Will not go over 65 mph

Are there crucial facts missing: there's a combo kayak/bike rack on top, it's towing a horse trailer, the hatch is filled with cinderblocks for the friend's dorm bookshelf business, ...?

 

Something doesn't add up here. If it's that new, see what the dealership says

 

The rated load limit is 825 pounds.

They do know to stop immediately if they get the check engine light or the big "!"?

 

Oh god, you might as well stop typing right there.



I'd rather push my car 10 miles than take a chance on an Iffy Boob. The horror stories are ... horrible

 

Just guessing here, but doesn't the flashing VSC light mean the car is getting bad VSC data from a sensor? As a result the car could be backing off on the throttle. Anyone?

 

The skidding yellow car icon is Traction Control or "slip indicator light" (not VSC). The VSC warning light is not an icon, just the letters "VSC." Which one is it? Or both?

 

Hi Steve,

It would be nice to pin down exactly which warning lights are on.

For fun, when the car gets to your home you might check the engine air filter and the snorkel leading to the engine air filter housing to make sure that:

1) the bottom of the filter is not particularly dirty (which it should not be after only 5K miles), and
2) there are no obstructions leading to the snorkel like a rat nest, a plastic bag, etc.

I'd also suggest that you check the tire air pressure yourself to verify that all four tires are properly inflated, at least 35/33 psi front/rear when cold. Also inspect the tires and wheels to see if any physical damage is evident.

If you don't find any problems there, and assuming that the VSC and/or skidding car warning lights are still on, then I suggest that a Monday morning visit to your local Toyota dealer would be in order.

Good luck.

 

If it's a 2008 Prius, have this guy swing by a dealership and ask them what is wrong. It's all but impossible to properly diagnose second hand/third hand information like this. Too much "he said she said" background noise

 

the only time i've had vsc kick in while trying to gain speed is when my ignition coil was going bad. is the car surging or anything? does he always carry around people? a car full of people with excess driving can flash the oil. i know your car is new.. but i did that with synthetic. (if anyone knows excess weight in their prius.. it's me...)

 

I was trying to state the fact that we have nowhere near enough data to work with. It's not your car, your son was in it. Your son relayed data to you, and you relayed data to us

It has been my experience that such relay of data is fraught with errors and inconsistencies. The HSD is a very complex system, to delve into all the possible fault codes requires the Toyota diagnostic tool.

A generic diagnostic tool cannot command the HSD system, and cannot retrieve all the codes. A generic OBD tool will retrieve Federally mandated OBD II data, that's it

 

He thinks a combination of a longer oil change interval, and very hard driving, caused the oil to evaporate and his engine ran low on oil

 

they're not running on the spare tire, are they?
skidding car icon is traction control, so one of the wheel sensors is probably giving a faulty reading. probably related to a wheel impact on a curb somewhere.