VSC Brake lights on - C1345 error code - will not clear - my fault?

2008 Prius. My steering was "loose" at speed so I connected my laptop to the OBD2 port, fired up Techstream and then... clicked the wrong buttons. Muscle memory I guess, from dealing with the brakes on several Gen 2 prius: I went into the ABS/VSC/TRAC area in techstream and did the relearn procedure instead of the going to the steering area (EMPS) and reseting the angle sensor. (resetting the angle sensor fixed my "loose" steering when I was driving over 40 MPH in the past but that is another issue)

Now my brake light, ABS and VSC lights are all on and will not clear with Techstream or the paperclip method. (Pins 4 and 13, pump the brakes 8 times etc.) The car will drive but the brakes are not working right, they are like traditional brakes, not regenerative braking I guess.

The thing is, the car was FINE. No lights, nothing, just that loose steering issue. This problem only occurred after I clicked the wrong button in Techstream!!! Now the error code C1345 will not go away and the brakes are not right. Did I do something wrong when I did the relearn procedure? I have searched this forum and cannot find the proper procedure for a 2008, only a PDF of the 2010 procedure.

Here is what I tried:
Open Techstream
Go to Chassis
Open ABS/VSC/TRAC
Entered Utilities
Ran the reset memory procedure
Ran the Test Mode procedure
Ran the ECB Utility - Linear Valve Offset
Ran the Signal Check

Errors still persist and I'm desperate as this is my daily driver!

 

@ChapmanF I checked and you are absolutely correct on the steering bit. I did the torque sensor zero point, not the angle sensor! It did seem to help with the loose steering at speed, for a few minutes, then it went back to the old feeling after restarting the car. I'm fairly certain it is providing too much power steering at speed. Perhaps I just need to replace that power steering module. I would welcome you opinion on that.

BUT back to my major problem :-(

It did make the series of clicks and bonks when I did the relearn. I will try to share screen shots of each screen I am using, but I am fairly certain I was on the right screen. I am not certain, however, that it was fully complete. It did say, "process complete when the light blink" (or something similar) but I did not see a final "blink" at the end of the procedure. The lights blink during the relearn, but there is not a final blink after they go solid at the last big bonk sound.

Do you have to wait some time after the end of the procedure before exiting the test? One test says to "wait 2 seconds then wait as long as the manual says" which I do not know how long that might be. Do I need to do all the steps I described all over again each time? (Reset, Test Mode, etc.?) I have replaced the accumulator and actuator on a few of these and it's not a fun job. I'd rather not do it for a car that does not need it, and it was running fine yesterday. To answer your question I do not believe it has been replaced. Car has 253,000 miles.

I feel certain that I can fix this via Techstream with the correct procedure. There is a chance the test literally broke the actuator (if it was about to fail??) but that seems unlikely given there were no symptoms.

Brake fluid level is fine.

 

@Tombukt2
Thank you for your ideas. I will try to disconnect the 12v and HV battery overnight and see if that helps. I did the 12v battery for 45 min to no avail. What do you think could be the issue with the "actuator circuitry"? And do you know how to tell if it is actually accepting the relearn? Many YouTube videos later, people show doing the relearn and "look, the light is off!" but that is not my case :-(

Car has 253,000 and has the original actuator as far as I know. That job is a bear and the used actuators are fairly pricey AND I am not sure that is even the problem. Would be pretty bad to do all that work and have that light still light up.

Are there any other reset procedures or "get it out of test mode" procedures that I might be missing? It's so crazy that there were no lights on and the brakes were fine until I did that relearn accidentally!

Any more ideas would be appreciated and thank you.

 

Great advice as usual @ChapmanF I do t have the manual but will follow your link and see about getting one. I’ll also inspect brakes and maybe even bleed them. That’s not too tough and much simpler than the actuator.

I’ll let you know how it goes. I’d like to avoid the dreaded dealer option. They will likely just recommend an actuator anyway unless they have a good mechanic. I have never taken any of my prii to the dealer.

 

Will do. I’ll get a copy of the manual and make sure I’ve done things correctly.

I did drive it 15 miles to work today. Strange to drive a prius with “regular brakes” no regen. The rear brakes did seem to stick ever so slightly but they probably have not had a workout in a while. Good news is that accumulator buzzed every once in a while which means it seems to be doing its job.
Thanks again and I’ll be back here later. Currently at work so I’ll take a look at this tonight.

 

Update: I tried to disconnect the 12v and HV battery overnight. That did not help.
I have made a video of the issue. I have read the manual and I think I am doing this right but the calibration never completes. The light do not blink quickly and they do not clear.

Still need some ideas guys. I will try to run the procedure with a charger connected to the 12 v battery. But I always heard that is bad for the system. I have charged the battery ONLY while it was out of the car. Never while it was connected with both positive and negative. Will that hurt my prius?

here is the video

 

Problem solved! Thanks for all the help.
@mr_guy_mann you win the prize. It was a 12v battery problem. I connected my (old style Schumacker 2 amp, 12v) battery charger to the 12v battery and ran the procedure just like before, but this time it worked (12v battery is Optima yellow but 5 years old AND I drained it once while I was working on the HV battery and forgot to disconnect it)

The only difference was that when the test was supposed to be done the lights DID blink quickly and that also cleared the C1345 code and the car is starting up just fine.

I'm not sure if my 12 battery is actually bad or if connecting a 12v charger is really just the best way to run this test. Time will tell if my 12V battery decides to die (I will search PriusChat for how to know if my Optima is dying, I am sure there is a thread)

Thank you all SO much. I hope I can help you as well someday. ...Now to run the actual steering torque sensor zero point procedure and hopefully get my 2008 Prius to stop applying power steering while I'm driving at speed!

 

I know it must be AGM. Is there a brand you like?