My 2012 Prius V with 172,000 miles started having the oil light comes on even when the oil is full?

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Tina L Moore, May 20, 2026.

  1. Tina L Moore

    Tina L Moore New Member

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    Five
    Yes, that is the light, the dealership ran diagnostics and said it burns oil drive it and check the oil every 1000 miles- gave the car back with the oil light on. Said a new engine would be $7,000 the only one available had 110,000 miles on it and he said that his car does the same thing and he drives it and just checks the oil. Also that the hybrid battery was another factor to consider that will need replacing in the future.
    when I put fuel injection cleaner in (2oz) the light went off for 3 days then back on with a shaky start up for a few seconds.
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    That is new information. One thing to know is Service Advisors at dealerships are usually commissioned salesmen often with no mechanic experience. They try to translate a mechanic's notes to something a typical customer might understand and often lose context in the process.

    Shaky starts could be a sign of a problem. The engines have two common shaky start issues; one is a head gasket leak and a second is a sticking open egr valve. Both can be intermittent, eg not every time or even every day.

    As a result a dealer mechanic might not experience it.

    While unusual, clogged fuel injectors can also cause a shaky start but would normally continue and code as misfires.

    The shakes could be bad enough to reduce oil pressure if the oil pump or oil passages were already partially clogged.

    However the oil light staying on longer than 5 seconds really is not good. It could fail completely at any time.
     
    #22 rjparker, Jun 9, 2026 at 8:41 AM
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2026 at 9:12 AM
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    For a heady moment I thought “huh, $7k (USD) for a new engine, not bad”. Then reality set in.
     
  4. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Tina,

    You need to start seeing other mechanics.
    Immediately.
    Like......before you drive it again.
    As stated before, 99.44% of the time when you see a red oil pressure light then your engine is the process of destroying itself.

    Also, as stated before the "shaky startup" is something else entirely.
    It's like chest pain in a human.
    It could be gas pains.....or......you might be having a heart attack.

    and.....$7,000 for a new, 110,000 mile engine?
    Did they say that with a straight face - or is 110,000 miles the warranty period for the new engine??
     
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Toyota does not sell new engines. You can buy a new short block and separately get a new head as an assembly but that's about it.