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Rear Ended and month Hybrid System Error Code

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by talbritt2199, Mar 30, 2016.

  1. talbritt2199

    talbritt2199 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Five
    Hi Everyone,
    I'm hoping for some assistance on an error code that i received on my 2012 Prius C. I'm the second owner of the vehicle and have just a little over 40k on it. Early February i was rear ended on the freeway with the driver hitting me at about 30 mph. Surprisingly there wasn't a lot of damage to my car about 2k to replace the damaged bumper and some brackets according to the toyota body shop. while waiting for my deductible to be waived by my insurance i was driving the vehicle like normal. A month after the accident i was driving on the freeway and the engine lost power and the check engine light and Hybrid warning light showed up and told me to pull over and not drive the vehicle. I called my insurance and they told me that the waiver had been processed and i could start the repairs. I had it towed to the body shop and they eventually pulled the code and it came up as P0A3F, they cleared the codes and said it should be fine if it doesn't pop back up again. I'm wondering if this could be related to the accident as well as if it's safe to trust them on driving it, or should i take it to the dealership? Is this something that's covered by warranty as well? I called the dealership for help and they're supposed to be calling me back, but they don't always call back right away.
    Any help or advice would be appreciated.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    could be a loose connector. i wouldn't take the body shoppe's advice. run it over to the dealer on the insurance companies dime and let them check it out.
     
  3. talbritt2199

    talbritt2199 Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
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    Five
    The insurance company is arguing that the check engine light is most likely not related to the accident and wants me to pay out of pocket for the diagnostic and if it is determined that it's caused by the accident that they would reimburse me. The body shop is the toyota dealership's body shop and they say they called the service department who told them it would be ok to drive. Does this seem like something that if it wasn't caused by the accident would be covered under the hybrid warranty?
     
  4. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    The dealer might be on your side on this one. If the dealer lets the insurance company know the issue with the check engine light is caused by the accident, the insurance will pay for the repair. The dealer won't be paying for it out of pocket and waiting for reimbursement from Toyota. If the issue is not related to the accident it should be covered by warranty.

    PS. I've had 2 check engine lights caused by a gas cap that didn't seal properly. Check that first.
     
  5. talbritt2199

    talbritt2199 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
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    Location:
    Galt, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Five
    The body Shop pulled the codes and reset it free of charge, my insurance company didn't want to do it. However the service department already said that they would need to do another one even if i have a code. The code the body shop got initially was P0A3F which is Drive Motor "A" position sensor Circuit. According to the body shop the service department said that if there is a problem the light would kick back on after a little bit of driving. The body shop drove the car for a couple miles and the light didn't kick back on, but worried this isn't accurate or could be doing damage to the engine.
     
  6. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    If the body shop is part of the dealership, I'd think they'd be more cooperative in dealing with the code. If the light stays off, I think you'd be ok. You might review the repair manual, it's for a 2004, but it might be helpful in understanding the cause for the code.

    http://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0%E6%99%AE%E7%91%9E%E6%96%AF%E5%8E%9F%E5%8E%82%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E6%89%8B%E5%86%8Cpdf%E6%A0%BC%E5%BC%8F/repair%20manual/04pruisr/05/21bpm/0a3f243.pdf