VSC, ABS, and Power Steering warning lights

1. Check the inverter coolant reservoir for fluid turbulence when the Prius is READY. If you see this then the inverter coolant pump is working.

2. Check your 12V battery voltage. Perhaps it needs to be replaced.

3. If you don't find a problem with 1 or 2 and the warning lights come back on then I suggest you have your car checked by your local Toyota dealer service dept since the lights warn of a potential safety issue.

 

12.1V is low. Especially if your battery is original I suggest you consider replacing it soon.

However the warning lights may be related to another issue.

 

Yep... Your Battery is below the 12.3 volt minimum that people on Prius Chat say indicates if it needs to be replaced or not! Everything gets wacky when the battery is low.

Perhaps this problem is related to an abnormal event that drained your 12 volt before the warning lights came on?

 

I'm here 'because of a used 2007 Prius I got in late Jan... And yea, it's really isn't intuitive. It's more of a preventative maintenance perspective... Batteries officially last 4 years... Some people can get 6 years....

 

Yea, it really isn't intuitive.

But think of it this way... When a load is put on 12.1 volts it's most likely to go below 12v and computers and sensors are only accurate when they have an abundant supply of electrons...

12V Batteries officially last 4 years... Some people can get 6 years... (I got 8 years once on an old Subaru)

But here's what I'm trying to figure out: Can you explain more about your scan gauge problem?

I'm still trying to figure out all the different methods for getting code/clearing code from the car...

5 ways I know how to do this:

1) scan gauge, 2) car/MFD in maintenance mode can get error get codes, 3) code available thru Torque app, 4) code available through CAN system & associated software, 5) code available from authorized Toyota dealers who pay stupid amounts of money for subscription to Toyota's software/firmware toolkit. (Warning: Auto mechanics are not IT guys)

And the very best of all are the Toyota programmers in Japan that wrote the code that runs the cars... They have access to the source code and they know the history of the writing of the code, and they know how to hack the code to make their car run better than ours.

If there is anyone out there who can make sense of all the above options and how they overlap, as well as how they can be used? Or do you know links to some threads about this?

 

A new 12V AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery, fully-charged, will measure 12.9V. 12.1V is near "fully discharged" status.

Battery life typically will be as short as four years in areas with winter snow and as long as six years or more in moderate climates when the battery is kept charged. It can be reduced in very hot climates and also if the car is not driven regularly (since the battery has insufficient opportunity to be charged.)

Your battery is 5-6 years old and that is the length of service to be reasonably expected. It looks like you drive ~10K miles per year which is OK. Southern CA summer weather can be pretty warm depending upon how far from the coast you are.

I won't guarantee that the battery is the cause of your warning lights, but if you have a fresh and fully-charged battery installed then you can rule that out as a cause and there's less chance that you'll experience a no-start incident this coming winter.

 

We call them 12V batteries, however, they are really 12.66V batteries. When turning your car on, there is a large demand for power and the voltage drops. If your battery voltage drops low enough, certain components will begin to malfunction.

Mileage is not really a factor, age is. 5 years is a good life for a battery and a common time for replacement.

Your picture shows the VSC, ABS as well as a third light indicating a issue with the brakes. One possibility is the VSC system malfunctioned during start up due to a weak battery. This could have upset the brake and ABS system shortly after. Your short drive would have re-charged the battery slightly which would explain the normal start up after the power cycle.

Since you are in Los Angeles, I see no reason for you to visit a dealership service dept other then for warranty work. I am an independent repair shop and would be glad to help you out.

Avi