Help! Mystery breakdown

How far is the car from where you live I'm assuming as an educator you don't have a house You live in an apartment or in a communal living situation and you're living situation can you get the car put in a parking spot You need to get the car somewhere where you don't have to worry about being charged daily for it to sit there even though it's not going to be there long You're in California everything cost money the way I understand it so you need to get the car somewhere it's a lightweight car if it's on flat land your other friend with a car and a tow strap you can pull it where you need to go possibly I do hear I'm in a similar climate on the other side of the country and do all kinds of crazy things when need be which become less and less these days it seems. Anyway sounds like you need to have the 12 volt load tested usually that's done with a handheld tester or it's taken to auto parts stores and places that test your battery for free You just have to get it there If you're going to continue with this car you need to look at a reputable code scanner this thing called an a u t e l a p200 maybe one of the better things you'll ever buy dealing with this type of car It's imperative to have it these days You're either going to have to spend that money to buy that device or one of our members here in California may be able to help can't speak for other people there are people here on this list in California pretty much all over the state I think but you need to get the codes scanned and the 12 volt checked usually a lot of this mess is the 12 volt battery is ancient hasn't been dealt with and possibly 7 years what have you and your climate of battery can last 8 years It's not normal but it can happen. Don't panic is the main thing don't make any crazy decisions You shouldn't feel you have to The main thing now is to get the car moved somewhere safe somewhere a parking lot where you know somebody that runs a store where it could sit there for 48 hours or something then you need to see if you can find somebody with a good scanner check with your friends see if any of them are car nuts they may have a scanner some of these codes even a crappy scanner will be able to read but you really need to read the whole car that's what all those lights are about.

 

That message can mean several things. You NEED a good code reader for a Prius
to find out what is happening and get the correct codes.
If you trust your mechanic, go to him.
It is possible that the 12v battery has failed, or failing. How old is it?

The hybrid battery could be fine.
It's ALWAYS best to find out WHY you got that error code before replacing parts.
Could be the inverter, inverter pump....

Unless you can do the work yourself, it's going to cost you money to find the issue(s).
And to repair it. Toyota will be expensive.

 

Nobody could diagnose that type of error without further analysis. It could be anything from the internal combustion engine, to the transmission, to the inverter, to the battery, to the fuel pump...

I find it weird that they tried to jump the hybrid battery - which confuses me. There are two batteries, the traction (high voltage) battery, and the Accessory (12V) battery. If the lights work, there shouldn't have been a problem with the 12V battery. Jumping the traction battery would take some specialized equipment. Well beyond what a tow truck driver is going to have.

Anyone who tells you it's any one of the electric drive thingies without reading the codes from the various computers (more than one) is someone that you should avoid. That error message is also triggered by anything that causes the engine not to run, and in my experience, it's more likely to be engine troubles rather than hybrid electrical troubles. It sounds like your shop doesn't have experience with the newer vehicles (a couple dozen computers all linked together through networks), or they don't keep up with the newer diagnostic equipment.

Most inexpensive code readers are only capable of talking to the engine's controller. When you had trouble getting yours to work, along with the 12V battery, it could also be the data network wiring, which is what your tapping into with the OBDII reader.

Along with the Toyota dealers, there are probably a few good hybrid shops in your area. Other shops are probably capable, as long as they have advanced code readers capable of reading from more than just the main engine computer. (This eliminates the free code reading at most auto parts stores).

 

i hope they tried to jump the 12 volt, which maybe so dead it wouldn't take it.

does your neighbor have a prius?

don't take it to your mechanic if he doesn't have a prius aware scanner, plus, i'm not sure i would trust a guy who would make a battery diagnosis over the phone.

the dealer is probably your best bet, unfortunately. if you wind up getting it repaired for a reasonable price, you may want to consider selling. you're getting into big repair bill territory at that age and mileage.

 

I think you posted on Reddit too? Out-of-the-blue pooch-mode with CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, gen 3, could be inverter failure. Do you know if it had the inverter-related software updates?

 

You need a better code reader if you want to make your own diagnostic decisions. The cheapest one I've see that is completely compatible with a Prius is the Autel AP200, which works with your smartphone. The real cheapies can only read the federally-mandated emissions codes, and there's way more to know in a Prius.

...but I have to agree with Bisco and echo his warning: while I'm sure it's not welcome news, it may be time to get car replacement baked into the budget. The cheap days are running short.

 

I have a few friends who are auto mechanics. Most of them HATE Prius'.

It is not anything about Toyota, or even Prius really. The idea of driving an EV or a hybrid stirs up hatred in them. They WANT petroleum engines that make noise.

Due to this hatred, if a tire were low, those people would immediately start saying that you must replace the drive battery.

Count this experience as a manifestation of the anti-Prius crowd.

Go get your codes read, and find out what is actually going on.

 

Limp mode, 99.9% dead inverter . Repair cost can be anything between $0 to $4.8k

 

Are you saying you have known a thousand Prii that went into a limp mode, and in only one the problem was something besides a dead inverter?

 

Nope, I don’t have data on thousand Priuses but I have some data from previous experience. OP should tow it to Toyota dealership for diagnostic. Letting some random guys from mom & pop shops to mess with hybrid diagnostics isn’t good idea - proven over and over again . After second and third opinion plus wasted time it could cost more than dealership flat fee - around $250 not to mention they might not even able to fix it due to luck of knowledge, equipment they use and experience.

 

I'm down with the overall consensus of the thread, which is for the OP to find out the trouble codes. Whether that involves the OP getting a scan tool that can do that, or going to a dealer where they already have one, is not as important. If the OP keeps the car a while, having a usable scan tool will come in handy again and again.

 

I've definitely run into a few dinosaur mechanics around here too. Those are the guys you wouldn't want to take your Prius to, or any car manufactured after the turn of the century either.

 

If you have Bluetooth obd. Use carista app, or dr prius app.