Prius check hybrid system warning after going over bump on highway

Try disconnecting the 12V battery for a few seconds, then reconnect it to automatically reset a few conditions. If you are lucky, it will not be necessary to expose the HV battery and begin looking for broken bus bars or other connectors.

 

Based on your description of how this happened, I would unplug and reconnect every connector that is associated with the high voltage hybrid battery and hybrid system, both under the hood and at the hybrid battery location. It sounds like the hybrid battery is not plugged in somewhere and the car will not run even on the gas engine if the hybrid battery is dead or not connected.

 

I wonder if the bump is unrelated to the condition, just coincidental. I wonder if the inverter has failed. You start the car and it is ok until you shift into gear then it quits. I bet there are more codes, your tool just can’t read them.

 

It could be either one. The key is getting it to a hybrid specialist for a once over. That will be the key.

 

My Gen 2 Prius hit a HUGE pothole I did not even see. I had no problems before that. My Hybrid Triangle of death light comes on now if I hit some small bumps too. I think when we hit big bumps like that all the objects, including batteries, are temporarily lifted into that free fall state. Its just milliseconds but its enough that when the car slams down in knocks sensitive connections loose. I know this from electronics experience. I am trying to go through my trunk to my battery to see if anything is loose, but I do not know what to disconnect to protect myself from becoming fried

 

Sorry for your hassles! You may want to ask a Moderator to move this post to the GEN2 forum for more specific replies.

 

Similar experience---driving 10 miles into a wilderness area on washboard dirt road and back out 2 days ago. No problems, but I kept thinking that I would be amazed if something didn't come loose. Made it home fine---40.5 mpg. Next morning I start to leave my house and something sounded and felt odd--no oomph, then the warning light and hybrid system light came on and car basically limped to the side of the road. It has been 10 years since I replaced my original battery (original owner), so figured it might be that, but it also reminded me of when the the code indicated I was having an inverter problem.. turned out to actually be just the inverter cooling which does not show up as a separate code for gen. 1. Anyway, trying to decide to day how to proceed and after talking to my mechanic at the dealership, decide to borrow a diagnostic code reader. Nothing comes up, though the warning lights still are on, so we reset the codes at the aux. battery and tried again. Still nothing, and the warning lights don't come back on. After a very short test drive around the block, everything seems back to normal. All I can think is that Priscilla Prius was offended at having been taken on that back country adventure and went on strike for a day. I think I will still take her in and have connections all checked though. The problem coinciding with the rough road abuse and still quite decent mileage kind of rules out battery. Still could be inverter/inverter cooling though I guess.