dealership, been there for 3 hours and they still havent found the point of failure. Once they give me diagnostic codes I will post them.

    Has anyone had a similar experience with their Red Triangle of Doom?

    Car has 69k miles and no extended warranty. I am very scared im going to get fleeced today by a dealership that has very mixed reviews for their service department (marina del rey toyota in SoCal)
     
    #1 Dodey23, Oct 18, 2010
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Two
    The master warning red triangle by itself doesn't tell you much. Its purpose is to advise you to look around to see what other warning lights or MFD icons are on. If you recall what those were, please identify them as well as the DTC when you obtain those.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Oct 18, 2010
  3. pEEf

    pEEf Engineer - EV nut

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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
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    I advise most people to buy an affordable OBDII reader and keep it in the glovebox along with a printout of the DTC's for their model. I've had several people thank me after that purchase saved them an expensive and embarrassing trip to the dealership once they read the codes and discover something silly, such as a P0456 (Fuel cap loose).

    Don't be at the Dealer's mercy for this, Arm yourself!
     
    #3 pEEf, Oct 18, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  4. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    The problem with any low cost OBD reader is that it only reads a small set of standard DTCs, not the Toyota proprietary, Prius specific codes. So for example if there is something wrong with the hybrid system then the cheap reader would not be able to help the diagnosis.
     
    #4 2009Prius, Oct 19, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  5. pEEf

    pEEf Engineer - EV nut

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    True that! I recommend an "affordable" one that will still be effective on the Prius-Specific DTC's. I'm sure there is plenty of information here on this subject that can be located with a search.

    The ScanGauge II is pretty capable, and it has the benefit of adding several other useful features. I'd recommend it as "standard" equipment!
     
    #5 pEEf, Oct 19, 2010
  6. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    uhh, the scangauge doesn't read prius-specific dtcs.
     
    #6 Bob64, Oct 20, 2010
  7. pEEf

    pEEf Engineer - EV nut

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    Wasn't this fixed in the newest software? (3.17)

    If not, what affordable scanner do you know of that definitely can read all DTC's? I know TechStream will do it, but that's way overkill. (and not affordable in any event)
     
    #7 pEEf, Oct 20, 2010
  8. nthach

    nthach New Member

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    Some aftermarket ones made by Actron/Equus on the consumer end, and almost all SPX ones sold by Snap-On/Mac/Matco are capable of reading OEM-specific codes. P1xxx-P4xxx codes are OEM specific. P0xxx are not.
     
    #8 nthach, Oct 23, 2010
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