Hybrid battery acting up after Catalytic theft

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by 2006PriusBlue, Jun 25, 2025 at 9:02 PM.

  1. 2006PriusBlue

    2006PriusBlue New Member

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    Hello everyone, ofcourse we become users and join forums when isht hits the fan but that doesn't mean that I don't love you guys

    My car was fine, the hybrid battery was fine before the Catalytic was stolen, my daughter had to go work so I bought a cheap Catalytic and o2 sensor just for the noise. but after few miles it popped red triangle, VCS, CEL and (!) lights, I plugged my OBD2 reader and shown P0420, but in the ABS menu it gives me C1310 Active Booster and Soleniod HV System Malfunction.
    I checked the 12v battery (13.7v while running and 12.6 while off), I checked all fuses and all looks fine, the inverter coolant pump is running okay.
    When driving it gives full battery bars and suddenly they drop down to purple and the engine runs to try to charge it and the hybrid batt fan is at full blast and it gets in limp mode while driving after few more miles. When I reset the codes it drives okay and the hybrid battery acts normal(charging cycle) for few miles then the same thing starts to do it again.

    I appreciate your responses in advance to what it might be the problem, is it because the cheap Cat and o2, or is it bc it was a mere coincidence that the hybrid battery was going to fail one day after (even if they didn't steal my Catalytic).

    Thank you.
     

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  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Sounds like something under the hood of the battery is not correct corroded something. The orange plug on the computer comes to mind things like that . The catalytic converter has nothing to do with this other than it's cheap and it didn't last long enough to keep light off. Oh well put a swivel stainless spacer on dwn 02.
     
  3. Danno5060

    Danno5060 Active Member

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    Check the O2 sensors (especially the one you bought), and maybe the wiring under the car. Cat thieves aren't known for their quality treatment of the cars they handle. I may be wrong, but I would think if there's a problematic reading from your O2 sensor, it might show up as a catalytic converter efficiency problem. I'd have to look it up, but I would think just about any OBD2 diagnostic tool should give you the pre and post-cat O2 readings. It would take a more robust tool (with bidirectional capabilities) to check the heater circuits too.

    If your thieves damaged the high voltage or other electrical signal wires, that might also lead to your other problems.

    There's plenty of other places to look for your problems. Maybe it's a cheap catalytic converter, under the hood problem like @Tombuck2 said, maybe it's somewhere else. I'm just going off your description of what happened.
     
  4. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    The Toyota description for code C1310 is "Malfunction in HV system". This code is reported by the ABS system, and it just means that there is at least one trouble code reported by the hybrid control system (ECU). It appears that your scanner is not able to talk (communicate) with the hybrid control ECU, so it is not capable of telling you code for the hybrid control system. I am guessing that the code is P0A80, which has the description "Replace Hybrid Battery Pack ". You need a better scanner that is capable of reading all the trouble codes in your Prius to determine what code you have in the hybrid control system.

    I think that it is a coincidence that the hybrid battery has problems one day after the catalytic converter was stolen.

    So I think you have two separate problems. One for the hybrid system and one for the catalytic converter.
     
  5. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Maybe, or maybe it is damage from the oxygen sensor wires they cut. If I remember correctly if those wires short (don't recall in what way, to each other, to the frame) it can damage the ECU. A new sensor isn't going to fix that.
     
  6. 2006PriusBlue

    2006PriusBlue New Member

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    I'm going to put the Denso o2 sensor to see if that helps, I have doubts the Hybrid system was about to go bad one day after the Catalytic theft(if it wasn't stolen).

    I checked all the cables underneath nothing was cut, I checked the cables around the hybrid battery no corrosion or anything abnormal.

    When they stole the Catalytic I had to move the car 2 times in the driveway, but in the third time it popped the red triangle and vsc abs cel lights.
    I put the cheap cat and o2, reset the lights and after few miles it pop all lights again, the thing is that when I reset everything the hybrid system works normal but after few miles it pops the red triangle and lights and sometimes runs in limp mode, I stop the car, turn off, restart the car,
    reset lights and drives normal but every few miles does it all again.
     
  7. 2006PriusBlue

    2006PriusBlue New Member

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    So are the o2 sensors wires alive when the prius is sitting off at night? because when I jacked up the car I only saw a single brown wire from the harness hanging but not touching any metal. Also when I reset the lights everything works fine for few miles. Isn't that's why vehicles have fuses for to protect the ECU? I checked all the fuses and all look fine.

    I have this doubt about the lights, because in the past I had toyota vehicles that show dash lights just because the gas cap is not tight properly. I mean why the heck will it show stability control and ABS lights when the gas cap is loose.:(
    And that's why I have my doubts in this prius that it is making the Hybrid system to acting up because of the cheap catalytic and o2 sensor.

    I will end up putting original Catalytic and o2 sensor first to see if it comes to normal , then later the ECU then at last the hybrid battery.
     
  8. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

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    using the wrong scanner is the first issue here (can't diagnose correctly if using the wrong tool).. get the one that can scan all the modules not just the ECM (obd2)