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Hybrid System Warning Light blinking only when car off

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ceegee, Nov 19, 2018.

  1. ceegee

    ceegee Junior Member

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    The Hybrid System Warning Light (red car with exclamation point in the middle) on my Gen 2 Prius is blinking when the car is powered off. I am able to power the car on and the light goes off. Power off and the light blinks.

    I've searched the forum and see that there are multiple things that trigger this light. I haven' come across a post that mentioned the light blinking only when power is off though.

    I figure I need to get the car plugged in to see diagnostic codes. My biggest concern is will it be safe to drive to the mechanic...or basically, how drivable is the car likely to be?
     
  2. ceegee

    ceegee Junior Member

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    Well, it's 4 hours later and I did go to my mechanic and no error codes came from the diagnostics (I saw the report)...plus the light no longer blinks at all. Mechanic says don't worry, the car is like new. It does have very low mileage (under 50), but being 10 years old, I figure there's good cause to be concerned.

    I'm still curious to know what might have caused the Hybrid System Warning light to blink though, and I'd appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on this.

    Thanks.
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Next time this happens, pls take some clear photos.
     
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  4. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Thats not the master caution your referring to it’s the hybrid vehicle immobilizer/theft deteterent system light. Page 7 owners manual.

    It always blinks if your alarm system is operational. It’s a red car with a car key sideways on it. Normal.
    That’s why there was no diagnosic test codes logged.

    Your thinking and referring to the master caution light. When that is thrown on the dash you will know it as it’s very large and bright.

    But your right about the hybrid battery. Sometimes not driving the car much is harder on that battery than driving it too much and if your battery is healthy I recommend now is the time to invest in a hybrid battery charger/ discharger which really works great on an old but still kinda healthy battery.
    It comes with a cable that must be installed in the hybrid battery and then you just connect the charger
    Periodically to charge it or discharge which really wakes the old battery up.
    You can tell if the battery is getting tired it will tank to one or 2 purple bars just in a drive through or take a long time to go from one purple bar to blue bars. That and your mileage is terrible.

    Use the search forums button up top and search

    Prolong charger.

    Good luck.
     
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  5. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    If you're talking about this light. I too found out it is normal and flashing across all recent Toyota models.
    I never noticed it until a few months ago and it came as a bit of a shock. But it's a normal flashing red light.

    immobilizer-light.JPG
     
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  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    You own a g4 this is the g2 forum so it looks a little different.

    On a g2 it’s a little red blinking car with a key on it sideways. Always blinking with car off. Not recent with Toyota they have been using this for years,

    Basicly means the immobilizer is healthy and working waiting for a hand shake from the key fob,
    Immobilizer means the car is immobilized until it sees correct rfid from fob.

    Light Disappears when car in ready.
     
    #6 edthefox5, Nov 19, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2018
  7. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    WHICH symbol
    Hyb Sys Warning Light (MFD).png Hyb Immobilizer (dash indicator).png


    and WHERE: each symbol is at a different location.
    Indicator Lights.png

    MFD.png

    Learn to check the engine oil level regularly and tire pressure. Many drivers today, can't be bothered to both of those items: oil level, tire air pressure. You can benefit by searching this topic on the Internet and seeing youtube videos.

    50K miles on a 2007 is suspect. Low mileage combo meter could have been swapped in or low mileage programed into it. Did you pay for a CarFax report or look-up service history at Toyota.com or inquire at a local dealer? If there was only ONE previous owner, who was elderly, and only drove to church, grocery store, doctors office, and grand kids, 50K would be very believable.

    Read the owners manual. Goto Toyota.com and download it if need be.
     
    #7 exstudent, Nov 20, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2018
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  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Ceegee made it pretty clear which light it was in the very first sentence. Even if it went away, there should have been a code stored in the history, I would think.
    Screen Shot 2018-11-20 at 8.14.14 AM.png
     
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Unfortunately, the OP is not clear. The icon described in Jerry's post only appears when the MFD is powered on and the car is IG-ON or READY.

    Since the OP says the light in question is blinking when the car is IG-OFF, that caused me and other respondents to wonder if the OP is really describing the theft prevention warning light. Hence my request for a photo so that we can see exactly what the OP is referring to.
     
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  10. ceegee

    ceegee Junior Member

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    Thank you jerrymildred for noting that I correctly identified the warning light in my first sentence, and for posting the section of the manual it refers to.

    Re: exstudent’s comments, I regularly change the oil and use my own air compressor to fill the tires as needed (why would you even suspect otherwise?). And as far as 50k miles being suspect, I am the original owner of this Prius. When I first got the car, I had a sales job that had me on the road constantly and really appreciating the fantastic mileage…but I left that job 4 months later and just haven’t driven as much since then.

    Patrick Wong, sorry but I wasn’t imagining what I saw. The car was not IG-ON or READY. In fact, I first noticed the light when I went to my garage to grab something and didn’t have my key with me. I’ve developed a habit of checking the dashboard for warning lights after draining the 12v battery because I left the trunk ajar, and I took a moment to look at the dash and saw the blinking light. It was NOT the theft protection light. It WAS the Hybrid System Warning light. It WAS blinking with IG-OFF, then stopped with IG-ON and went back to blinking with IG-OFF. I decided to wait until Monday morning to try and drive it since it would be easier to get roadside assistance if it was something serious.

    After driving to the mechanic and powering off the car, the light didn't come back on...I suspect the short drive might have fixed something.

    Thank you all for your replies.
     
  11. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    1) There was the belief that you may have been confused about the exact light (Immobilizer vs Hybrid System Warning). Others felt this same way too, even Patrick Wong. Had you stated Hybrid System Warning light on the MFD (MultiFunction Display)/touchscreen, there would be NO AMBIGUITY. NO SECOND GUESSING.

    2) As you may know, many people before you say "A," but upon further questioning/clarification, they actually meant "B." And because of this suspected confusion, I made the errant assumption that you might be a driver who doesn't check their engine oil level and tires. Clearly NOT you. Had you been, it was out of hope that you would start to tires and oil, to avoid becoming #3 below.

    3) It is very concerning, that many drivers today, can't be bothered to do the basics (check engine oil and tires) with any regularity (once a month even). And b/c of their laziness, there are more than enough posts where people ask about one or both of these lights:
    "Hey this/these light/s comes on intermittently when I brake hard or take a turn aggressively. What does this mean?"
    upload_2018-11-20_18-24-11.png upload_2018-11-20_18-25-28.png

     

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