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Red triangle of death goes on then immediately off, with regularity

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Chris Fillio, Jan 7, 2022.

  1. Chris Fillio

    Chris Fillio Junior Member

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    [2007 base model] I had my ABS system and brake pump replaced 3 weeks ago (ouch). A couple days later I was braking at a stop light and the Red Triangle of Death (RTOD) came on, and stayed on. I pulled to the side of the road, turned off the car, restarted and it was gone.

    Since then it has come on almost each day, for literally a second, and then goes off. No other warning lights come on. I can't piece together any correlations, but I believe:
    1) Never when traveling normally at high (40+ mph) speed;
    2) Usually when braking slowly around a turn (~15, 20mph)
    3) Sometimes when accelerating in a turn at an intersection after stopping.

    Commonalities: 1 second alert, turning, barking (though not always).

    I'm taking it to my mechanic this weekend to check any codes but wondered if anyone had experience with this.

    Thanks!
    Chris
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Oil, oil is your problem. The lack of oil......
     
  3. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat!!
    Was this replacement a new OEM pump from the dealership or something else?
    When you say barking, do you mean the sound the ABS might've made before the recent replacement?

    FYI: you're moderated until you've posted 5 times.
     
  4. Chris Fillio

    Chris Fillio Junior Member

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    Thank-you for the replies. My copyeditor must be on vacation, I meant "braking" not barking--no dogs involved.

    I am close to my 5000mi. oil change, so I'll investigate the oil level, it's due for a change next weekend.

    I was also advised by a friend who said her old Mazda RAV4 had similar behavior after some major work and the culprit was one pin in the myriad of wires, fuses was not re-seated properly. Has anyone heard of that?
     
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Have you ever checked the oil level on your car? going almost 5000 miles without checking is just asking for trouble
     
    Raytheeagle and SFO like this.
  6. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    It certainly has all the symptoms of low level, doesn't it?

    Near 5000 miles on the last oil change.
    Probably same amount of miles since being checked.
    A flash of the RTOD when going around curves as oil (what's left) sloshes toward one side
    A flash of the RTOD when braking as oil (what's left) sloshes forward in the sump
     
  7. Chris Fillio

    Chris Fillio Junior Member

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    Low oil level: confirmed.

    I checked and it was low, very low. Changed oil and filter this week, no further RTOD.

    ? for someone who is not a "car guy" - the Toyota maintenance literature recommends changing the oil every 5000 miles...
    1) Is this not proper guidance (i.e., should be every 3000 miles)? or
    2) Valid except when your car is older (such as mine) then every 3000 miles (or other).

    Thanks,
    Chris
     
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    An oil change is to get rid of the old oil, checking oil level is something you must do with all cars to keep it from going low. You would need to add oil when needed, even before the oil change schedule is due
     
    #8 JC91006, Jan 16, 2022
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2022
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    What was taught in my driver's ed class, and is still solid advice, is just to pull the dipstick and check every time you are in a filling station waiting for the tank to fill anyway. If the level has dropped noticeably, just pour in enough to restore the right level again.