I have a 2013 Prius Plug In with 144,800 miles. Just today the Hybrid System Warning Indicator appeared with the yellow triangle exclamation point light and the Check Engine Light. It is running normally, but i do hear a thud from the back right (Near charger port) when turning the ignition switch to OFF. Perhaps an inverter pump? It still holds a charge ~ 9 miles in the summer (~75% of when it was new), and operates normally other than the error lights. I ran codes and pulled only one: P316C This code appears nowhere on the internet, and I cannot locate it in any forums or reference lists for OBD-II codes. If anyone has insight into this Hybrid Code, please let me know. I am in a CARB state and likely fall under the 10y 150K warranty which accompanies that, so Toyota should be repairing this. I am simply curious as to why there are no references for such a code and if anyone knows what it is before I make it to the dealer. Aaron
you need a prius aware scanner, like tech stream. when was the last time you cleaned the cooling fan? the evaporations system is back there, could be that. if you don't want to diddle with tech stream, at least try torque, dr prius or hybrid assistant. you could also try an auto parts store, but their readers only get the main codes. sometimes that's enough.
Thanks for the reply. I will will check the fans. I also double checked codes with an AutoZone scanner with the same result. I may have to try torque and see if it will pull more codes. My preliminary research indicates that perhaps the charger (inside the car) is not functioning properly. I can’t get an appointment at my local dealer until Monday next week, I’ll see what they have to say.
The car will charge. Although, the other day I had to try twice to get it to do so. I’m at 8.9 miles on a full battery. I checked the fans and they’re quite clean, so, no obstructions or dirt that I can see causing issues.
The inverter is in the engine bay. I've heard of incidents with the standard Prius where people have continued to drive the car with the warning lights on, and ended up with further damage to the traction battery (cells venting). Without knowing the particular meaning of this error code, it's hard to say what the risks are.
I don’t plan to drive it until I have to take it to Toyota. I know where the inverter is, i thought that the pump could be in the back, but it appears it it is under the hood as well, which makes sense considering the battery pack is not liquid cooled. Thanks for the response.
I can't imagine what is back there that would make a thud. I think you're absolutely right to take it to Toyota since it's still under warranty. Please let us know what happens.
The only “thud” or clunk I can think of would likely be a relay for the charger inside the vehicle. I’ll Definitely update this string as I am sure as these vehicles get more miles, this may happen more often. Luckily, I live in a CARB state and this is a covered issue, should it pertain to the hybrid system. I am running a scan today with the Dr Prius app, hopefully my OBD2 scanner is compatible. Stay tuned...
After clearing the code, it had not reappeared until about 2 months later, and about 600 miles driven. So, I took it into the dealer to find that they had noticed the code presented itself 10 times. They cleared the code, charged the car with their 220V charger, and my mobile charger and could not reproduce the issues. I have a feeling that this is an issue with the charge controller on-board and it will present itself in the form of no longer accepting a charge, likely sometime after my 150,000 mile CARB state warranty is up. I am glad that I have it on record that this occurred for when it pops up again. Toyota said they have never seen this code, they do not know what to do about it or how to reproduce it. They did not charge me for the diagnostics as I provided them the code they pulled anyway, and they still have no clue why this happened (10X). I will keep this thread posted with the latest updates. Thanks for your replies. A
CARB states extend any hybrid/PHEV/EV warranty through 10yr/150k. See: CARB Warranty Ins-and-Outs (and In-Out-Ins) | PriusChat
