[attachmentid=9546] My husband (he's not the primary driver of the Prius) drove the car, I don't know what happened, but the next morning the alarm was going off and the car was dead! On my screan I get the above Icon. I could not start the car yesturday (even after a jump), but this morning I could (without a jump). What should I do?? I am hearing/reading that I should: 1) drive it to the dealer immediately 2) the problem may/will go away Is this an EMERGENCY?? will it cost me a lot of money? Is Toyota responsible for fixing this? What should I expect when I go into the dealership? Please help! NV
Whoa. Never seen that before. Is it still up there or has the error message cleared? I would think this probably has to go to the dealer (it definitely should if the error message hasn't cleared and probably should even if it has cleared). If it's still under warranty, I would think that they should fix it. I have no speculation about how much it would cost (if not under warranty), but maybe some of the more knowledgeable people on this board will chime in. I certainly wouldn't drive it in that condition, so I would imagine you might want to get it towed to the dealer, but maybe I'm just being over-cautious.
If you had to jump your Prius to start it, that means the 12V battery was dead. When the 12V battery goes out, all sorts of odd things happen with the computers, and they can put up odd and misleading error messages. If your car is running normally now, then it was probably just a door left ajar, or a light left on. Drive it carefully for a bit, start it a few times, and see if you get any more errors. If you don't, you should be in good shape. Otherwise it's a trip to the dealer. Tom
I just went to start it again, it starts (whew), and I no loger get the threatening message,,, however the red car is still in the upper left of the touch screen. I'm also getting the red triangle with " ! " on the dashboard. I'm calling service to see what the $ay. I'll fill you in after I talk to them and perhaps take it in. NV
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NV MY MPG @ Jul 9 2007, 10:09 AM) [snapback]475509[/snapback]</div> Try cycling the power a few times (~3 times, I think). Sometimes the error messages persist in the system even after you've cycled the power once. If there is still something wrong with the car, the warning lights should stay on after a few power cycles. If it was just a dead battery, then the messages should clear. As Tom said, there are a lot of wacky messages that the system can throw up if the 12V battery dies. OTOH, if it's still under warranty, there's no harm in having the dealer take a look at it if you have the time to take it to them.
Multiple power cycles can erase DTC codes and make it harder to trace the problem. I suggest you take it to the dealer if it is under warranty, and see what codes they find stored. While it is probably an artifact of a weak 12V battery, you want to be sure. Also, find out why the 12V battery was low... was a door ajar?
I think the Prius' 12v battery is definitely on the small side, and it appears to be somewhat less forgiving of being drawn waaaaay down...you might be looking at a situation where the gremlins will go away with a fresh battery. That's one *bizarre* error message before; I'm not one of the long-time experts here, but it's the first time I've heard of that one. The screen that says, "consult to a technician" is the best I've done so far.
So, I spoke to the service guy at the dealership where I bought my prius. He said that if it is running and sounds fine I should take it for a 15-30 minute drive. I did that. I also turned it off twice during that time. Guess what???? the warnings went away!! I want to thank everyone who participated in this chat, because I was very worried about what to do next. Y'all are great, and thanks for all the support!! Hopefully this will not come up again, and I'll make sure to check on all doors shutting properly, along with having the dealership checking out the 12v battery next oil change. TTFN, NV
Remind your husband to always set the parking brake before he turns the car OFF, and to always lock the car (anything other than one short beep means that something has been left open or turned on).
I got that exact screen. How did you get it to let you put it in drive? Mine refuses to let me do that even letting it sit there 3 hours.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi @ Jul 10 2007, 09:11 PM) [snapback]476611[/snapback]</div> It appears that the OP did a power cycle (see post 4). One or several power cycles might clear the message and allow the car to get to ready assuming the message is erroneous.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi @ Jul 10 2007, 11:11 PM) [snapback]476611[/snapback]</div> I jumped it... which took all of 3 seconds. After that it would start and act wierd, then all of a sudden it worked. It still showed the red car in the upper left screen. I was nervous about taking it for a drive, but I made sure I took it for a drive when my husband was available to meet me and jump the car. Nevertheless, it was fine, and after a 15 minute drive, turning it on and off, the screen was back to normal.. Go figure. I hope that works for you. NV
