2007 Prius with 203269 Miles AC Shut Off/Red Triangle Warning Light/Check Engine Light

Hi Prius Chat. I would appreciate some help. This is my second Prius. I drove an '05 Prius for ten years till it was at 315,000 miles and sold it when the head gasket cracked. I'm having the following intermittent issues with my current '07 Prius which is at 203,269 miles. Does anyone know of a place to take it in Spokane who specializes in high mileage Priuses? I had a good mechanic in San Diego and a "Prius Whisperer" but since we've moved to Spokane I'm struggling to find someone to help. Would appreciate any ideas. Below is what's happening.

6-11-24 While driving the car, the red triangle warning light with an exclamation point came on, in addition to the check engine light. It made a high pitched noise and the AC went out. The car had low oil.

6-12-24 Drove car to Bob's Auto Repair. All warning lights still on, AC not functioning. Bob's performed the oil change but could not find anything wrong with the car. Bob's thought there could be an issue with the hybrid battery, but the hybrid battery was replaced in 2018. The issue did not present itself during a test drive, but warning lights were on when I dropped it off.

6-22-24 While driving the car, the AC went out. Then the red triangle warning light came on as well as the check engine light. It made a high pitched noise. We drove the car back to the house. McCann Mobile Auto Repair came out and ran a pressure test on the engine because the codes said there's oxygen in the system. The car passed the pressure test, the warning lights went off, and the AC came back on. The issue did not present itself during a test drive.

6-25-24 Issue presents itself again - AC turns off, and all the warning lights come on.

6-26-24 Drove car to AutoNation Toyota in Spokane Valley. Dealer replaced radiator, spark plugs, and brake assembly. The radiator was cracked and leaking on those parts and melting them. Spent $2,400.

7-3-24 Picked up car and drove it back to North Spokane. Drove car out to the lake 7-4-24 and the same issue presented. The AC shut off, and all the warning lights came on.

 

Hi @TMR-JWAP and @Tombukt2 - Thank you very much for your kind responses, I really appreciate it. We got a code reader and one code comes up: P2238

The red triangle warning and check engine lights will go on and off, as well as the AC. I asked our AutoNation rep when they called if they checked the inverter cooling water pump and they said they did. We think it's a wiring or electrical issue at this point but not sure how to fix that ourselves and don't want to take it to another shop to have them not fix it.

Our plan is to drive it until the issue becomes consistent and not intermittent, and work on getting a different car in the meantime. Once the issue becomes consistent we might take it back to AutoNation in Spokane Valley depending on if Toyota Corporate will give us any money back on the initial repairs. I asked AutoNation to reach out to them on our behalf when they called this week.

Again - very much appreciate the response and the help.

 

When driving the car yesterday all over town in 102 degree heat the red triangle warning light with the exclamation point and check engine light stayed on the whole time. We monitored the engine temperature with the reader and it stayed within the normal range the whole time. The vehicle stability control system warning light and yellow brake system warning light came on and off intermittently. Throughout this process, no new codes appeared or logged. We did not try to use the AC yesterday, but it was working when the car turned on.

 

Hi @bisco - Thank you very much for your response. I chatted with my “Prius Whisperer” who’s out of state and I’m using a code reader that only checks the engine module. I need to get one that reads codes in the hybrid module to find out what’s happening. Can you recommend one you use?

 

The AC is back on today and the car presented a new code:

P0A93 - “Inverter A Cooling System Performance”

We think it’s the inverter cooling pump behind the drivers side headlight. When we turn on the car it doesn’t vibrate like it should, it’s still.