VCS no codes

The oil change had nothing to do with the lights. If I read your post correctly, the lights were on before the oil change. Even if not, an oil change should not cause error lights as long as the correct amount of oil was used in the refill.

If the red triangle, check engine and vsc lights were on then there were codes triggered that triggered the lights. If Autozone did not use a Prius-specific code reader it may have only read the check engine light code.

A low 12V can cause random codes to be triggered. The battery voltage should be 12.5-12.9V after sitting overnight. If less than 12V it can result in random codes and should be replaced.

 

You do not want the car on when testing the battery. You will be reading the battery charging voltage which should be 13.5V+. You want to read the voltage after the car has been off for a few hours and with the engine and everything off.

If possible read the battery voltage at the battery terminals.

If the lights come back on drive to Autozone and see if they can read any codes.

 

welcome!
if you don't have the funds to have it repaired, are you going to diy?

 

As mentioned in post #2, Autozone probably used a generic reader that cannot read many of the proprietary codes the Prius uses. You really need to buy the right scanner or pay someone who has one. Many of us here use the Mini VCI which only costs about $20 (but needs an old 32-bit Win 7 laptop).

By the way, it's VSC, not VCS, for vehicle stability control. Without codes from the VSC ECU, we're just guessing what the problem might be. Take another look at the 12 V after the car sits overnight, as that appears to be the most common cause of a VSC issue.

I'm surprised Autozone cleared your codes. I heard they aren't supposed to do that. They really didn't do you any favors there, since you lost the information that the right mechanic with the right tools could have used to diagnose the car.

A red warning light, like the exclamation mark and brake light, means something bad or dangerous is happening and you shouldn't drive the car--stop in a safe place and get a tow. Flashing yellow means a bad problem but you can keep driving, and get to a shop right away. Steady yellow means it needs your attention but you can take your time to schedule it.

 

Nothing that you’re describing is specific enough that anybody can give you any real info. Just get the codes read. If you want to do it yourself get Mini-VCI (and a laptop). If not just take it to place that can read all codes from Toyota hybrid.

 

There are lots of possible outcomes from these lights, William. You'll never get it fixed without reading the codes and you won't know all the codes without a Prius capable code reader as has already been mentioned by @andrewclaus. Autozone is exceedingly unlikely to help you. The lights just tell you there's a problem they don't say what the problem is.

 

start with a cheap digital multimeter and read your 12v to make sure that isn't the issue. do it after the car has been off for several hours, preferably overnight. you can check it at the jump point under the hood. if it's 12.5 or better, buy a mini vci and old laptop. research the threads here on how to use them to diagnose your car properly.
diy on a prius takes some time and learning, even if your experienced with non hybrids.
all the best!

 

There are some codes in a Prius that can only be read with the proper scantool, but in a Gen 2, I believe VSC codes are among those you can get by counting the blinks of the light after jumpering TC to CG at the diagnostic connector. It blinks out 2-digit codes, which are sometimes less specific than the 5-character codes available to the scantool, but at least they will point in a direction, which is the necessary next step.

-Chap