Intermittent Red Triangle - not diagnosable ...

I'm really skeptical about the cause of the triangle having anything to do with the brakes, since it never happens when I brake, always when I am depressing the accelerator. I will stop into Les Schwab on Tuesday to have them check the front brakes. I wouldn't be surprised if I need new pads and rotors, but I just like to get a second opinion. I wasn't there to see them. I will call the mechanic on Monday to see if I can get more information.

 

The last thing I want to do is replace expensive parts that don't fix the critical Triangle Issue. I am also a bit concerned that the mechanic just hooked up the car and diagnosed it without doing some thorough investigating. And yes, I understand about the codes have multiple causes, but of course I have been relying on what the experienced mechanics believed.

Others have mentioned that there are probably multiple things going wrong, and that is undoubtedly true. For instance, I have chosen not to fix the tire sensors. I just check their inflation periodically. I need to fix what is most critical. I need to keep the car going for work, even if I can't drive it out to see my child. There is no way I can buy another car right now. I am paying off a lot of medical debt. I don't have any extra money in my budget.

Please stay tuned, I will post as soon as I know more info, including all the codes.

 

Oh yeah, I just need to see what kind of shape they are in. They shop claimed the front brakes were metal on metal, which seems strange since they aren't making any noise. I will get them done if they are really that bad, but probably not from Les Schwab. They use OEM parts, so are pretty expensive. I would just get some decent quality after market.

 

Good Point about the brake fluid. I will check that, too. That won't cost me any money. I topped off the coolant in both reservoirs. It was only down a little in the one for the inverter, but the radiator reservoir was down some. I will check the brake fluid tomorrow. Still, I don't understand why the triangle light would come on when I'm not braking.

 

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Wow, these are all excellent ideas! My gut feeling is that there is something wrong with the cooling system, but they said checked it. However, that idea of a possible clog somewhere is intriguing. That might be something that isn't obvious, unlike checking belts, fans and pumps. Are there any filters in the system that might get clogged? I suspect that the shop I took it to with the Toyota diagnostic system might have exaggerated their Prius knowledge. I used to drive a Subaru, and I went to this guy who was a real Subaru guru-type. I wish I could find someone like that who really knows Priuses.

As for the catalytic converter, I'm really not sure. He is a sharp guy, but he has done some weird things. Like, I asked him to replace both headlight bulbs when he did an oil change (I provided both), but he only did the one that was out. He said there is no reason to do both. Sure it's not critical, like brakes, but it irritated me. Since the dash lights were still on after he replaced the converter, that's certainly possible. I think your idea about the wires being damaged is good.

I used to live near a friend with a garage (normal one, not a mechanic shop). We sometimes worked on cars together. I miss the friend and the garage.

 

No, I fill the reservoirs. The actual engine radiator was low, but after filling the heat/defrost worked better, but it didn't fix the triangle issue. My understanding is that since the radiator is a closed system, you don't want to fill the radiator through the cap, because that will introduce air into the system. I will recheck the reservoir this morning.

The car has not turned on any lights that indicate overheating. I just suspect that the cooling system for the inverter isn't working properly. But the high temperature icon hasn't gone on.