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2008 all brake warning lights on, car starts/runs. Merry Xmas!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by FrankensteinPrius, Dec 24, 2022.

  1. FrankensteinPrius

    FrankensteinPrius New Member

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    I own a 2008 Prius rebuilt salvage (totaled by former owner, rebuilt by rando, sold to me 1.5 years ago). Tonight I started it and ABS, VSC, brake warning, and E-brake lights turned on. Car starts and runs normal, brake feels maybe ever so slightly less responsive but definitely functional with no grinding or squeaking. Other context: it rained all day yesterday then got very cold (10 F) today.

    The only noteworthy issue with it in the past was a mysterious few weeks where the ABS, VSC, brake warning, and red triangle would come on while driving after ~30 miles and prevent engine start after I turned the car off. Mechanic couldn’t figure it out, I just disconnected/reconnected the 12V and it all went away. It came back a few times, each after a week or so, but I kept resetting and it hasn’t happened in 6 months.

    What is going on here?
     
    #1 FrankensteinPrius, Dec 24, 2022
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Until you or your mechanic read the accompanying trouble codes, you may never know!
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Dec 24, 2022
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Needs a scan with a capable scanner especially whilst happening. Lotsa things can be going on . Seriously
     
    #3 Tombukt2, Dec 24, 2022
  4. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    If you have a bunch of warning lights coming on, then one or more ecu's in the car is upset about something. Gotta be able to read codes from the offending (offended) ecu to know much of anything.

    Don't know what tooling your shop uses, but it might not be capable of talking to all of the 15 or 16 ecu's on a Gen2 Prius.

    If you want to figure out what's going on you could read this thread that reviews several apps and bluetooth devices that can turn your smartphone into a scantool. Some are "basic" and can only do limited things. Others are more capable and can scan all the ecu's- a couple are close to the functionality of the OE scantool.

    https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3290690

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #4 mr_guy_mann, Dec 26, 2022
    Tombukt2 likes this.
  5. Jeff Martin

    Jeff Martin Junior Member

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    2008 Prius
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    Two
    Like the others said, you really do need to get the codes read... not with a standard ODB-II code reader (which are "check engine" codes), but rather with the Toyota TechStream system.

    You mentioned intermittent appearance of those warning lights... have you heard a chattering pump from the engine compartment when you open the driver's door and when you start it? Maybe that sound has become louder and/or more consistent over the weeks/months that you've heard it? Maybe a chirping/barking sound when pressing the brake pedal at a stoplight (for example)? We had this happen to us, followed months later by those warning lights and a long beep when starting the car (2008), and turned off soon after, followed eventually by them staying on constantly. Turns out, our ABS Accumulator system was failing; confirmed with TechStream reader (many accumulator failure codes). This is an expensive part and costly labor too. If you can do it yourself, great; otherwise, be prepared and get a quote. Be careful, it's dangerous to keep driving it in this condition as the brake system can suddenly fail to stop the car when you need it to.
     
    #5 Jeff Martin, Jan 1, 2023
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    "Those warning lights" can come on for more than hundreds of issues. They do not mean much more than the system indicated by the light has something to tell you. To find out what that something is you need to read the codes.
     
    #6 dolj, Jan 2, 2023
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