1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Red triangle and engine wont start

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by offsky, Apr 17, 2005.

  1. offsky

    offsky New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2005
    1
    0
    0
    So, I'm driving along like normal in my nice new '04 Prius and all of a sudden the red triangle of death turns on as well as the check engine light and the yellow circle exclaimation point light and a red light on the screen with an exclaimation point through a car. Yikes, thats a lot of lights.

    I only had a few blocks to get home so I went home and stopped. During the short drive I noticed that the gas engine would not turn on (I was going about 30mph) and the battery was draining fast. After I parked, I turned off the car and turned it back on. This time the yellow ! circle light was no longer going on, but the screen was now saying "Problem". I turned the car off and left it for a few hours. Now, when I turn it on, the only light I get is the yellow check engine light. The gas engine does come on briefly now and tries to charge up the depeted battery but it shuts off after a minute or so. I have not attepted to drive it again to see if the gas engine stays on.

    Clearly, I am going to take this in, but I was wondering if anyone had a clue what it was, and if its safe to drive. The initial combination of lights seems to indicate that I should not drive the car at all, but the current combination of lights indicates that its safe to drive. The dealership is about 10 miles away and I dont want to get stuck half way or do more damage to my car.

    Thanks,
    Jake
     
    #1 offsky, Apr 17, 2005
  2. jamarimutt

    jamarimutt New Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2004
    985
    5
    0
    Try recharging the 12v battery.
     
    #2 jamarimutt, Apr 17, 2005
  3. Jonnycat26

    Jonnycat26 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2004
    1,748
    1
    0
    Location:
    New Brunswick, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Had it, by chance, rained recently?
     
    #3 Jonnycat26, Apr 19, 2005
  4. kidtwist

    kidtwist New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    183
    1
    0
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought this was a known issue with some 04's and early 05's and that the fix was to have one of the computers reprogrammed.
     
    #4 kidtwist, Apr 19, 2005
  5. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    640
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    #5 jayman, Apr 19, 2005
  6. Jonnycat26

    Jonnycat26 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2004
    1,748
    1
    0
    Location:
    New Brunswick, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kidtwist\";p=\"82556)</div>
    There was a problem with some 04's too where a seal wasn't properly sealed and moisture could short out a connection. I know this because it's the problem I had with my '04. :)
     
    #6 Jonnycat26, Apr 19, 2005
  7. priusri02915

    priusri02915 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2004
    18
    0
    0
    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Had same issue four times then on April 1st I had enough, just got the car back today(April 19th). I was getting the same thoughts, was it rain, altitude, why would this all of a sudden happen with these :cussing: lights!! and the car not starting till the next day.
    Toyota in California told Toyota in Rhode Island to replace/rebuild the gas engine because of low compression. Well we will see if the new engine will help. 2001 Prius Owner. in RI.
     
    #7 priusri02915, Apr 19, 2005
  8. priusri02915

    priusri02915 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2004
    18
    0
    0
    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Well so far so good. Car is working great and I'm getting better gas mileage then ever. I just wish they had rebuilt the engine sooner. RI 2001 Prius Owner
     
    #8 priusri02915, Apr 22, 2005
  9. hiMPG

    hiMPG New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2005
    1
    0
    0
    I got the red triangle of death today and took the 2004 Prius in immediately. According to the repair person, the gas cap had not been properly replaced after I filled it up. This caused the battery to drain thus the caution lights all came on. The car had to be reset in order for the light to go off. There were no other issues with the car and it seems to be running great.
     
    #9 hiMPG, Apr 22, 2005
  10. olends

    olends New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2004
    214
    1
    0
    Location:
    Clifton Park, NY (near Albany)
    man they really try to make themselves seem smarter dont they?

    by not tightening the gas cap completely, the car is leaking gasoline vapors, which means the car is not meeting it at-pzev rating, it triggers the check engine light, because this is an emissions fault. it has nothing to do with the battery.

    tighten the cap, and in 3 restarts the light would have turned itself off.
     
    #10 olends, Apr 22, 2005
  11. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2004
    3,799
    26
    0
    Location:
    Tampa Bay, FL
    Righ, and I don't think that causes a red triangle. If it happens again, which it may never do, have them look at TSB EG047
     
    #11 DanMan32, Apr 23, 2005
  12. rick57

    rick57 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    572
    6
    0
    Location:
    Circleville, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    What were the Trouble codes, Jake? You say they found a loose gas cap? That wouldn't affect the drivability,just leak out gas fumes like olends states. It would have been a P0440 code. The diveability you described sounds like the reflash that jayman and DanMan32 posted. This would have been a P3191, p3190 and/or a P0A0F code/codes. Maybe your receipt shows the code, :roll:
     
    #12 rick57, Apr 23, 2005
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)