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2013 Prius V Warning Lights: Check engine, ((!)), PCS, Slip, and more

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by damonnoisette, Dec 26, 2021.

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  1. damonnoisette

    damonnoisette Junior Member

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    My 2013 Prius V’s (93k mi) dashboard just lit up with a bunch of warning lights while driving down the street. We limped to our destination on ICE and aren’t too far from home luckily.

    Here’s the dashboard:

    0787780D-8C6A-4F6A-BF4A-697662729F69.jpeg

    • Slip
    • Check engine
    • (( ! ))
    • PCS
    • Car with !
    Has anyone had the same issue? If yes, what was the fix?

    Any help would be appreciated!
     
    #1 damonnoisette, Dec 26, 2021
  2. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Check codes and report back. (I could tell you, but it would encourage the trolls.)
     
    #2 Air_Boss, Dec 26, 2021
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the lights only tell you that there is a problem. you need to read the trouble codes with toyota techstream.
    that will tell you the problem areas, and the service manual has a trouble shooting tree to follow
     
    #3 bisco, Dec 26, 2021
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  4. gromittoo

    gromittoo Active Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    The best we can do without codes:

    "Check Engine Light"... Somebody important to the car running is unhappy.

    The "Car with !" symbol means the "Hybrid System" is unhappy.

    The "Traction Control System" is unhappy, because it needs the "Hybrid system" to be happy, or it will sit down and refuse to play along.

    The "(( ! ))" symbol means the "Anti-Lock Brake System" is unhappy. Because of "Regenerative Braking", the ABS needs the Hybrid system to be happy, or it too will be unhappy.

    The "PCS" A.K.A. the Pre-Collision System is unhappy. Guess what... needs the Hybrid system to be happy, or it will be unhappy.
    ​
    So why is the "Hybrid System" unhappy? Well the traction battery looks like it has at least a 70% charge, so that could eliminate one possibility. The engine is running, so that might eliminate that possibility. The "Ready" light is on, so the "Hybrid System" is only a little unhappy.

    My best guess (a long shot without knowing codes) is an Inverter problem. That could mean you are running only on the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine). Not sure that is even possible in Synergy drive. An overheated ICE, or Inverter might let you limp for a while, and start working again when it cools off. There are two separate cooling systems, either one might have a failed electric water pump. There are too many other possibilities to mention.

    Again... this is pure guesswork. We can't really tell you anything meaningful without the codes.
     
    #4 gromittoo, Dec 27, 2021
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  5. damonnoisette

    damonnoisette Junior Member

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    Car was dropped off at the dealership yesterday and I received a call a few hours later that the hybrid battery is bad.

    We were driving on ICE only as we limped to our destination and back home. Luckily we were most of the way there when it failed.

    The good news is we bought the 2013 Prius V in early 2014 and the car's in-service date is 7 years and 9 months ago. We have just under 94K miles on it, so the hybrid system warranty still — barely! — applies.

    Thanks for the detailed guess, gromittoo. I will be investing in a techstream kit so next time I'll have more info to share.
     
    #5 damonnoisette, Dec 28, 2021
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  6. pnufer

    pnufer Junior Member

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    F96001BD-6F27-419E-88D8-B58538090810.jpeg This warning light flashed very quickly for a few minutes on my way home (2013 Prius 2 with 146k miles.) Turned it off at home. It flashed a few more times and stopped. No OBD codes at all. I’d like to find out what if was warning me of, Photo follows. Poor quality/ I had to record it on video then screenshot a frame with the light on. Thanks in advance for lending your experience and expertise,
     
    #6 pnufer, Feb 5, 2023
  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    That light is supposed to flash when the car is off, every so many seconds. It's the traditional "hey car thief, go steal some other car that hasn't got this blinking light!" light, only by 2023 there aren't any cars left to steal that haven't got the same blinking light, so what's a poor car thief to do?

    I'm not sure what would make it blink while driving. If you saw "no OBD codes at all" but were not using Techstream to look for them, I would try that before being sure there weren't any.
     
    #7 ChapmanF, Feb 5, 2023
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