"Problem" appears at the top of MFD

Sometimes a failing 12 vdc battery will cause that symptom, but you also usually get the warning about the park pawl being "abnormal" and to stop and use the parking brake

What did the dealer say about this?

 

I got the PROBLEM message shortly after I started having headlight problems. But I also saw the red ! and a headlight icon on the dashboard at the same time.

(Still waiting for the car to be fixed...waited a week for the new computer to come in and since the dealer hasn't called me yet today, I'm guessing they're having more problems with it...)

 

I sure hope its warranty

 

The first thing I would do is have the dealer check to see if it has logged any codes.

 

Is there any more information on this problem. I took my car to the dealer and he charged me $132 to read the codes and then reported that there was no information. There were some kind of general codes (they don't tell me what the codes are, they just "interpert") here is what is on the Toyota site for that visit:

===
ENGINE ELECTRICAL ~|~CUSTOMER STATES LIGHT IS ON DASH TRIANGLE ~|~ROAD TESTED AND LIGHT WENT ON AND OFF ~|~FOUND CODE IN HISTORY FOR BODY ECU,POSS LOW BATTERY IN REMOTES,RESET ALL DTCS AND ROAD TEST ALL OK AT THIS TIME REC REPLACE REMOTE BATTERIES MAY NEED ADDITIONAL REPAIRS
===

They suggested that the battery was dead in the key fob and I should have about $600 worth of work done (top flush, new plugs, filters ... all kinds of crap.) Basically the light flashes (about once or twice a day) and the useful message "PROBLEM" pops up and then vanishes.

Have any of you bought a code reader for your Prius to try to get to the Info the dealer won't give you" Any suggestions there?

Any info would be useful.

 

My suggestion is that you replace the key fob batteries (in both fobs) since you paid $132 for that advice. Then see whether you still have a problem.

If you do, replace the 12V battery.

Then if you still have a problem you might look into a code reader; however a generic code reader will only read engine ECU codes, which will not help this particular problem.

 

Anybody think to check the oil? Low oil pressure will cause lights to flash briefly, when turning or braking sharply, or ascending/descending a hill. Such will not log a code.

 

Thank you Patrick. This whole scanner business is crazy. The dealer charges almost $150 to read the codes, but I have to believe that he reads the codes anyway when I take the car in for service. How else would he come up with the long laundry list of things he wants to do to the car? Yes, he has a schedule of service intervals, but I'm sure that he'd love to be able to report that I need some extra service. And CLEARLY it costs not a damn thing to read the codes anyway. Sheeeesh.

Just to give you a laugh ... oil changes around here run about $20, if you watch the coupons. The Toyota dealer gives me a lifetime quarterly $35 credit (mostly to get me to bring the car in so he can sell me hundreds in unnecessary services.) So I apply his $35 coupon to the oil change and it STILL costs me another $4.50 or so. Basically a $35 discount on a $20 oil change leaves me owing almost $5. I wonder if there is a Toyota school to teach them how to keep a straight face when talking with me?

Anyway ... Could I ask for more wisdom?

- Of course, I'm going to replace the key batteries. That's a no brainer. I'll post back here if that solves the problem.

- I've seen advice to replace the 12v battery in various places. Is there no special code that says the battery is bad (or going bad)? I notice that some scanners report the voltage of that battery. Would it be reliable to go by that? I mean, is this just one of those things you do when you don't know what else to do? It really could be the 12v battery as this is a 2006 and it has the original battery.

- You mention that the basic reader will only read the engine codes. What do I look for in a reader to find one that reads all of the codes? (Or all of the codes that I need?) I know nothing about these readers and the prices (on Amazon) range from $20 to $500+. I am not setting up a repair shop so I really only care about reading the codes for MY car.

- If you have any pointers to this information, I'd be happy to read up on it. I'm not really asking that you write a tutorial on scanners. I'm happy to do my own homework to avoid wasting money buying either too cheap a scanner that won't give me what I need, or to expensive a scanner that gives me much more than I need. I spent most of yesterday reading about the history of OBD. Kind of interesting, actually.

Thanks again for the advice. I'll most likely take your suggestion since it is probably about time to replace the 12v battery anyway. Five years is a good long run for those.

 

Hi Mike,

There is no DTC that logs the 12V battery is bad. BTW, most of the ECUs will lose their memory when the 12V bus voltage drops down (other than skid control and SRS ECUs).

Some scanners will report voltage on the 12V bus but the most reliable measurement is using a decent (i.e., accurate - not the cheapest Chinese no-name brand you can buy) multimeter, measuring at the battery terminals. Other methods (such as relying upon the MFD readout) may be off as much as 0.5V which represents a big difference.

Regarding a DTC code reader, Toyota Techstream Lite is software that runs on your laptop and is closest to replicating the Toyota diagnostic laptop used by dealerships. However that is priced into low four-digits. Less costly code readers may only read powertrain codes produced by the engine ECU and (if you are lucky) the hybrid vehicle ECU DTC.

Usually the dealer tech will document the DTC on the repair invoice, it is unfortunate that practice was not followed by your dealer.

Seilerts offered a good suggestion about checking engine oil level. A low engine oil level may provoke the master warning triangle light to intermittently appear without further clue about the problem.

When the Prius has a flaky electrical problem, a low 12V battery is often the root cause. Since the battery is six years old, it would not hurt to replace it as a preventive move, if for no other reason.

Regarding the other service proposed by your dealer, I would follow the Toyota maintenance service schedule in your glove compartment or on the Toyota website, and add to that periodic transaxle ATF changes (at 60K mile minimum change intervals - I change at 30K mile intervals.) I would decline any other service unless there is a specific driveability issue that would justify such service.

Good luck.

 

Thanks Patrick. I replaced the key batteries and changed the oil. So far, no error indications for two days. Since I did both at the same time, it could be either. I have not been checking the oil weekly, as I really should. The car has about 151K on it so I expect it is starting to use more oil.

I'm taking the car to my own mechanic ... one I've used for years. He is an honest man and I know he will not try to sell me work I don't need. I'm replacing my own air filters as it is an easy job with no disposal problems (as an oil change would be). Thanks for the transaxle tip. I'll go to the Toyota site and get a list of recommended maintenance items.

As to the OBD readers ... yeah, I'm getting that a home user one is not that available. Too bad. I can't imagine what the problem is ... after all, the OBD connector is just a data bus and a device that can read one code should be able to read them all. Who knows, perhaps it seems simpler than it is. What do I know? I just went 10 rounds with my Panasonic microwave which had what amounted to "Easter eggs" in the system. You hit a certain key a magic number of times and it goes into "demo mode". Wth? These video gamer kids are taking over the world. Oh well.

Once again, thanks a bunch. You've been a big help.

 

Hi everyone,
I just jioned this forum while i was trying to find out more on some recent problems i have just experinced on my toyota prius 2005.

I do have similar issues as observed by Mike "beep" from the MFD and look over to see that on the top part of the display it says "problem, however this is followed by addition symptom as discribed above by jayman "warning about the park pawl being "abnormal" and to stop and use the parking brake.

This last for a few seconds and then the master warning light comes on and also the check engine light,the brake light,the ABS,VSC and the anti skid all stayin on.

I would like to know what is wrong with my car.I appreciate your help.

 

Almost for sure it's the 12V battery. Do you know how to test it's voltage? There are a few test procedures documented here if you do a thread search.

Here, for example, is a battery test procedure. Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat