hello all, I have been search through these on line forums most of the day, but cant seem to narrow down what is happening with my car. after driving for 2 or 3 miles my car turns on this red triangle and says "problem" on the GPS. All the threads i have found this is accompanied by a check engine light but mine does not. on the gps there is also a symbol that i looked up in the manual, it says to take the car to a dealer. is there any way to know exactly what this triangle means? There is not CEL tripped, tried 4 code reader and nothing. any suggestion would be great. Regards, Robert
I have no immediate fix for you. I have three different ways to read the codes from the ODBII connector under the dash. Reading the codes will give you the next level of information. The one I recommend is to buy an ODBII Blueooth unit for $25 or less. Then download the Torque Pro app for $5 to your android phone or tablet. That will not only give you codes which you can look up on your computer, but much more information about your Prius. Perhaps you can buy a Bluetooth ODBII unit at your local auto store. I bought this one on Amazon.
In the meantime, check all engine compartment fluids, especially radiator coolant (look in the radiator itself, do not rely just on looking at the coolant level in the overflow reservoir) and engine oil level on the dipstick. If the warning icon in the upper left corner of the MFD is a car with an ! superimposed on it, that means the hybrid drivetrain is impaired. You need to have the diagnostic trouble codes retrieved to have a clue about what is wrong. Mini VCI is the best choice because it gives you the same diagnostic power as the Toyota dealer tech using Toyota Techstream.
Hey Robert, There is a TBS from June 2014 that may cover the problem- TSB-0174-12 NHTSA ID #10048160 Something similar had happened over the last couple of months. When I started my car the red triangle would stay on along with the other lights on the instrument panel. The power was on but the engine wouldn't start. Pressed power off, tried again and everything was fine. Last Friday I was driving and the red triangle went on. Took the car to my least favorite place, Toyota. The problem was 'under warranty' and fixed at no charge. Good luck!
