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ABS, Skid, Brake & TPMS Lights - Electrical Issue?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by R_W, Sep 8, 2018.

  1. R_W

    R_W Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    This may sound like an odd question, but after trying to no avail to do the "finger dance" on my navigation screen, I can certainly see where it's not outside the realm of possibilities.

    Our Prius had been working great, then the other day my wife clipped a trash can with the passenger side mirror. It broke the plastic and she said the wires were all that was holding it up, before she temporarily taped it in place. I've yet to untape the mirror, but she got it taped-up shortly after the incident, then continued on to her meeting.

    After her meeting, she saw that the ABS, Brake, Skid Control and TPMS lights were all lit on the dash. She's not certain if they remained on after the car had been restarted a couple of times, so she didn't remember to mention them walking in the door and when I took the car to the store a short time later I didn't notice the warning lights, but they were there in all their glory when I started home.

    Another thing we've noticed since this started two days ago, the brake boost pump continuously, rhythmically repeats when the car's running, even if the brakes are not engaged. Neither of us are sure this is new because we live in Florida and you can't really hear it over the air conditioning and road noise, but now that I've been trying to diagnose the brake light issue, we know the pump sound is there.

    As for actual functionality, the brakes seem to be working fine and we haven't noticed any real problems, but it's only been a couple of days and we have not driven far.

    Another issue which may be related, if the problem might be electrical caused by the passenger side mirror: last night I saw that the driver's side headlight wasn't working on low. It works on high beam and the other two lights associated with it are working, as is the other side of the car, but the driver's side low beam does not.

    Any ideas? We have had no relationship with the local dealer, so maybe they're the best people in the world, but it's a huge dealership with many locations and there are a lot of retirees around. I've always been a DIY guy when it comes to car repair, though sometimes something might be too much or I don't have time and then I'll enlist the help of a garage, but I haven't taken a car to a dealership in decades and even when I take a car to my trusted (regular car) mechanic, I like to have done enough research to know what to expect. This includes reading, searching and sometimes creating forum posts.

    Any thoughts? We've only had this Prius we bought used for a couple of years and this is really the first problem we've had. It's a 2010. When registering for this account I chose III because that's the name of the forum, but "Prius" and "Hybrid" is all that's actually written on the car.

    Thanks

    ETA) The 12v battery is the car's second and only a couple of years old.

    PS) An extra thanks to all the people who have answered all of the other questions on this site. These forums have been a real resource in learning about and maintaining this car.
     
    #1 R_W, Sep 8, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2018
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Your car has three unrelated problems:

    1. Replace the driver's side halogen headlight bulb.
    2. Replace the broken passenger side mirror.
    3. It is likely that the brake pressure accumulator or actuator is leaking pressure, which causes the pump to run more than it should. If the DTC logged by the skid control ECU are retrieved, that may help to determine what the problem is.
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Check the mail too: this notice is just going out, timely.
     
  5. R_W

    R_W Junior Member

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    @Patrick: The three problems being unrelated makes sense, especially if we were talking about a normal (old-fashioned) car, but the coincidence of all three happening on the same day with a vehicle with so many systems, which it appears you may even be able to reboot, prompted me to ask if anyone that they could be related. Thanks.

    @Mendel (and/or anyone/everyone): Best I can tell, my car falls into the production dates on the Service Notice. If I run the VIN, "first use" and "order date" are several months before the cut-off and I doubt it sat around for over a year. I assume that because we're within the "primary coverage" period I'm covered, even though I'm the second owner of the car, but because I've never had to act on a Service Notice in the past, I'm not certain.

    (Of course, I also don't know if "Customer Support Program ZJB" applies to me, but I hope.)

    I've yet to search this forum and the larger web for the codes listed. Does anyone know offhand some symptoms or indications of C1391, C1252, C1256 or C1253 or whether any might include a constant, repetitive cycling of the brake boost pump even when the brakes aren't engaged or when the car is in park? My understanding from a little cursory research is that they would illuminate at least some of the brake-related warning lights. I have the four in my post title.

    Also, we haven't received the Service Notice about the booster pump yet, but we did get one about the headlights back toward the spring. I was just going to change the bulb, but if I'm going to end-up taking it to a dealer for the brakes, I'll get them to do the lights.

    Now, if I could just find a mirror from a junkyard, so I can get that done before I take it in and go through a hardsell from their shop.

    To Everyone: Thanks
     
    #5 R_W, Sep 9, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2018
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Look at the decal in the driver's door jamb: it should say the month/year of manufacture. Not sure how you track down "first use", as second owner. There must be a way, if Toyota's using this criteria.

    (Interesting, that @Mendel does not give me an alert, since it's not my full user name, but if I click on it it does link to my profile.)
     
  7. R_W

    R_W Junior Member

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    @Mendel I'll look at the stickers again. I got the first use" and "order date" from Toyota's /owners/vehicle-specification form.
    (I would link it. but I'm understandably still under moderation. Wasn't sure if you'd get an alert, but it lets me code names.)

    Thanks
     
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  8. ITBland

    ITBland Active Member

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    Register at Toyota Owner's site, it will tell you first use (All service records show with your name, not the PO.) Click on VIEW SPECS at the top of the page.
     
    #8 ITBland, Sep 9, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2018
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  9. ITBland

    ITBland Active Member

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  10. R_W

    R_W Junior Member

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    Thanks for the heads-up! I replaced the mirror as @Patick suggested using one from a junkyard, then took the car to the dealer with the printout. It took them almost a week, but they gave me a loaner and fixed the pump on Toyota's dime. It was giving one of the appropriate codes and I guess it was just a coincidence that both problems occurred on the same day. Whew! Thanks for the tip!