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All the warning lights came on

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Ben Michael, Mar 20, 2013.

  1. Ben Michael

    Ben Michael New Member

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    2010 Prius
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    Four
    Hello there! I'm new to this forum and looking for some help. This evening I was driving down the interstate and had to brake rather hard and swerve a little to make my exit. Immediately after doing this it seemed as though my 2010 prius with 120k miles was stalling. It had no acceleration and slowed to 13mph but then kept that speed even going slightly uphill before having to stop. I was able to turn and slowly accelerate to about 12 mph and make it 200 yards to a convenience store and turned in. It seemed as though it was completely and only powered by battery. I stopped and turned the car off. Then back on and tried to drive. Acceleration was better but I was afraid to leave the parking lot. Turned it off again, and then back on. Dash was lit up with all kinds of warnings. Brake system, ABS, electric power steering, master warning, check engine icon. Would not go to reverse or drive. When I tried it would default to neutral. So I left it there and all I know to do is have it towed to a dealer in the am. I was wondering if there may be some things I could try before doing this. It seems to me that my hard braking triggered this. This is the first time to have done this or shown any symptoms of this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Ben
     
  2. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    to me it sounds like the vehicle went into fail safe mode. I'm not sure how to tackle this issue or what I'm guessing is right. Hope someone with insight can help with this problem.
     
  3. Ben Michael

    Ben Michael New Member

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    Well, I had it towed to a toyota dealer, and they did a diagnostics test on it which indicated that the inverter needed to be replaced. The cost to me would have been over $2000 if my car would have been out of warranty. They seem confident that this is it, so now I just have to wait for the part to come in. Should have it back by this monday or tuesday. Thanks, Ben
     
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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  5. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    kinda odd that its the inverter since you only hit the brakes hard. Keep us updated on your vehicle please.
     
  6. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Heavy braking puts a lot of Amps into the battery just as heavy acceleration takes a lot out. Both conditions put stress on the inverter and if it were ready to go anyway that's when it might happen.