Quick flash of red triangle and beep sound

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Dahvid, Apr 17, 2026 at 8:01 PM.

Tags:
  1. Dahvid

    Dahvid Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2024
    44
    0
    0
    Location:
    Usa
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Hello all.

    2008 prius 167k
    Battery not in the greatest shape just under 60% state of charge.

    I've just noticed in the last couple of days that the red triangle just comes on for a second like a blip and the beep sound but then gone.

    I used dr prius and there's no codes

    I heard just the beep yesterday and thought it was the passenger airbag sensor bc I had some stuff in the seat but today I happened to be looking down and saw the triangle illuminate for just a split second and then off. Used dr prius and no codes


    Any thoughts? Thank you
     
    #1 Dahvid, Apr 17, 2026 at 8:01 PM
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    28,140
    18,615
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Were you accelerating, stopping, or turning a corner at the time of the flash and beep?
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Apr 17, 2026 at 8:10 PM
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    13,135
    5,320
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    A quick triangle flash when starting up the car and no error code is usually a near dead 12v battery that needs a heavy charge or replacement.

    A quick triangle flash when hard braking, accelerating or turning a sharp corner fast with no error code is usually because you're two quarts low on oil.

    How's your MPG? How many miles on car? Are you behind on regular maintenance?
     
    #3 PriusCamper, Apr 17, 2026 at 8:11 PM
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 14, 2012
    8,585
    4,357
    0
    Location:
    Wellington, New Zealand
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Dr. Prius only pulls a handful of codes, mostly related to the hybrid vehicle battery, so it is really inadequate for general vehicle diagnostics. It is no surprise that it reports no codes.

    If you are interested in pulling all the codes your car may have, read the first few posts of ⇉ this thread ⇇ and then read the summary in post #37.
     
    #4 dolj, Apr 18, 2026 at 12:22 AM
  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    13,135
    5,320
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Wow, you must have really big hands... As in Dr. Prius deals with most common codes... It's designed as a first responder because you're smart enough to keep an OBD2 in your glove box... With practice, it's super easy to continue driving and plug in an OBD2 and open Dr. Prius App and get a basic sense of vital signs. If the problem gets worse and you have to pull over there's other apps for that in Car Scanner ELM and Autel's OBD system, as well as Toyota Techstream.
     
    #5 PriusCamper, Apr 18, 2026 at 12:27 AM
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)