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Brake, VSC, ABS, ((!)) lights on

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by swhalen06854, Nov 17, 2016.

  1. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    Hi all,
    I have a 2008 Prius that suddenly showed all the lights mentioned above on. I was researching here a little bit and trying to decide what to do about it.

    A little history, the car has 108,000 miles on it and I drive it in the city. I travel about 30+ miles one way to work/school. Usually it's stop and go traffic because I live in atlanta. I've noticed for about two months when I would turn on the car there would be a loud beep and those lights would come on and then go away. This didn't happen all the time. I have also noticed that my MPG has dropped from around 47-48 to 42-43. Not huge but still...

    During the summer months when it was very hot outside, the battery would drain down to purple after sitting a while. Once I could drive normal speeds it would charge no problem.

    So... as I was driving home last night in stop and go traffic, these lights came on. I know I need to replace my brakes but they are not squeaking yet.

    I checked the 12v battery and the results are:
    12.1v
    11.4v when started with no brakes
    14.2v at ready

    I'm not sure where to start. I'm a student and work part time so I'm on a limited budget.

    Thanks for your input!
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Oy vey. How long have you had the car, and have you ever had them inspected?

    As to the warning lights, there will be codes stored. The dealership is best bet to recover those codes, suggest a course of action. For about $100?

    Get it load tested. Battery retailers should have digital load tester, can assess it's viability, likely for no charge. The dealership too, might do a similar check for no extra charge, if you have the car in for the brake lights. 12.1 volts at rest indicates a near-dead battery. Likely time to replace.

    Yeah it sounds like heat/time are taking a toll. But cross that bridge when you get to it?
     
  3. JohnnyPrius

    JohnnyPrius Junior Member

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    Get your OBD2 codes read for you. Some places will do it for free. My 2007 had a failed left front speed sensor. Rock Auto sells them. They are pretty easy to replace. You should check the tone ring on the axle. Pull out the speed sensor and use a flashlight to look at the ring inside a you rotate the axle. The teeth should be uniform, you are looking for signs of contact with the speed sensor, or a crack in the tone ring. It's a very sensitive system. If the speed sensor goes out it can impact your mileage because the computer will not use regenerative breaking, and the traction control will not work properly either. I've replaced both front sensors due to general failure.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  4. JohnnyPrius

    JohnnyPrius Junior Member

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    Also, carefully wipe the sensor with a clean, soft cloth. Even the smallest metal shavings that stick to the magnet will throw it of. It's a magnet with a coil wrapped around it.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  5. johnjohnchu

    johnjohnchu Active Member

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    I had exactly the same set of warning lights came on suddenly a few years back. Mileage also went down. It turned out to be one of the electric cable to the speed sensor. Speed sensor itself can be tested with an ohm meter. Got a replacement cable from junk yard and spliced it. Had to do some unique procedure to erase the stored error codes.
     
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  6. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    The codes I got back were
    P1116
    P1121

    Would the coolant valve make the other lights come on?
     
  7. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    No, both of those are to do with the ICE coolant loop. They will light the MIL (message Information Light aka CEL (Check Engine Light)). I suspect the code reader you used (are using) is not able to read many of the other computers including the ABS computer; there are brake system related related codes which your code reader are not seeing.
     
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  8. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    So, a follow up on this thread. I ended up having my brake actuator replaced, luckily under warranty, which cleared all the crazy lights.
    After a few days I began to back out of the driveway and I got the red triangle of death, vsc, cel, and ((!)) lights.
    The codes are P0A80 and P3023 - which looks like my HV battery is dead. Could it be possible the 12v throws these codes or am I really out $1500 for a remanufactured battery?
     
  9. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    A low 12v battery can cause all sorts of weird anaomlies.
    Hard to say witch ones you will get.

    But the reality is those are very specific hybrid battery codes.
    Unlikely to just randomly appear because of a low 12v.

    You'll likely be out more than $1,500 if you want a reputable re manufactured battery with a warranty.
     
  10. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    I was looking at a Dorman for 1400.00 (before tax). 3 year warranty.
     
  11. sf31

    sf31 Junior Member

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    I had the same lights come on with my 2006 prius my friend did my brakes, (limited income too) took to dealer because he did not reset the brakes correctly and hook up computer cause the lights to come on but no other problems

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  12. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    Okay. We changed the HV battery to a dorman. In the process the 12v died so we jump started the car and let it let it charge for a while. The car finally started and I drove about 15 miles. The display looked normal.

    Then I pull in to park and I get the same red triangle, vsc, and ((!)) lights. I park and turn off the car. I try to turn it back on about 10-15 minutes later and it wouldn't start. About an hour later we check the codes and there's none. Hit the clear button and suddenly the car starts.

    Is this the 12v? Is it because it died? What do we do now? I'm just vomiting money in this car so what's one more thing?
     
  13. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    12v battery should not have died.
    When working on the car, unhook the 12v battery.

    To get a better idea of what is going on you will need to scan the car to get the codes.
    Otherwise we may be just giving you a random guess.

    - Test the health of the 12v battery.
    - Check that the orange plug fully seated.
    - Go back and check that the connections at the battery terminals are properly torqued. (You used a torque wrench on the High Voltage connections, as opposed to just "guessing that they were tight", right?)
    - Check the plug connections at the ECU, etc

    I should have also said to feel free to call me if you want.
     
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  14. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    The 12v was getting low, so replaced. Everything cleared up. Drove 87 miles today when code c1310 appeared.
     
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    DTC C1310 is posted by the skid control ECU and means the hybrid drivetrain has a problem. Hence the hybrid vehicle ECU probably has logged other DTC which would further pin down the nature of the problem.

    Are you using the same code reader as was cited in your post #8 above?
     
  16. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    Yes. Same one
     
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I am wondering why P0A80 hasn't also reappeared, in that case.
     
  18. swhalen06854

    swhalen06854 New Member

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    Oh who knows! Also now getting c1241. I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow morning. I can't deal with it anymore.
     
  19. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    DTC C1241 is logged by the skid control ECU and means that ECU detected abnormally low voltage on the 12V bus. That might be caused by a discharged 12V battery (did you fully charge the new battery prior to installation?) or could be caused by a flaky ABS1 or ABS2 relay.

    Check the tightness of the 12V battery cable connections, including the negative cable where it bolts to the body.

    Do you have a digital multimeter? If so, measure voltage across the 12V battery when the Prius is READY. The reading should be ~13.8VDC which shows the DC/DC converter is operational. Also look for fluid turbulence in the inverter coolant reservoir which shows the inverter coolant pump is operational.

    However if you wish to rely upon the dealer now, that would be a reasonable step to take.
     
    #19 Patrick Wong, Dec 11, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2016
  20. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    This just happened to me today. Brake pedal seemed high and needed to be pressed harder than normal.
    Pulled into a store, shut off the car, and left it alone for a while. Came back to the car & lights still came on.

    Turned car off & on several times, most of lights went out (triangle of death remained). Brake feel was back to normal.

    Turned car off & on maybe 5 times. Triangle of Death gone. Everything back to normal.

    I think I must have been driving with the parking brake set. I don't press it that hard on the level, so I could have been driving almost normally and not noticed. But the drag was enough to upset the ABS/VSC. Can the Brake light come on for any other condition than parking brake set?

    Haven't pulled any codes yet. Bet I just wasted some rear brake lining. Think I'll carry my Techstream & cable with me for the next few days...