Hi folks - new member here. Wife's 2008 base model has ~165K since we bought it new. She's been getting occasional dreaded red triangle and "Problem" on the MFD. Then it goes out and returns 5-10 minutes later and repeats. Car is not throwing any OBDII codes. Checking the codes on the MFD gives a small list of gobbledegoop. Can post a pic if someone wants to decipher. IIRC, the MFD showed the 12V starter/computer battery with only 12.2 volts, so I'm thinking it's the 12V battery (not original - I replaced it once before). I know my 2011 Mazda is very sensitive to a low battery and will start throwing warning lights even while the battery will crank the engine just fine. Gas mileage has typically averaged about 42 since I put regular tires on it (which last wayy longer). Mileage has dropped to high 30s with the cold winter. Oh, and wifey drives the thing like she's on a racetrack. Anything else I can offer to help diagnose this? If it is the battery, what are folks recommending? Yellow Top is about $230. I can get an AutoCraft Gold AGM for about $160. Think that's what I used last time. Thanks!
Update - she just called and said the red triangle is coming on every 3 to 5 minutes and the speedometer has gone whacky.
you need a prius aware scanner, if there are trouble lights, there are trouble codes. it may or may not be the 12v. 12.2 is borderline, depending on how you are reading it. using the mfd, there is always a load. speedo can be affected by the 12v, or could be a bad meter.
Probably out of engine oil as at 165K miles it probably eats alot of engine oil especially if the oil changes were done at the dealer. And the dash going whacky is the combo meter has failed. Very common failure. The combo meter is what we call the dashboard LED circuit board. It will be intermittent for about a year then not allow the car to be shutdown. There's many Prius posters here that repair them for $100. You send the circuit board from your car to him he rebuilds it and sends it back and you re-install it. I recommend Matt from texas hybrids. There's a great youtube on how to remove it called: Prius Combo meter. Its the video I recently used to remove & re-install mine.
Another good tidbit of advice, Ed. The engine is more likely to use oil and wear out if you have the oil changed at a dealership. WOW. What a crock. I think you definitely should check/replace the 12 V battery first. If it is more than 5 years old, don't bother with a test. The Optima batteries don't have a really good reputation......and certainly are not worth paying MORE for.
Trust me when I say the car is throwing codes, you just can’t read them. The mfd is probably showing the radio codes, they mean nothing. You need a Toyota reader to get the codes. Or a paper clip and knowing how to read the flashing lights might work.
They could, but I suggest these matters be addressed yesterday...not next week or when they get a "roun tuit". YMMV
Yeah as @bisco says, where there's lights there's codes. Time for dealership to intervene? Sure it's $75~100, but does that break the bank? It's a big step to acquire (a hacked copy of) techstream, a suitable laptop and the cable. And the outcome of that might be a trip to the dealership service department anyways.
Do check the engine oil often then, as oil loss from increased RPMs or 'spirited' driving can be real.
Thanks guys. I gave up on this thread waiting for new poster approval by a moderator. She took the car to the dealer the day after I posted. Their diagnosis: the 12v battery. They charged it and left it overnight and said the battery was fine the next morning. The big difference was that we had a real cold snap with temps around 10*F the day the car started throwing warning lights. The next day at the dealer we were back to low 40s. I had used my higher end Equus code reader with no codes. Think the codes I was reading through the Prius MFD were mostly useless,but they sure are hard to interpret even with my service manual. Thanks for the feedback on the yellow top battery. I was mixed on it, but not many companies make AGM batteries for this car, so still interested in recommendations. Oh, and while I still do all the service on my 4 other vehicles, the dealer does the regular service on this Prius so we keep the drive for life plan on this one. Probably useless given what they charge for service! But the car burns no oil between regular services and has been mostly trouble free. Thanks for your contributions!
So, you check the oil regularly between services? Or do you rely on the service technician to mention it after a service? And right now, you have checked the oil level?
Thanks for the warnings, dolj. I only check the oil before long trips, and it has never been down even half a quart (checked after sitting at least an hour). I guess we're the lucky ones. It's 40*F outside this morning, so I opened up yonder Prion and the battery is still only 12.2V, although the car itself seems to be running fine. Looks to be a genuine Toyota battery, so I guess I had them replace it before, but I know I've been in there before. Going to pull it and see if the battery has a manufacture date. Might still replace it, so.... WHAT BATTERY DO FOLKS HERE RECOMMEND? (Not-so-odd coincidence, my 2006 Highlander Hybrid died on a long trip this weekend, first throwing the dreaded Red Triangle of Death with a warning to Check EV Hybrid System. Lost all power. Glided to the side of the road. Turned it off fully. Restarted. Still had the warning but power returned. Got to destination, checked battery and it was down to 12.2V as well. Aftermarket battery from BJ's and had a mid-2016 sticker on it (forgot the month). It was also 7*F that day, so I'm really thinking this is the same as the wife's Prius: less-than-new battery and really cold weather. Not too panicked about it, since I have a bunch of cars and now all my driving will be local.) Again, WHAT BATTERY DO FOLKS HERE RECOMMEND for the Gen II Prius? Thanks!
pretty much a personal thing. some like oem, some like optima, some like auto parts, and some like to use lithium or tractor batteries.
Pep Boys seems to keep popping up in discussions about battery searches. Call around or online search major auto parts stores in your area looking for an "exact fit" AGM.
I am needing a new 12v battery - ideally a cheaper if not as durable one. Prior one is from 2013 and I can jump the car drive it around and it will restart within an hour, but leave it overnight and it needs a jump again. Smart key is turned off. My 2004 has 199,650 miles on it is well worn out and I was not planning on keeping for more than another year, but I'd hate to have to buy a new car just because of a 12v battery. Best I can find is the Optima DS46B24R for $220 from elearning (that is where I bought the 2013 one from for $165 at the time) or from Autozone the Duralast 46B24R-AGM $200+$18 for core locally. Is the Duralast OK? Is there a cheaper option? Pep boys only sells the Optima for $237+core
I bought a used Prius oem 12 volt from offer up for $80 and it had 5 years left on the battery. They have a manufactured date stamped on top. Its reads day/month/year. They even sell new ones for $140 but these places usually have poor warranties usually only a few months. SM-J737T1 ?
