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traction control going bonkers

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by owengerig, Dec 28, 2011.

  1. owengerig

    owengerig New Member

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    To some degree this problem has seemed to evolve. first it started when going over large bumps i would get a warning symbol for a second then it would disappear.
    Then 2 days ago i got new tires and they cleared the computer. Now whenever im driving at high speeds 65-75mph the traction control icon will come on and start negating my gas pedal. it blinks and does not steadily do it, its more of a pulse (turning on every second or so).
    the roads are not slippery and my tires are not spinning (other then how they should spin when driving).
    has anyone had this problem before? and if so what was the fix?
     
    #1 owengerig, Dec 28, 2011
  2. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

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    You might want to see if you can move this - you are in the v forum - for the new wagon.

    The traction light blinking when you go over a bump for a split second is exactly what happens to me and from my understanding it is normal - the light blinks on because there is a bit of tire slip.

    The fact that it is now going on at speed is something that would worry me and I would believe is related to the new tires. When it cuts the gas it is doing just what it is supposed to do - it is trying to limit wheel slip. If it were me I'd start out by checking the pressure and making sure that they are all set properly and then I'd also make sure that they put the exact same tire and size on each wheel and then take a look at the tread - this is all likely ok, but is easy to check out. If all that is ok then I'd bring it back to the tire shop. When they installed the tires did you have an alignment done?
     
    #2 stevemcelroy, Dec 28, 2011
  3. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    are those the same size/brand tires? inflated to the same pressure? defective tire?

    the traction might kick in if tires different and rotate at different RPM.
     
    #3 cyclopathic, Dec 28, 2011
  4. owengerig

    owengerig New Member

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    good call on the tire stuff ill check that out and get back to you guys. thank you all for the replies
     
    #4 owengerig, Dec 28, 2011
  5. owengerig

    owengerig New Member

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    ya one of the tires they put on was the wrong size. Thanks again all!
     
    #5 owengerig, Dec 28, 2011
  6. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    This is really bad; the differential is designed to work only when car is turning, which is a small % not all the time. This is bad for MPG but also may wear gears quickly.

    The friend of mine had a souped up 4x4 stolen. Then they took off his wheels and put what they could find (tires of different sizes) and ran it to junk yard to strip it down. Needless to say <100mi messed up gears pretty well; he had hard time with insurance to get it covered

    For this reason on FWD you'd better keep similar tires up front. If front has a flat, I never put doughnut; always 2 rear tires to front as they will be matched/worn better good luck.
     
    #6 cyclopathic, Dec 29, 2011
  7. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    Very good point/post. Something to commit to "memory".
     
    #7 tv4fish, Dec 29, 2011
  8. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    speaking of flats you'd better off carrying a small compressor/plug kit. Unless it is a catastrophic failure it is easier to plug tire then do the change. Esp front one since you can usually turn wheel out and do it w/o taking tire off.

    Doughnut on front would be o'k for <5mi just to get home good luck
     
    #8 cyclopathic, Dec 30, 2011
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