Got a Smog Check for DMV, soon after, warning lights came on, front end is near the ground

So much text, so little useful information!

Let's start with the basics: don't panic.

The side view of the front of the car did not look alarming to me. The bumper cover is where it should be and I don't see anything out of the ordinary. If you stand in front of the car while it is parked on a flat surface, and look at the bumper or hood is one side notably lower than the other, that is relative to the street? I doubt that is the case, but if it was that would indicate a serious suspension issue.

The picture under the car appears to show a splash shield hanging down. That is a nothing burger. There are sheets of thin fairly rigid black plastic under the front of the car whose purpose is to keep water from splashing up and also to control the flow of air. The car will work OK with that hanging, even if it is dragging, although then it may make some noise and could get caught on something and tear clean off. Some areas are attached by metal screws or bolts and others by nylon fasteners. The latter get old, break, and fall out. The former sometimes tear through the plastic if the car lands on a rock or other item in the street. Similar material goes around the wheel well and extends to the front of the bumper cover. The front part of that can break too. The view under the car does not indicate any serious suspension issues.

Regarding the codes, you need to be able to read these yourself while they are present. No more being at the mercy of unscrupulous shops. Also, find out what the problem is immediately, so you can make an informed decision about continuing to drive the car if it is lit up. While there is a way to do this without a reader it doesn't sound like you are at all mechanically inclined, and I'm not going to suggest you even try it. You should buy a code reader. The Autel AP200 Maxi is a popular one on this forum. The price fluctuates, it is currently around $60 on Amazon B07QD4GZW4. It plugs into the OBD2 port under the dash and is accessed using an app on a smart phone. You have to set up an account with Autel, set it for "Toyota", and the phone needs to have working network access to install the software and enable you to use it, but then you will be able to read all the codes. There is no yearly charge to keep the app working. If you want to read another type of car, say a Honda, you would have to purchase support for that yearly. Plug the OBD2 dongle in, start the app, get the car to READY (if possible) and read the codes. Then look up what it/they mean on line. If in doubt, ask in this forum. Note, lesser code readers often cannot read all the codes on this car, the one at an Autozone or O'Reilly's may not be able to.

I am not familiar with the repair shops where you are, so cannot suggest which you should visit. Perhaps somebody else here can help with that.

 

The smog check likely has nothing to do with this. They just read the OBD2 codes, check the gas cap, look in the engine bay and under the car for illegal modifications. If he looked underneath using a mirror on a little wheeled cart with a long handle there is a remote chance he might have nudged the shield if it was already hanging down, and that might have made it worse. But if it did something else was sure to do the same thing pretty soon anyway.

 

Thats just plastic cover sagging, nothing to worry about.

Get some zipties and get under there.

Also once you get a smog, you do NOT have to make copies and drive to the DMV.

They get a digital certificate next day.

 

Walking is good for you

Seriously, you need help and maybe a hybrid Prius is not the best car for you. A conventional car is repairable by any shop buts lots of those shops are scared of hybrids.

It looks like you have a loose panel under the car and it may be scrapping. The car is not lower than normal; you just have a plastic cover that is removed during oil changes but is not secured.

Your dash lights are another bag of worms. First thing I thought was bad brake booster (essentially the complicated hybrid master cylinder). Not low cost but not second mortgage time either.

This could be a serious safety issue.

I would take it to Hybrid Pit and leave it for a diagnostic. Get an appointment and save the car repair war stories for another time.

 

Not to cast aspersions on the Hybrid Pit, but surely there is a good independent mechanic closer than Buena Park, which isn't even in the same county. That would be a really long and expensive tow and if the OP has to get home on public transit it would be 4 or 5 hours. There is a shop named "Prius Doctor" that is close to Sherman Oaks. I don't know a thing about them, but rather than drive all the way to Orange County I would certainly check them out. Push comes to shove, there are a couple of dealer service departments in that vicinity. For the OP, independent mechanics are usually a better choice than the dealerships, which are often referred to as "stealerships" in this forum.

In general I have found that one way to find a good mechanic is to find a car similar to your own (in this case an older Prius) in a parking lot with fast turnover, like a grocery store. Preferably near the place you live (or work). Wait for the owner to come out and then politely ask them where they get it serviced. Do this a few times and when the same name keeps coming up, that is where you go. When we had a Subaru the result was wild, literally all the Subie owners we asked were going to the same guy. So we did too and did not regret it. If the model is really rare (not the case here, I see dozens of Gen2 and Gen3 cars even on a short trip), just ask owners of the same brand. But again, not cars that are still under warranty as those owners are still going to the dealer.

 

I would go to Hybrid Pit with a friend to take me back. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and this gal needs knowledgeable and trustworthy help.

Car insurance often has a tow service but it sounds like she is driving it.

I drive over an hour to get to a qualified but value oriented shop. Its worth it when you are looking at a $2000 brake booster.

When I was in the LA metro last October I drove from one end to the other and back. Its no big deal.

 

Depends on the time of day and which route you are taking. We could drop our kid off at UCLA in 50 minutes early on a Sunday morning. It took 2 to 2.5 hours (typically) at rush hour.