Gen III Hybrid Sysem Check light @ < 8000 miles

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by acburdett, Feb 28, 2010.

  1. acburdett

    acburdett New Member

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    Gen III Hybrid System Check light @ < 8000 miles

    My Gen III Model 3 California Prius check Hybrid System light (Yellow engine with the word Check under it) came on at 8800 miles in a heavy rain. No master warning light (Triangle with !).

    Checked under hood, no obvious water splashing. Retighten gas cap. Check Hybrid System light still on. Very late and wet Saturday night ... so I drove a mile or so home and it seemed normal.

    Is it safe to drive or should I have it towed to dealer?

    Seems to me a Hybrid System check light with < 10,000 miles is not a good sign about the cars reliability ... my old crappy Saturn waited 30k to break.
     
    #1 acburdett, Feb 28, 2010
  2. cossie1600

    cossie1600 Active Member

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    read the owner's manual to see if it is good or not
     
    #2 cossie1600, Feb 28, 2010
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  3. pjksr02

    pjksr02 Active Member

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    If the "check engine light" is not flashing, I'd drive mine. Flashing indicates a more serious issue.

    I've read here where a couple folks had Priuses with defective oxygen sensors, which were replaced under warranty; the other cause has been the loose gas cap, which you checked (but did you drive it after re-tightening the cap?). Even if your light goes out when you now start driving, the code will be stored in the ECU for some time.
     
    #3 pjksr02, Feb 28, 2010
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  4. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Some code/warnings take 3 start/stop (power on/off) cycles to clear. Try that.

    If it does not clear, take it in. Don't worry about driving it.
     
    #4 spiderman, Feb 28, 2010
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  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    In heavy rain, some G2 Prius have had an engine misfire problem when water leaked down from the cowl and dripped onto the engine valve cover, then seeping into a spark plug well. I wonder if your car had a similar problem?

    Do you notice any driveability problems? If not I would drive the car to the dealer. Pls let us know what DTC was logged and the dealer tech's diagnosis.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Feb 28, 2010
  6. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    If you don't have a ScanGauge--buy one. Take it to one of the auto parts stores that read codes for free. If it is a BS code just have it cleared. If it is serious take it to the dealer. (If it was serious by now you'd know.)
     
    #6 JimN, Feb 28, 2010
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