Electric Power Steering light, Prius died :(

I can answer that one. No.

 

i just wanted to make sure they didn't try pouring some in somewhere

 

My 2013 Prius had exactly the same issue yesterday. Check Hybrids System popping up, electric power steering warning light on, could start engine but could not move the car. Towed to a Toyota dealer, will diagnose on Monday. I will update when I have the information.

 

What Information did you find out?

 

What did you find sir?

 

My 2013 Prius V has all the lights and EPS (electric power steering) lights and won’t start now. Will just try for a few seconds then nothing and lights come on.

 

Does it have fuel? The EPS light was a very non-intuitive symptom of fuel starvation in BobW's tests.

 

Yep, exactly this happened to me today. Hubby came with gas, the indicator light went away and the car operated normally.

 

I'm having exact same problem. Did You ever find out what it was exactly?

 

There is an existing thread where Clytnjms's issue is being worked out:

Prius ICE won't turn on. Limp mode. | PriusChat

Unless I have misunderstood a detail there, "exact same problem" might not be accurate, because Jason-F "could start engine but could not move the car", while Clytnjms has an issue (interphase short in the generator resolver circuit) that might be preventing even cranking the engine.


This thread has been cited in support of an idea that the steering warning light could "mean" something about the engine or fuel system, thanks to a very old thread where Bob Wilson was testing fuel-out situations and saw the steering light. We shouldn't really oversimplify things quite that much; the light was telling him about limited available steering power (more in that thread). That was an electrical power issue with a chain of causes going back to no-fuel in Bob's case because that's what he was testing then, but that's by no means where such a chain of causes would have to start.

When the steering ECU reports a temporary (or what it thinks/hopes might be temporary) reduction in electrical power, it lights this light without setting a corresponding steering code (a C15xx code or U0129/U0293/U1105). It just lights the light and limits steering assist a bit, and goes back to normal when (if) the power returns to normal.

As with any warning light from any ECU, it's always a good move to start with a scan tool to see what trouble code(s) may have been reported.