Drove off of Curb then Red Triangle, VSC, (!), and MFD Drivetrain warning came on

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by CerebralUnit, Feb 23, 2016.

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  1. CerebralUnit

    CerebralUnit New Member

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    2007 Prius
    I was driving out of a parking lot and my front right tire came off of a curb at about 15mph. The red triangle of death among the other warning lights listed above immediately came on. Since then, the gas engine has been constantly running, the HV cooling fan runs most of the time (but sometimes shuts off). I also can no longer set cruise control.

    My 12v Battery is brand new and was replaced by the local Toyota dealership just 2 weeks ago. I went to O'Reilly and I don't think their scanner is Prius aware, as it showed no error codes, which, according to the employee, likely means it has to do with the Hybrid System.

    Additionally, there was one instance where I sat at a drive-through window for about 10 minutes after which the car ran quite strangely. It had trouble accelerating at low speeds. I pulled over, turned the car off and on, let the battery charge (as it appeared to be completely drained) and it accelerated fine after that. The miles per gallon appear to be the same as before.

    Am I doomed to hear that I need to replace the HV battery, or might this be a bad connection that caused the sensors to freak out when I went off of that curb? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I only want to spend the fortune on diagnostics and repair if absolutely necessary. Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 CerebralUnit, Feb 23, 2016
  2. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Even if there were no codes and "everything seemed fine," I would strongly suggest you have a competent mechanic, look at the car -- especially the undercarriage, sway/torsion bars, etc., because some of that stuff can be easily messed up and throw no codes and have no obvious signs of trouble until something comes apart at high speed or you wear out your tires in 3,000 miles.

    Been there, done that, more than once....:cry:
     
    #2 Stevewoods, Feb 23, 2016
  3. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat! Great advice from the many experts here, and, bearing in mind the low ground-clearance of the Prius, the only thing this (non-expert) can recommend is to write a stern note to yourself: "Self! …take extra care when driving off kerbs!" (sorry, but someone had to say it! :rolleyes: ) Good luck, and I think you've come to the perfect place for all things Prius-related! (y)
     
    #3 WilDavis, Feb 23, 2016
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe damaged a wheel speed sensor.
     
    #4 bisco, Feb 23, 2016
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  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    A failed wheel sensor is a reasonable possibility since the VSC and ((!)) lights are on. The impairment of the skid control ECU results in the warning icon in the MFD.

    Given all of those warning lights, there definitely are DTC that can be retrieved. Get Mini VCI if you wish to DIY.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Feb 23, 2016
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  6. johnnyb588

    johnnyb588 Member

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    I highly doubt running off a curb is going to destroy your HV batt. I think the wheel sensor or bad connection (something got jarred loose) theories are far more likely.

    The best way to know for sure is to get the codes pulled by someone with a Toyota scanner (dealership will charge $100 for this, most likely, but sometimes you can talk them into a free scan. I usually go to a local Toyota mechanic with whom I have built some rapport and where there is mutual trust). You're not going to know much of anything until you have the codes.
     
    #6 johnnyb588, Feb 24, 2016
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