2015 Prius v Hybrid System Malfunction indication

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Carl Mims, Sep 5, 2022.

  1. Carl Mims

    Carl Mims Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2019
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    Location:
    Bozeman, MT
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    V
    The car was idled for about 5 minutes to cool down the cabin on a hot 95-degree day. We then drove about 3 miles on a secondary road and about 6 miles on the interstate at 70+ mph.. The Hybrid Malfunction indication came on. We immediately slowed down and stopped on the shoulder of the interstate, Shut down the car, and raised the hood to make sure of coolant, any leaks, oil.. etc. Everything was dry and normal. Started back up and drove about 5 miles to the nearest exit with the HSM on, pulled into a gas station and parked under the shade of the awning. Let it cool for about 15 min and restarted with the same HSM indication. So turned the car off and disconnected the 12v battery, reconnected after about 1 min, put it all back together and started again. No error messages at all so drove home about 45 miles on the interstate and have used it for about 30 miles around town driving without any problems.

    Was it just a hot day and the mistake of idling for creature comfort?

    What is my next step? Hoping to avoid the dealer since the last repair was to replace the radiator about 2 years ago at a cost of over $2k. Car has about 150K miles on it
     
    #1 Carl Mims, Sep 5, 2022
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    The mistake was clearing the codes with the 12v disconnect before seeing what the code was. 90% it was a hybrid overheating code, most likely the hydrid inverter/transaxle circuit fed by the inverter water pump. The hybrid battery temp is much less likely but possible. Sometimes the standard "observe the reservoir" for fluid movement could hide a worn inverter pump impeller. Obviously you look at the reservoir level and verify fluid movement. But these electric water pumps don't leak or completely fail most of the time. Their impeller becomes degraded reducing flow.

    Might get a scanner that would read these codes. Often Car Scanner or Dr. Prius is adequate with a bluetooth obd2 scanner. Have it in the car ready to go with the apps installed and tested. At that point you either duplicate the conditions that caused it, wait for a recurrence or fire the parts cannon with oem only parts while being fully aware of counterfeits on ebay and amazon,
     
    #2 rjparker, Sep 6, 2022
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    have you cleaned the egr circuit?
     
    #3 bisco, Sep 6, 2022
  4. John Snider

    John Snider New Member

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    Location:
    28705 Ryan Creek Rd, Willits, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    I too, am having problems with my 2012 V, with 245k miles. HMS light came back on along with traction control light. Gas engine will not start, can accelerate to 25 mph+. Two codes stored on reader: P0401 and P0335. One possible cause on both: Dead (Weak) battery. Had 12V battery load tested today, 300 amp test and performed fine. This is the original battery (to the best of my knowledge - I am the 2nd owner, purchasing car in 2015 with 67k miles on odometer). Yesterday, used OBII tester for above codes, cleared codes at end.
     
    #4 John Snider, Sep 21, 2022
  5. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    A seven year old 12V auxiliary battery is beyond end of life, no matter the test result. Just saying.
     
    #5 Air_Boss, Sep 22, 2022
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    IV
    Both aux batteries I've replaced in Prii that I've owned were a hair past the ten-year mark.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Sep 22, 2022
    CR94 and Air_Boss like this.
  7. Air_Boss

    Air_Boss Senior Member

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    Living on borrowed time! Twice!
     
    #7 Air_Boss, Sep 23, 2022
  8. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Model:
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    And mine just passed 7½ years. It leads a very easy life, compared to a battery that must crank an engine and endure under-hood temperatures.
     
    #8 CR94, Sep 24, 2022
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