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Red triange of death and warning signals!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Dolce_Vita, Oct 14, 2011.

  1. Dolce_Vita

    Dolce_Vita Member

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    Hi

    This morning i picked up my friend from her house and got into my Prius to start driving away, immediately after entering ready mode it beeped, the red triangle came one, the MFD said something like 'prooblem' or 'error', i dont remember the exact word and then two symbols came up. I turned the car on and off again and it was all still there. I drove anyway for about a mile to my other friends house where i turned the car on and off again and everything went away. The whole time the car felt fine, there was nothing wrong with it yet it had the triangle/symbols on the MFD.

    I panicked and took it to Toyota, who were VERY blasé about the whole thing and said 'there's nothing we can do about it today' and that i pretty much have to book it in to be checked up?

    Does anyone know what this might be?

    I'm getting worried about the car though, recently a very strong acidic smell comes on when the air-conditioner is turned on, there's a loud squeaky sound when you press the brake pedal whilst stationary and i think the engine might be knocking. FML the car only 30,000miles yet it has warranty until 2014 so hopefully it's nothing major.

    Here's pictures of the symbols/lights etc
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    All those things you mentioned don't sound like a Prius! Have you ever changed the 12v battery? It may be getting week. Trans-axle fluid cooling pump may have stopped and the transaxle is heating up! Hal
     
  3. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    That's an indication of air in the brake actuator. It could explain the ABS and ((!)) warning lights. Regardless, you are due for a trip to the dealer.
     
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  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Interesting to see the PS warning light which shows the electric power steering system is impaired.

    The hybrid vehicle warning light shows a problem with the hybrid drivetrain.

    Too bad the dealer service dept didn't at least have a tech obtain the DTC while the warning lights were on.

    Check the air conditioning cabin air filter for something dead on it (like a rat.) If the filter is good, maybe something interesting is hiding under the cowl plastic covers (under the windshield wiper arms.)

    The brake pedal squeaking sound is a known problem and usually happens when the car is at a high altitude. It may (or may not) help to bleed the brakes. That by itself is not a safety issue.

    Maybe the engine is misfiring, most likely because water has entered the spark plug wells.

    It is pretty clear that your car needs help, hopefully your dealer will take care of the problems. Good luck.
     
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  5. Dolce_Vita

    Dolce_Vita Member

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    Wow! i'm really worried now :( I thought Toyotas are reliable! haha!

    I'm not sure if my transaxle fluid has ever been changed? could that be the cause of the faults? The power steering felt fine?

    I have also never changed my 12v battery.
     
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The lack of a transaxle fluid change (esp since your car only has logged 30K miles) would not cause the problems you've listed.

    A weak 12V battery or failed inverter coolant pump might possibly cause the skid control ECU warning lights to appear but would not cause the other problems.

    Since your car is pretty new and has only logged 30K miles, hopefully the powertrain warranty will cover whatever is wrong (more than one root cause may be present.)
     
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  7. rubbersidedown

    rubbersidedown Junior Member

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    Ok thread crasher but same issue. I have the triangle the VSC light and the brake warning light. I checked the 12v and replaced iut it was weak. I the code reste for a half hour then triangle came back and shortly afterwards the brake and VSC. I think the low battery fried my anti skid ECU that my best guess. It throws brake and VSC now with a new 12v battery. Car is an 05 100k on it.
     
  8. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    If you think it is the ECU, get one from a junkyard. They usually do not go bad, so there are plenty available. You may have to visit someone capable of resetting zero point calibrations if that is the case.

    But step one is to see if the codes will simply reset. Many of these are what's called permanent DTCs, meaning that even a battery disconnect will not erase them. You need to jumper pins 4 and 13 of the DLC (i.e. OBD code reader port) and tap the brake pedal 8 times in 5 seconds to reset. If they comes back, then leaving the jumper in place will also cause each warning lamp to output two digit flash codes. For example, ABS 42 will be the ABS lamp flashing 4 times, pause, 2 times. See

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/93977-2004-prius-abs-light.html
     
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