Hello When driving the prius what felt like a loss of power in driving happened pretty suddenly and the Check Hybrid System light went on. I pulled over and eventually decided to drive the 5 minutes home, which just felt like less power when driving. Eventually I decided to drive 30 minutes to the dealership (I got up to 60 mph or so, just slowly, not much acceleration) and when I got there they ran the diagnostic and said it was the inverter -- $4300. I looked online and saw the part online for $250 and saw the installation was not so complicated. I trailered the car back because it sounded like driving it more was not a good idea. By the time I got the inverter it wouldn't start, and I had to unplug/reset the batteries (orange piece in the back, white cable in the fuse box) to get the car to turn on to drive it into the garage where I would flip out the inverter. I flipped out the inverter, but now, despite the unplugging trick and recharging the 12v battery the car won't start. When I turn on the car the dash lights up but says Check Hybrid System, and when trying to put it into reverse or drive it says to shift back to park. Initially I thought I got a bad inverter, so I returned it and got a second one, but, same issue. Any ideas?
Usually this is the Orange safety plug not being all the way plugged in... But if you've installed two inverters, I suspect you eliminated that problem. Next step is to get the subcodes that tell you specifically what's wrong with the hybrid system. Most code readers don't handle hybrid systems error codes well... You could use Toyota Techstream software via mini-VCI dongle or even easier buy and OBD2 bluetooth reader and use Dr. Prius app on your phone. Here's buyer's guide: Hybrid battery diagnostic and repair tool for Toyota and Lexus
I'm currently experiencing this exact same situation. Does anyone have the solution that worked for them?
It's very difficult to say whether one situation is the exact same as another, without having the trouble codes that were reported by the cars in both situations. We never got the codes from the original poster in this thread. So even once you have yours, we won't be able to say whether you have the exact same situation. But we will be able to say what your situation is, and that will help.
Solution for me was that in disconnecting and reconnecting the hybrid battery disconnect switch (that orange safety plug) I had apparently bent a pin or two out of place/pushed them back. Had to take it in to someone with the technical skills to get those pins back in place. I don’t remember what it cost me, but it was more than I wanted to pay.
