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Theft Deterrent System

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mamamonkey, Jan 4, 2011.

  1. mamamonkey

    mamamonkey New Member

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    Frankly, I didn't know I had this in my 2009 Prius until yesterday when a light began flashing on indicator dash. The light will not stop flashing when car is running. I have tried everything the manual suggests. Any suggestions? Could it be the fuse?
     
    #1 mamamonkey, Jan 4, 2011
  2. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    What does the light look like?
     
    #2 firepa63, Jan 4, 2011
  3. mamamonkey

    mamamonkey New Member

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    It's a red car with a key inside. It is on all the time and slowly flashing.:confused:
     
    #3 mamamonkey, Jan 5, 2011
  4. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    That light is for the engine immobilizer and should only flash when the car is off. It should not be on or flashing when the car is in the READY mode. Since your car is an 09 it should still be under warranty. Take it back to the dealer.
     
    #4 firepa63, Jan 5, 2011
  5. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    In a non-SKS Prius the little red flashing car shuts off whenever the "key" is in it's slot in the dash.

    JeffD
     
    #5 jdenenberg, Jan 5, 2011
  6. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    The OP has a Touring model (according to the profile) so the car has SKS.
     
    #6 firepa63, Jan 5, 2011
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    As stated above, it is normal for the immobilizer icon to flash when the Prius is off. This is a warning to potential car thieves to not bother with your car. The icon should go off when the Prius is in Ready mode.

    Tom
     
    #7 qbee42, Jan 5, 2011
  8. mamamonkey

    mamamonkey New Member

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    It's the darndest thing - the icon never went on before, for close to 20,000 miles now, and suddenly it came on and won't go off. It's making me crazy flashing while I'm driving. I guess I'll have to take it to the dealer. Thanks for the help.
     
    #8 mamamonkey, Jan 5, 2011
  9. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Let us know what the dealer finds and the codes they pull.
     
    #9 firepa63, Jan 5, 2011
  10. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    He can still insert the dongle to see if it stops blinking. This may be a symptom of a week dongle battery.

    JeffD
     
    #10 jdenenberg, Jan 5, 2011
  11. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I would make a fairly substantial wager that the icon flashed before, but you didn't notice it. Your OP is fairly common. If you search you will find many similar threads from new Prius owners who suddenly notice the flashing key for the first time.

    There is another key icon that lights when contact with the key is lost. It is yellow on my 2006.

    If indeed your red immobilizer icon is flashing while underway, this is not normal operation. A trip to the dealer is probably in order. Likewise, 12V battery problems have been known to cause a lot of weird things, so make sure your 12V battery is in good shape.

    Tom
     
    #11 qbee42, Jan 5, 2011
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