Red exclamation point upon braking

Check your engine oil level.

Now!

The red triangle is used as a low oil pressure warning light. Hard braking or turning will cause the oil to slosh around in the oil pan. This can lead to the oil pump sucking air. It will not set a code.

High mileage Prius tend to use oil. Start checking your oil with every gas fill so you can tell how fast your car burns oil.

Brad

 

What Brad said, and open and firmly close all your doors including the hatchback.

 

As long as you keep the oil level up your engine will keep running for a long time more.

Let us know if low oil solves your mystery light. The oil level would have to be below the lower mark for it to cause the warning light.

Brad

 

Thanks for following up. It really helps the next guy out.

As long as you do not run your engine dry it's still good for another 100K miles.

Brad

 

Or in my case, gal!! Thank you for this helpful info!! I'm having the same issue and am going to check my oil level. But wouldn't the low oil dash lights come on letting me know the oil is low?

 

Welll ... a word to the wise ....

There really isn't any "low oil" dash light. There is a "low oil pressure" dash light, and you never want to rely on that to know when to add oil, because the only time the pressure gets low and lights up that warning is when your oil level is so low that the oil pump is sucking air, and your engine is eating itself at that point.

Oil level should be checked regularly using the dipstick (I check as a routine part of every fillup). Your goal should be to see the low oil pressure light exactly zero times in the life of the car.

-Chap

 

I had the exact same issue today - and this thread helped me.
Oil level was indeed low. Refilled oil, replaced oil filter and its all fine now.
By the way - what is the general recommended frequency of car servicing that u all follow ? Every 5k miles ?

 

I replace oil with every 5-6000 Miles. I however do check oil about every 1000 miles. I also keep 2 quarts of oil in the car just in case I forget sometime and have this issue.

 

Good posts you all. Just got the red triangle when turning or braking on the way to work, will check shortly. Again thanks for all your posts.

 

Great! Had the same issue and checked my oil ........ 2 and a half quarts low!! Need to stay on top of checking the oil!

 

Thank you all! Same as above, was 2-2.5 quarts low, only getting light when accel/deaccel(including cornering at worst) at lower speeds. Would come on for a bit and go right off.
No error codes

Was worried about much worse than stupid owner being the problem. owner can learn, car parts dont fix themselves.

 

Since other members were kind enough to expain how to fix your problem, I come now to ask if they have opinions about how to fix your oil consumption problem. I'm no expert, nor do I play one on the interwebs, but it seems to me that you might have stuck piston rings. Would/could you try adding some sort of additive to unstick the rings? If I were in your shoes I'd give it a whirl. What comes to my mind is dumping the motor oil and then adding ATF to see if it breaks up the gunk which is holding the rings. This might work but remember I'm no expert. Just drive it for a little while ( I wouldn't know if that "little while" is ten miles or a thousand miles). Others can chime in and either suggest if I'm full of horse puckey or my idea has merit. I'd like them to at least say how many miles they'd drive the Prius in order to not hurt the engine. Just my two cents. Maybe it's a good mind stretching exercise, so do your own research before you get all excited as to how to fix the oil burning problem. Good luck