Well, I've been rear ended twice in my new Prius and last night the computer went wonky. First the screen didn't animate, then the radio went out , then the screen displayed "External Sensors Not Connected". Soon after it showed, "Check the System", then would randomly work on and off and finally showed a big, exciting exclamation mark on the dash. It's in the shop ... again. I decided I'd get the fuel gauge upgrade while I was there. It will take five days to get the parts. Sheesh. Well, at least this time I got a Prius for a rental. Package #1 but it drives fine. Hey, Angelfish, how's your car doing?
Hey Kablooie, they need to replace your MFD...just so you know it's a widely reported problem though I haven't yet seen an official TSB on it.
I just had the same thing begin to happen (9.3K and almost my 1 yr anniversary). It started a few days ago with the battery, mpg, and temp values appearing blank. I did notice some problems with the radio controls too. The touch screen response was also slow. Eventually the values would appear (after 5 min or so), I can't say if this requires fiddling with the displays or not because I WAS fiddling with the displays. Yesterday the splash screen came up then blank black screen, then the standard display background with the message "Check the System". After the "bluetooth connection failed" message (I have nothing for it to connect to) I got a temporary message at the top in a similar format "External Sensors not Connected". Eventually it started working again.... Now that I think back, I have noticed that the controls are sometimes slow. Infact I was using the nav system a month ago and the update seemed slower than usual. It is difficult to quantify this. But it all adds up. I'll get it to the dealer. I am apprehensive. I'm afraid they will not find a problem right away and that this problem will consume a huge amount of my time and energy to get it fixed. BTW, I've seen the posting about the break light switch. I have definitely noticed this problem and it now makes sense. The symptom is that the Prius doesn't start. That is you get the same response as though you did not depress the brake -- lights come on, radio, etc., but the hybrid system does not start. I actually had this problem that morning after I brought the car home, and then very occasionally after that. Did I say I like the Prius? Yes, I do. The technology is great. I just hope my dealer is responsive.... Kablooie, how did your adventure work out?
On occasion (maybe once a month), my Prius will go to Ig-On mode (amber LED), even though I am pressing the brake before pushing the power button. However, it gets stuck there. Won't turn off, won't go to READY with a subsequent retry. Pushing the POWER a few times finally shuts it down, then I can get into READY and all is fine. Might be too quick in trying to get it into Drive, but even then, it should handle that. Next oil change, I'll have the reprogramming, alignment, and brake switch done, and rear brake lamp checked. I'll wait on the DVD though.
Hmmm, could brake switch failure explain that problem (Ig-on instead of ready)? Also, perhaps it could explain being rear ended twice... I have had the ig-on thing happen at least twice since new in september. Very strange. Nate
I thought of that. In and of itself, brake switch failure would get me to Ig-On on SECOND push, but I get to Ig-On on first push during those glitches, and hangs there. Can't trun it off. It could be the failure is so brief or irratic, that the HV ECU is confused and hangs. Fail-safe should power down if I hold the button for 4 seconds, but it doesn't. Not frequent enough to be an emergency case, but I'll have the switch dealt with on my next oil change, and will mention the occasional READY failure. The reprogram campaign may take care of that.
Well, here it is a couple of weeks later and my car is STILL in the shop! The first time they said they checked it, even had a Toyota Company tech check it, and said they couldn't find a problem. It took a week because I also had the fuel gauge fix installed and it took several days to get the parts. As I was driving it off the lot the audio went off and "check the system" message appeared. (It was late and the service dept was closed) When I got home I took photos of the screen and looked up discussions of similar problems. The next day I called the service guy and emailed him the info. He called back later saying that the tech guys had never seen that problem before but guaranteed me they would fix it. I took it back in Monday. (This time I just got a no frills Corolla for a rental. Stinky perfume inside too.) I mentioned the DVD upgrade also and he said they would install that too. Like the other discussions of this problem, I need a new MFD, (multi function display) and because of the holidays they won't have it fixed until this Wednesday. Pretty frustrating. This is at Longo Toyota too, which usually has superlative service. They do call me every other day to update me on the situation, even if it hasn't changed, and of course it's all being done under the warrantee. It's odd that the Toyota tech didn't know about this since it's been reported several times on the internet in recent months. So I'm still waiting.
