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

Brake, ABS, and Check Engine lights?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Wishes2013, Aug 24, 2020.

  1. Wishes2013

    Wishes2013 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2013
    6
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hello Prius chat members,

    I have a Prius 2008, and I have noticed some strange things during the last period. Before around one month, while driving, the brake and ABS lights came on, I parked the car, turned the AC off, turned the car off, then turned on the car, and the lights did not show up on the dashboard. The brakes were also ok and I did not notice any issue with them while driving.

    Today, the brake and ABS lights came on again, but when I turned the AC off, I noticed that the lights went off, and did not show up again. However, after a while, I noticed that the Check Engine light came on and it remains even after I turned off/on the car.

    I am not sure if the events above are related, but I thought it is good to get the advice from Prius chat experts.

    Thanks in advance,

    Wishes.
     
  2. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2016
    1,057
    789
    0
    Location:
    Washington State, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    If trouble lights have appeared, or are currently appearing, on your dash, there will be codes stored in at least one of your car's ECUs. In order for us to be able to give you the best advice, you should have them read and report them here. You will need to go to a Toyota dealer to be sure that you are getting all the reported codes, or if you have the time to wait for an OBDII scanner to be delivered and are a DIY type of person, you can order one of the devices recommended here, and use it with along with an app on your phone, Torque Pro, or Dr. Prius or Hybrid Assistant. These apps will read hybrid system codes, as well as allow you to evaluate the condition of your HV battery, the failure or partial failure of which, is responsible for many of the issues we are now seeing reported here.

    Before even trying to read the codes, however, you would be well advised to make sure your 12V battery is fully charged, probably by taking it to a repair shop and asking them to evaluate its condition and charge it up if it needs it, or if you have one, by using a smart charger that you plug into a wall outlet. Also, random trouble lights and erratic behavior in a particular car can be caused by rodents having chewed some of that car's wiring. Is there any evidence (droppings, nutshells, bits of nest-making materials, etc) of that under your car's hood?