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These lights on the dashboard came on... HELP!!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by lunasea, Feb 13, 2016.

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  1. lunasea

    lunasea New Member

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    This morning, I drove my car (a 2006 Prius) to work and back home without any problems. However, a few hours later, my husband took the car to the gym and when he came home he asked me if I'd seen any of the red lights on the dashboard light up. I had no idea what he was talking about so I went to look for myself, and then I saw them. I immediately went into panic mode.

    When I first started the car up to check, the screen showed me this:
    [​IMG]

    Then I took a picture of the lights on the dashboard:
    [​IMG]

    Right after I took that second picture, I looked back at my screen and it showed that the battery level had dropped quite a bit (I didn't drive it at all and the car was turned on not even for a minute):
    [​IMG]



    I've been scouring the internet looking for possible explanations... Some people said that it was because the oil level was low? Apparently, for cars with lots of miles on the odometer (mine has about 102k) it's common to burn up oil at a faster rate than normal?

    Except when my husband checked the oil, the oil came out clean and it certainly wasn't depleted. He'd just changed the oil about 3 weeks ago.

    Is it the battery? Which battery is it? How much does it cost to replace? @___@

    Please help! :(

    EDIT:

    I looked around some more online and figured out how to check the charge of the 12v battery or something?

    So I turned the car on, held the Display button, and turned my lights on and off three times to get to the green and white screen. And it's showing this:
    [​IMG]

    Now I'm really confused...
     
    #1 lunasea, Feb 13, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2016
  2. sillylilwabbit

    sillylilwabbit Active Member

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    If your 12v battery is 5 years old, I would say it is the 12v battery.

    Replace it.



    You have to load test the battery to get a better idea if the battery is on its last legs.


    iPhone ?
     
    #2 sillylilwabbit, Feb 13, 2016
  3. lunasea

    lunasea New Member

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    I don't suppose there's a way for me to somehow buy a 12v battery and replace it myself, is there? T_T I have no idea where to even begin looking for one.

    The Prius manual says that basically if any of the lights on the dashboard come on, you have to take it to a dealer. But I've been told that doing so costs a lot more money than it really needs to so... argh. I definitely need to calm down. -_-
     
    #3 lunasea, Feb 13, 2016
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Given the photos you provided, your car has a few issues:

    1. The red icon in the top left corner of the MFD is the key indicator your car has a very serious issue. That icon means that the hybrid drivetrain has a problem. The problem could be the high voltage traction battery, or could be something else. The presence of the check engine light implies that the engine also has a problem. Also note that one of the brake warning lights ((!)) is on, but that may be related to the hybrid drivetrain problem.
    2. If you want to figure the problems out yourself, you need to retrieve the diagnostic trouble codes. The best device for doing so is Mini VCI which requires use of an older laptop, either Windows XP or Windows 7, 32 bit OS.
    3. The screen shot showing the 12V battery voltage was taken when the Prius is READY. That shows you that the DC/DC converter within the inverter is working properly. It is also important to see what the 12V battery voltage is when the car is not READY, because then you will be seeing the actual voltage produced by the battery. There are several posts about how to check the battery voltage at each of the various Prius operating modes. Of course, the easiest is to just use a decent digital multimeter for that purpose.
    4. When your husband changed the engine oil, he apparently did not reset the MAINT REQD light. There are many posts about how to easily do that.
    5. Besides MAINT REQD, which of those warning lights were on, prior to today?
    6. The easiest place to obtain the correct 12V battery is at your local Toyota dealer. That will probably cost $200 or so from the parts counter, and the battery will have an 84 month pro-rated warranty. There are many posts about how to replace the battery, that is not a very difficult task if you have reasonable metric tools available. If your husband can change the engine oil then he probably can change the battery.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Feb 13, 2016
  5. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    I would measure the voltage of the 12v battery first. Take it to a dealer to get the codes read. The traction battery may be under warranty. If not ask about goodwill from the dealer and Toyota.
     
    #5 JimN, Feb 13, 2016
  6. lunasea

    lunasea New Member

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    Yeah, he told me that he forgot to turn off the "Maint Reqd" light when he changed the oil. Prior to these pictures, that "Maint Reqd" light was the only warning light on the dashboard that would be lit up while I was driving. He went and got a new 12v battery and should be changing it either later on tonight or tomorrow. Depends on how long it takes for him to figure out how to go about manually opening the trunk since the power locks aren't working now. :unsure:
     
    #6 lunasea, Feb 13, 2016
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, there is a manual lever release which can be accessed by crawling into the hatch area, removing the folding hatch floor, and finding the little rectangular "door" located at the rear of the plastic storage tray over the spare tire. Open up that access and you will see a shiny lever which is the manual hatch lock release.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Feb 13, 2016
  8. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    Your husband will have to manually crawl in the back of the trunk area and remove all of the plastic to get to the battery. I remember when my battery died, the trunk won't open since its electrically control, so I had to crawl to the trunk and remove all of the plastic trims to replace my battery. Let's hope there is a way to open the trunk, good luck :)
     
    #8 NutzAboutBolts, Feb 13, 2016
  9. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Since he has a good 12v battery why can't it be hooked up to the jump point under the hood?
     
    #9 JimN, Feb 14, 2016
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It could be, if the OP's husband has jumper cables that fit the positive jump point.
     
    #10 Patrick Wong, Feb 14, 2016
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