2009 Prius died in strange way

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Mike1127, May 6, 2025 at 2:47 AM.

  1. Mike1127

    Mike1127 Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
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    Could I get some suggestions?

    My 2009 Prius with 260,000 miles was running normally (my friend was driving) when it stopped and wouldn't move. I went to check it out, and here are the symptoms. When I hit the brake and start button, all those red lights come on, and the radio comes on, but the red lights stay on instead of going off after a few seconds. The engine doesn't come on. I couldn't shift into neutral to push the car back into the parking spot.

    Then after trying a few more times to shift into neutral, I hit the start button again and this time shifted to neutral immediately. It shifted! I wasn't able to change gears after that, but it stayed in neutral long enough to push it into the parking spot in my apartment's garage.

    The next challenge is to get it to the shop. It will have to go into neutral again to back it out of the spot before it can be towed.

    Any idea what's wrong? Any quick remedies that will let me get it to the shop faster/easier?
     
  2. MAX2

    MAX2 Senior Member

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    In order to talk about the problems in detail, it is necessary to conduct diagnostics, which will give codes of problematic errors.
    Without providing codes, various things can be assumed - a breakdown of the high-voltage battery, engine malfunction, low voltage of the 12V battery, burnt fuses.
    All these reasons can be found at the bottom of a cup of drunk coffee, but they do not give the picture that will be after diagnostics.
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    All right well you're in La so should be no problem you want to get this little toy called the code scanner one that will work with a Prius there's a whole section here on that pick one buy it and use it you need to read the codes because all the lights are on nobody can read the codes with just their brain reading your description of the red lights it's not how this works once you have the codes that the scanner will reveal to you then you post the codes here and you'll get answers until you're tired good luck sounds like hybrid isolation fault to me there's no mention of anything about the car batteries or anything in your in LA . So it's a very good possibility asara half a dozen other things
     
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  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    There are not too many scenarios where you are driving at the car dies, most common would be you running out of gas. Or possibly the car overheated, but you should have advance warning of that
     
  5. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    As long as it is off and cool check the oil and also verify that there is coolant in both the ICE and inverter loops. Check at the radiator and the overflow tank for the ICE loop, just the tank for the inverter. One reason cars drop dead while driving is because a piece of road debris has torn a hole underneath that let one of these fluids run out. It is a bad idea to try to restart the car until one has verified that this is not the case, as turning on a motor with no coolant is bad, while doing it with no oil is really really bad.