2006 throwing up service lights

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by misterdean, Aug 5, 2026 at 10:11 PM.

  1. misterdean

    misterdean Member

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    red triangle, VSC, and ! in the circle. car won't start unless i disconnect the battery. drives fine after battery disconnected. i'm reading inverter pump. the fluid is moving, very slightly. not sure how much it's suppose to move. also hearing the cheapo code scanners at auto zone are not able to pull codes that are red triangle / hybrid battery related.

    thoughts?
     
    #1 misterdean, Aug 5, 2026 at 10:11 PM
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2026 at 10:18 PM
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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  3. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Car details, recent maintenance/accident history?
     
  4. Dennis Brown

    Dennis Brown Junior Member

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    The blinking light code will need a source to tell you what the issue is as well as understanding the blink rate. Easy to do but be careful using a paperclip to short between sockets - make certain to count carefully.

    Higher end code readers but well under $200 are well worth the cost. They can read codes and also freeze frame to isolate and tell you what is causing the code in more detail. Get one from amazon with next day delivery. Codes can then be looked up on line or buy a repair guide (extremely useful for minor repair issues, anyway) to get details on the code relative to your model.

    These will pay for themselves many times over because an old Prius will be throwing codes again and again in the future. Knowing what to fix and even ignore can save $$$. Some might be easily fixed by yourself rather than a shop.