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Pothole Dash Lights

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Technical Discussion' started by 155, May 21, 2018.

  1. 155

    155 Member

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    I hit a pothole that was so severe that it flattened the front and rear tires. When it got off the tow truck, the following warning lights are displayed:

    1. Braking Power Low Visit Your Dealer
    2. Pre-Collision System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer
    3. Power Steering Malfunction Visit Your Dealer
    4. Antilock Brak System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer
    5. Braking Power Low Stop in a Safe Place See Owner's Manual

    2016 4 Touring, It seems to drive fine, but I left it at Costco as a precaution after I replaced the tires. Any thoughts on what the likely problem is or what I should do would be appreciated!
     
  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    The dealer could plug it in and see what registered in the log. Does yours have TyrePressure Monitors? If so, they could have caused it to go into panic mode. Or if it's come good, wait till next service.

    I had a herd of warning Malfunctions on mine when it was 5 or 6 weeks old. I turned it off and on again, it came good. I continued to drive it till next service (4 mths or so). They checked diagnostics and it showed that it had logged an error with BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. It was a one-off, hence it didn't remind me again. My mechanic said that anything which had any input from that fault would have shown up as a fault - even ones I couldn't see the direct relevance. But the switch was replaced under warranty.
     
  3. Hidyho

    Hidyho Senior Member

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    Keep in mind you can also make a claim against the city or state for your tires, potholes are an actual claim.
     
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  4. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Depends what country s/he is in - I think that's only USA. (He's got no profile.)
     
  5. The Professor

    The Professor Senior Member

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    That really sucks. A similar thing happened to me in my previous car. I feel your pain.

    All but the steering warning are likely caused by the same single brake system issue, as the other systems mentioned all rely on the brakes.

    Seriously though, add I don't mean to state the obvious or come across as arrogant, but what you should absolutely do is get it to your dealer to get properly checked. Braking and steering are critical to safety, and you don't want to see you, the people close to you, or other road users getting killed. Don't second guess the warnings or ignore them. Here, we can all hypothesise as much as we like, even convince you it's probably nothing, but at the end of the day we're not trained Toyota mechanics with the correct tools and physical access to your vehicle.

    Pixel 2 ?
     
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  6. 155

    155 Member

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    I agree that's why I didn't drive it away. My plan is to bring an OBDII clearing device to Costco today and wipe the OBDII and see if the codes recur. The warning lights actually appeared after it was towed by the tow truck the next day not immediately after it happened. So I want to make sure this wasn't a fluke of it being towed.

    But then I will either tow it or slowly drive it to a dealer depending on whether the lights reappear.

    In similar posts for older models, people guessed at sensor issues or other issues and I'm curious what the best guess is, but I'm not going to continually drive a vehicle throwing off several brake errors.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Again, let responders know roughly where you are (assuming some US State), and they can maybe offer advice on going after the city for compensation.
     
  8. 155

    155 Member

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    Chicago. However, the tires were covered under Costco's road hazard protection and the tow was covered under Michelin's tire-related road side assistance. Thus I don't currently have any direct costs related to this as they've been paid by third parties, and only have indirect costs like my time, etc. I should probably immediately file a police report though, in case I need to make a claim to the city or insurance.

    I've read that Chicago generally settles for a fraction of actual costs, but if my claim results in them fixing the pothole and someone else not having my experience, I think it is worth it.
     
  9. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    ... do you have tyre pressure monitors?

    I wouldn't be clearing codes, as, if TOYOTA needs to repair something, they'd depend on the codes being there.
     
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  10. 155

    155 Member

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    Yes, I think every Gen 4 in the USA has tire pressure monitors. They are required here.

    I think if the codes don't reappear it's probably some random error caused by towing. The errors appeared after the tow truck company removed rearranged the flat rear tire to the front of the vehicle, and the driver side working tire to the back of the vehicle so it could be towed. Then it was towed 20 miles. There were no errors before that point and it was driven a few blocks to a safer location.
     
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  11. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    My guess would be that TMPS threw the codes. The way the TOYOTA technician described it, when my Brake Light switch showed a single event error, the computer checks anything which has anything to do with braking - like most of the car - and warns about all possible, though unlikely possibilities. I was a long way from the dealership when it happened. He said that if the car starts fine after turning off, there should be no problem - but if the warning continues, then there is something to be cautious about.

    I asked him because I was planning (put on hold as my Mum has become very unwell) - an extended touring holiday, and wanted to know what to do if it ever happened again in the middle of nowhere - (or don't-know-where).
     
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  12. 155

    155 Member

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    It turns out the bluetooth OBDII reader popular on amazon doesn't reset brake codes. So I opted to have it towed to mechanic by AAA. They reset the codes and they did not recur, and then road tested it and said they could find no problems with brakes or power steering and it drives fine.

    I'm happy now and somehow feel like it drives better today than before, but maybe it's just because I've been driving a borrowed Subaru for a few days and although they are nice cars, the ice and awd makes them feel loud and heavy.
     
    #12 155, May 24, 2018
    Last edited: May 24, 2018
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  13. The Professor

    The Professor Senior Member

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    Thanks for updating us. Glad it was all OK in the end.
     
  14. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    It could be the new tyres, or rotated tyres?
     
  15. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    It could be the ABS system throwing codes because the rear wheels were rotating and the fronts were not when it was being towed. The codes would be logged even if cleared and would clear themselves (providing the fault is not present) after a number of on off cycles of the ignition (or starts).
     
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