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vsc/trac light

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Bornloser, Jan 19, 2017.

  1. Bornloser

    Bornloser Junior Member

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    I just bought girlfriend a 2010 Prius. Had to look hard to find one with the heated seats she wanted, but found one several hundred miles away. When he delivered it, it was being towed 2 wheels down, and when he started it, it had the vsc/trac light on, even though we were not moving. He said this was common for one that was towed and light would go out after 10 starts..
    Is this true, and if not, how do I clear it?
    Thanks
     
    #1 Bornloser, Jan 19, 2017
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    That is not really true, did he tow with the rear wheels down?

    Disconnect the 12v battery negative for a few seconds. That might clear it. If it comes back, you've got a problem
     
    #2 JC91006, Jan 19, 2017
  3. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    If he towed it with the ignition on then yes rear wheels down may have caused the light or something to do with the steering angle sensor. There's no reason to leave the ignition on except to keep it in neutral, which is not necessary with rear wheels down.


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    #3 trentofdestiny, Jan 19, 2017
  4. Bornloser

    Bornloser Junior Member

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    I cant state if ignition was on, but rear wheels down. Ill disconnect 12v and check. Ill post back tonight.
    Thanks
     
    #4 Bornloser, Jan 19, 2017
  5. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    That's good, the way it was towed, anyway. As stated above, if the light comes back on after battery disconnect, then there exists a hard fault. In that case, an auto parts store may be able to read your code (just ask if they can read ABS codes because that's the computer we are dealing with).


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    #5 trentofdestiny, Jan 19, 2017
  6. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

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    Drive 2blocks and it will clear
     
    #6 tankyuong, Jan 20, 2017
  7. Bornloser

    Bornloser Junior Member

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    It never cleared by itself...I checked it with MY scanner and found no codes. Long story short, I took it to a dealer that tried to charge me 300 diagnostic fee. After all said and done, no charge, they cleared the error. It takes Techstream to clear it.
     
    #7 Bornloser, Feb 1, 2017
  8. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    Sounds like it could've needed some type of relearn or initialization. Hard to say. Probably says what they did exactly on your paperwork though.


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    #8 trentofdestiny, Feb 1, 2017
  9. Bornloser

    Bornloser Junior Member

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    Paperwork says left and right speed sensors at $295 each, diagnostics minimum 3 hours
     
    #9 Bornloser, Feb 1, 2017
  10. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    Ooh sounds like it was towed with ignition on, rear wheels moving, front wheels not. If the towing company had damaged the wiring to the sensors, the error would not have been able to be cleared without repair


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    #10 trentofdestiny, Feb 1, 2017
  11. Bornloser

    Bornloser Junior Member

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    Yeah, I think they read the codes, told me the sensors were bad (and they were not), tried to milk me for un-needed repairs, then cleared the codes and found there was no recurring code because they weren't bad.
     
    #11 Bornloser, Feb 1, 2017
  12. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    Ugh. Makes sense though. An important part of the diagnostic process is to clear it and see if it comes back, after recording all pertinent codes and data.


    iPhone ?
     
    #12 trentofdestiny, Feb 1, 2017
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