My baby is coming up on 200k miles. I love her dearly and I refuse to believe she's dying. My husband took her to the dealership today because she's been screaming with a giant exclamation mark. We were prepared to replace the big battery but what the dealership told us threw us for a loop. Here are the codes they pulled: P3000 (expected) P3006 (expected) C1259 C1271 C1272 C1273 C1274 C1275 C1276 C1277 C1278 C1281 C1282 C1283 C1284 C1571 C1572 Total estimate for repair: $5400 Yikes. I would love to take the money and put it down on a new car, but we are closing on a new home in less than 3 weeks so that's not an option. (Perfect timing, right?) So... is my baby too far gone? Is it worth replacing the battery? She just got new brakes, tune up and oil change. I'd hate to think this is wasted money. Anway- thank you for your help! You are all so knowledgable!
hello sarah! toyota wants you to think your car is dying but it is NOT! i buy and sell numerous gen.1 priuses. if your husband is handy you can put a battery in yourself for $1000-1500. if he's even handier he can find which module or modules are bad inside the hv battery (or see which ones toyota says are bad in their report) and buy the modules on ebay for $30 each and just replace the bad module(s) with good module(s). as far as your other speed sensor codes (1271, 1272, etc.) i'm sure it's related to something that is most likely not a super costly issue. it is well worth your time and money to spend a little time looking for a local mechanic to do this work. in a short time many prius DIY (do-it-yourself) pros will be responding with more specifics so have no fear! just do yourselves a favor and STAY AWAY from the dealer. it bugs me to no end to see people get taken by them.
Thank you so much for your reply! How would I know which modules are bad in the battery? On the report- the "value" for "Battery Blck Voltage 1-19" range from 18.17 to 18.62. I was expecting to see something much different. I watched a youtube video of removing the battery and putting in the new one- doesn't look too terribly hard. Time consuming and meticulous, but not hard. I just refuse to give up on her! I can't wait to see 200k and hopefully another several thousand after that!
Conveniently, that page appears to be missing. I bet the troublemaker is on that page. My husband and I both agree that we'll buy a refurbished battery and replace it. I'm now freaked out all those ABS codes.
there is usually a very simple problem which can trigger all of those codes. there are others on here who are more knowledgeable with this than myself. i'm more familiar with the hv battery and rebuilds. ask some of your local mechanics who you can trust. many of them are becoming more eager to work on hybrid cars as they see where trends are leading with this technology. priuses are everywhere now-a-days and it's a real asset for any mechanic to have an understanding of these cars.
Well, and I just had a thought- the brakes were replaced THURSDAY. I'm wondering if the mechanic tried to bleed the brakes and the prius just had a fit. Optimism is my friend right now. Again, thanks so much for your help. You've been fantastic.
There are 38 modules in the Classic traction battery. The traction battery ECU measures voltage across module pairs. Hence 19 measurements are reported. Apparently at least one module has a problem, given the existence of P3006. However the module's voltage may not sag down until the battery is being heavily discharged, like when you are accelerating the vehicle. I wouldn't recommend attempting to replace just one or two modules unless your idea of fun is to continually remove and replace the traction battery. The battery is 11 years old and more modules will continue to die. You may need to return to your dealer after you've replaced the traction battery, to address the brake system issues. It could be that air was allowed to enter the hydraulic system. When you say "screaming", I assume that you are referring to a very irritating warning tone which is intended to let you know that the braking system is significantly impaired and the car should not be driven. You may want to take and post sharp photos of any warning lights and MFD warning icons that are present, beyond the large red triangle with ! which is the master warning light. That might help our discussion.
Everyone has made great suggestions to which I would add consider getting a Scangauge II (~$150.) With a Scangauge II, you can program XGAUGEs and read all of the critical codes as well as battery module voltages. We have a sticky with all of the XGAUGE codes and it is about as difficult to program as sending a cell phone, text message. You might also consider looking for Volume I of the maintenance manual for the 2001-03 Prius. This is the diagnosis book with all the codes and how to fault-isolate problems. Volume II is for repairs and the electronic wiring diagram are also useful but not necessary right away. Check Ebay for listings but avoid any CD-ROM copies . . . quality and copyright issues. Bob Wilson
HI All you Prius Enthusiasts!!! I am very grateful to have found this forum as i am the only Prius owner on this island!! Ok i am in a real pickle, My Prius has been stuck for over 3 months now in between 2 coconut trees (i am not even joking!!) and am scratching my head as what to do next. I am posting here but think i will also copy and post as new question. Let me try to be brief(its going to be hard!lol) I am an American on a tiny island in the south Pacific in a country called the Kingdom of Tonga doing long term missionary work. Gas here is $8.50 a gallon, so i thought i was slick to ship my 2003 prius over. OK 3 months ago, i by accident burnt my only master key in a brush fire, i know like DUH! There is no mechanics, nor equipment on the island that can even come close to understanding what to do or what a Prius even is(but boy can they crack open coconuts good!!). So after much research i purchased a new ECU Immobilizer and Ignition kit and had it hand delivered over by a incoming friend . (You guys are so flippin blessed with fed x, ups, etc.... as shipping from anywhere takes 5 to 8 to NEVER, in getting here!!) Ok installed the new Kit and put the key in and the immobilizer light turned off when i inserted the key, and turned back to blinking when i took it out, but did not start and the Triangle of death indicator light came on, along with P.S (as i recall?) and Main Battery light. So after much research and seeing a utube video of Prius King revamping a Hybrid battery (thank you Prius King for the confidence and videos!!) I purchased 4 used battery modules and a used ECU Battery assy computer along with a new orange wiring harness, because when i checked my Hybrid battery 4 modules were reading Negative readings! (The other 34 batts were reading 7.6 volts, the 4 replacement mods are reading 7.3v, and 7.4 volts). The Ecu Computer had a electrical fire in it and the wiring harness coming out of the ECU Batt assy computer melted and wires fried etc..... ( i have a theory as what possibly happened here but not sure, The day i burnt the key in the brush fire the Prius was 15 feet or so from the fire. What i am thinking is: could battery numbers 34-38 being closet to the passenger side and the fire get heated up and short from the heat and fry the batt assy and wiring harness??) Anyway after another 4 weeks i just got my 4 used mods, and other ECU batt assy computer and wiring harness, and installed it in the prius and this is what happened: ~I put the key in and the Immobilizer light turned off. ~ I turned to start the car ~ i heard what i think is a normal click sound from the hybrid battery ~ But car does not start??? ~ No Triangle of Death Indicator light is on ~ No Main Battery light is on ~ NO P.S. Light on ~ There is a check engine light on, But thats been on for ages i think its because the A/C is gone, but that could be wrong, but i dont think it is due to no start issue ~ There is a low collant light on ~ The fuel light is blinking on the last bar, but i know this is not correct as the gas tank is full??? ~ I believe the ready light turns on but i have to double check that ~ The battery level on the Energy monitor screen shows low but not empty ~I moved the shifter thru some gears to see if it would roll, Nope ~Tried restarting, NOPE ~ I then turned off and pulled the main disconnect on the Hybrid battery and tried to start car to see what it would do, Triangle of Death came on. ~ Then turned key off and put hybrid disconnect back in and Turned Key on and Triangle of Death was still on. ~Then unplugged 12volt battery and plugged back in and tried to start car again, did not start but the triangle of Death indicator was off. With my incoming parts from the usa I purchased a cheap scanner U480 ~plugged that in and scanned and got no codes at all ~ But then when looking at I/M readiness status (which i dont really understand) i got: MIL off and then i scroll around and it says: HO2s Not ready, O2S Not ready, evap not ready/ Cat not ready Hdm N/a, 2air n/a, a/c N/a, Egr n/a Under Ready it states Misfire, fuel and CCM ~ Then i went to the fuse box to see if i could see anything there. Moved around some relays, (i knew the horn relay was working so moved that around to all other spots) Nada OK So i am scratching my head at what to do Next??? There are no parts on this island so anything i need to get needs to be shipped in , so i am praying i dont need parts!! My wife has been a real sport with all this as are transport has been my scooter. I should send a photo of Her, our new baby (9 months old) bundled and strapped to my wife and myself cruising down the road trying to avoid the massive pot holes, 22,000 pigs and carrying our papaya baskets and coconuts back home!! Ok i look forward to the informative replies and want to thank you all in advance . Sincerely Jonathan T
HI All you Prius Enthusiasts!!! I am very grateful to have found this forum as i am the only Prius owner on this island!! Ok i am in a real pickle, My Prius has been stuck for over 3 months now in between 2 coconut trees (i am not even joking!!) and am scratching my head as what to do next. I am posting here but think i will also copy and post as new question. Let me try to be brief(its going to be hard!lol) I am an American on a tiny island in the south Pacific in a country called the Kingdom of Tonga doing long term missionary work. Gas here is $8.50 a gallon, so i thought i was slick to ship my 2003 prius over. OK 3 months ago, i by accident burnt my only master key in a brush fire, i know like DUH! There is no mechanics, nor equipment on the island that can even come close to understanding what to do or what a Prius even is(but boy can they crack open coconuts good!!). So after much research i purchased a new ECU Immobilizer and Ignition kit and had it hand delivered over by a incoming friend . (You guys are so flippin blessed with fed x, ups, etc.... as shipping from anywhere takes 5 to 8 to NEVER, in getting here!!) Ok installed the new Kit and put the key in and the immobilizer light turned off when i inserted the key, and turned back to blinking when i took it out, but did not start and the Triangle of death indicator light came on, along with P.S (as i recall?) and Main Battery light. So after much research and seeing a utube video of Prius King revamping a Hybrid battery (thank you Prius King for the confidence and videos!!) I purchased 4 used battery modules and a used ECU Battery assy computer along with a new orange wiring harness, because when i checked my Hybrid battery 4 modules were reading Negative readings! (The other 34 batts were reading 7.6 volts, the 4 replacement mods are reading 7.3v, and 7.4 volts). The Ecu Computer had a electrical fire in it and the wiring harness coming out of the ECU Batt assy computer melted and wires fried etc..... ( i have a theory as what possibly happened here but not sure, The day i burnt the key in the brush fire the Prius was 15 feet or so from the fire. What i am thinking is: could battery numbers 34-38 being closet to the passenger side and the fire get heated up and short from the heat and fry the batt assy and wiring harness??) Anyway after another 4 weeks i just got my 4 used mods, and other ECU batt assy computer and wiring harness, and installed it in the prius and this is what happened: ~I put the key in and the Immobilizer light turned off. ~ I turned to start the car ~ i heard what i think is a normal click sound from the hybrid battery ~ But car does not start??? ~ No Triangle of Death Indicator light is on ~ No Main Battery light is on ~ NO P.S. Light on ~ There is a check engine light on, But thats been on for ages i think its because the A/C is gone, but that could be wrong, but i dont think it is due to no start issue ~ There is a low collant light on ~ The fuel light is blinking on the last bar, but i know this is not correct as the gas tank is full??? ~ I believe the ready light turns on but i have to double check that ~ The battery level on the Energy monitor screen shows low but not empty ~I moved the shifter thru some gears to see if it would roll, Nope ~Tried restarting, NOPE ~ I then turned off and pulled the main disconnect on the Hybrid battery and tried to start car to see what it would do, Triangle of Death came on. ~ Then turned key off and put hybrid disconnect back in and Turned Key on and Triangle of Death was still on. ~Then unplugged 12volt battery and plugged back in and tried to start car again, did not start but the triangle of Death indicator was off. With my incoming parts from the usa I purchased a cheap scanner U480 ~plugged that in and scanned and got no codes at all ~ But then when looking at I/M readiness status (which i dont really understand) i got: MIL off and then i scroll around and it says: HO2s Not ready, O2S Not ready, evap not ready/ Cat not ready Hdm N/a, 2air n/a, a/c N/a, Egr n/a Under Ready it states Misfire, fuel and CCM ~ Then i went to the fuse box to see if i could see anything there. Moved around some relays, (i knew the horn relay was working so moved that around to all other spots) Nada OK So i am scratching my head at what to do Next??? There are no parts on this island so anything i need to get needs to be shipped in , so i am praying i dont need parts!! My wife has been a real sport with all this as are transport has been my scooter. I should send a photo of Her, our new baby (9 months old) bundled and strapped to my wife and myself cruising down the road trying to avoid the massive pot holes, 22,000 pigs and carrying our papaya baskets and coconuts back home!! Ok i look forward to the informative replies and want to thank you all in advance . Sincerely Jonathan T
