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2008 prius red triangle, check engine,vsc and low acceleration

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chiemena obinnwa, Aug 18, 2015.

  1. chiemena obinnwa

    chiemena obinnwa New Member

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    hello guys, some days ago while i was driving, the check engine, red triangle and vsc lights came on and immediately my car slowed down. it would take longer to accelerate and every once in a while upon getting to a stop sign, it would take long to get to 5 from 0. could this be my hybrid battery going out? my regular scanner can't pull up any codes on a prius. any help pls!!
     
    #1 chiemena obinnwa, Aug 18, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    How many miles on your car? You would need a better code reader to access the prius codes.

    A minivci from Amazon will work. It runs off a Windows laptop
     
    #2 JC91006, Aug 18, 2015
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! without codes, it's hard to say, but it could be your battery. not sure about the vsc though.

    it's always worth checking the 12v, when any lite comes on.

    if you can't purchase the $25. mini vci anytime soon, swing by auto zone for a free scan. or toyota for $100. for so for a real scan.
     
    #3 bisco, Aug 18, 2015
  4. chiemena obinnwa

    chiemena obinnwa New Member

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    ok. i wont be able to purchase that anytime soon. just wanted to know from anyone if its a symptom of hybrid battery going out or the 12V battery.
     
    #4 chiemena obinnwa, Aug 18, 2015
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You can't diagnose a problem without the right tools. There's much more to a Prius than just the batteries
     
    #5 JC91006, Aug 18, 2015
  6. chiemena obinnwa

    chiemena obinnwa New Member

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    i actually have a scanner but its not able to read a prius. it reads all other cars. i never knew the mini vci was 25 bucks. i can afford that but does oreilly or autozone carry it?
     
    #6 chiemena obinnwa, Aug 18, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    amazon, and you need windows to operate it.
     
    #7 bisco, Aug 18, 2015
  8. chiemena obinnwa

    chiemena obinnwa New Member

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    ok, and this is able to read prius codes?
     
    #8 chiemena obinnwa, Aug 18, 2015
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, it's a gray market version of toyota tech stream.
     
    #9 bisco, Aug 18, 2015
  10. chiemena obinnwa

    chiemena obinnwa New Member

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    from the reviews i read, it says it only works on windows xp or windows 7 32 bit. i have windows 8.
     
    #10 chiemena obinnwa, Aug 18, 2015
  11. chiemena obinnwa

    chiemena obinnwa New Member

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    i just came from oreilly and their reader couldnt read the code on the prius.
     
    #11 chiemena obinnwa, Aug 19, 2015
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It is time for you to buy Mini VCI and a used laptop that will run Windows 7, 32 bit OS.
     
    #12 Patrick Wong, Aug 19, 2015
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