Prius (2004-09) :: 2008 - Bad Catalytic Converter / Multiple Warning Lights Are On
Jul 31, 2015
The check engine light came on a few times. Went to the old trusty repair shop and the codes pointed to an issue with the catalytic converter. When we started the car again, multiple warning dash lights came on: ABS, (!), Check Engine, and emergency brake light. The brakes also felt very stiff after this.
The mechanic at the shop was taken aback. Said there was a glitch with the computer and that we needed to take it to a dealership to have them "perform initialization of linear solenoid valve and calibration." He said that would fix the issue with the lights.
We were a little upset this happened but love this shop and only stopped going because we moved a few hours away. The mechanic has always been very honest and upfront through the years.
I took the car to the local Toyota dealership today, told them what happened and what the mechanic said. All they did was charge me $100 for a diagnosis of bad catalytic converter pipe and tell me that all the lights came on because the catalytic converter is so far gone. They said they couldn't turn the other lights off until the catalytic converter was replaced.
I don't understand why my brakes are affected when the issue with the car is the catalytic converter. I was also told by the guy at the shop where we first took the car that we would be able to drive with a faulty Catalytic converter with no problem.
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My '08 Prius Touring is in the shop today because the 'check engine' light came on at 68,500 miles. I just got word from them that the catalytic converter is bad and needs replacement. Good thing I bought the extended warranty! Well, I searched the forum for similar problems and it seems like this is somewhat common, albeit on cars with a bit more mileage and maybe a year or more older. I don't abuse my car at all, though I often roll into full-throttle while merging.
Is this a symptom of a poor part design or of a system that fouls the cat over a certain amount of time? I'm not looking forward to replacing it again at 130K after my extended warranty expires.
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I have a 2006 Prius with approximately 112,000 miles. It has been a merely perfect car until yesterday. Everything was driving normal on my way to the store. When I turned on my car to leave the store a half hour later, the red exclamation point of death showed up along with the check engine light, ((!)) and the VSC signal all came on. Upon reading on this site, I decided to run the 12V battery test through the nav screen and sure enough, I believed that is what it was. I bought a battery and had it put in. I left the shop and and all the dash warning lights went off. When I restarted my car 10 minutes later to head back to work, all of those exact warning lights came on.
I ended up taking it into the Toyota Dealership Service area. They tried to reset the dash warning lights by pulling out the battery fuse (I think that's what they are called) in the front box of the car. It didn't work so they gave me the option to pay for the diagnostic ($98) or leave and drive around and hope everything is fine. I wanted peace of mind, so I had them do the diagnostic.
The assistant service manager came back 1.5 hours later and told me he had bad news. He said that there were faulty cells in my hybrid battery, which is why the service lights remained on. I almost started crying, sharing that I had thoroughly researched the prius before buying and that this forum, specifically had almost no talk of this...that is rarely if ever happened, that it needed to be replaced. He said in his 15 years at Toyota he had only seen it a couple of times. He told me warnings to look out for is if my car won't go above 25 miles an hour or it could technically start using only the gas side of the engine. He also said that the car just needs to "relearn" how to operate after replacing the 12v battery and it could essentially be fine.
He then quoted me $3500 if I ended up down the road of needing the battery replaced.
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I had noticed a drop in MPG in the last month (more than normal this time of year), so I started searching on PC. That lead me to testing my 12V battery 4 days ago, with the following results:
No load: 11.8V
Load: 11.5V
Charge: 14.2V
Car started and ran fine, but since the battery is the original on my 2006 with just under 130,000 miles on it, I figured I'd get a new 12V the next time there was a good deal at Advance Auto. No other symptoms until today. After driving around 150 miles on Saturday, the car sat for 3-1/2 days in 25-40 degree temperatures. Started and ran fine today. Did a 5 mile trip, followed by a 1/2 mile trip, followed by a 5 mile trip home.
On the way home, the car lit up like a Christmas tree (appropriate for this time of year). Master warning light, brake system light (yellow; not red), check engine light, VSC light, hybrid system light (no ABS light). Turned it off and restarted and the VSC wasn't lit, but everything else still was.
More info... I finally got around to disabling the back-up beep, and the driver side seat belt warning yesterday, which may have run the 12V down even more.
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I have a 2005 Prius that financed from a small dealer last year. Currently has over 140k miles on it. When I bought it it had the Red Triangle and it worked fine until recently (about 2 months ago). Recently I've been having some problems. When I go at higher speeds I get the following sings come on:
1. Red Triangle
3. Orange check engine light
2. Orange (Symbol)CHECK - Malfunction Indicator Lamp
3. Orange (!) - Brake Warning Light
4. Orange VSC - Vehicle Stability Control Warning Light
When these lights are on, my AC stops blowing cold air. Sometimes when all these lights are on, the car will slow down and will not let me go past 37 MPH I have to then pull over turn the car off and then on, then the lights turn off and I can drive normal, on short trips that is.
Recently on a longer trip over 50 miles or so all the lights I mentioned came on plus the red break light on the left turned on with a continuous beep. We pulled off the HWY and turned the car off then on and the lights disappeared except for the big red Triangle that one is always on. We continued driving it but it kept doing it so we had to let it rest for over 30 minutes. We had to take it really slow and we finally got to our destination.
Codes P08A3 and P0A37 Prius 2005....
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2009 Prius w/ 29,750 mi [Maint Req Light came on at ~28,000 mi]..
I am getting a Master Warning Light (triangle), a Hybrid System Warning icon, a VSC light, a (red) Brake Warning icon and a Check Engine icon. When the car starts, the A/C is fine but quickly loses cooling output especially with full throttle. regardless of manual or auto setting. Throttle feels a bit spongy and slightly unresponsive.
4 blue bars on charge and everything else appears OK.
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It is true that, for a supercharged engine is beneficial to have some back pressure in the exhaust? I have a 2007 FX4 whipple supercharged, 5.4L, 3V, no cat, true dual X 2.5 ", I have no tailpipe emissions problems in my country, my problem is the power to the wheels. I install a high flow catalytic converters?.
The Magnaflow 94106 is what many people recommend but in this forum, people from Bear Rivers says he does not meet the high flows, what is the correct part number.
I have a 4.56 ratio 315/70R17 tires and power makes lose significantly?, is this true?. I have a big question, in particular point 1, because I think I lost torque at low rpm and, according to what I read, maybe this escape as free to be affecting the successful performance of the engine.
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Weird problems with my 2006 prius. Car has 54,000 miles.
4 times now over the last year, during abnormal braking conditions (someone swerves over at me on highway and I have to break and swerve suddenly to avoid), I get multiple warning lights, and the warning buzzer. Yesterday this happened, and I got the red triangle, the red brake light, the abs light, and two new lights on the LCD display I've never seen before. I pulled over and began to slow down. The brakes felt stiff, and the vehicle started to loose acceleration power. LCD started resetting itself. I stopped the car, turned it off, and turned it back on to find everything normal. I then drove 200+ miles to my destination without incident.
This is the worst case of this problem yet. My 12v battery was replaced last year after the first of these issues, with similar symptoms, but no loss of acceleration. The tech said the only code in the system was a voltage spike, and thus thought it needed a new battery. In every other case of the problem, I turn the car off and turn it back on, and it's fine. I'm about to drive 2000 miles next week, and want to avoid further issues...
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I wanted to ask a couple questions about this method of adding Lacquer thinner to my gas tank to clean my so called clogged catalytic converters. First off, I have a 2006 F150 5.4 with 90k miles on it and my engine light is on. When I took it to autozone, they said it was just a clogged catalytic converter. Well to be sure, I took it to another autozone, and they said it was an oxygen sensor. I run a lot of ethanol in my truck. My instincts tell me that the catalytic converters are probably clogged because when I mash on the gas it doesn't accelerate as fast as it should being a V8.
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I most recently drove my 2006 Prius around on Saturday Feb. 1, with no problems at all. I went out of town for a couple of days, and returned this afternoon to a car that will not start. I stepped on the brake, pushed Power, and things lit up, the "Ready" light flashed a few times but then went off. Power button light stayed orange.
Several warning lights on dash stayed on (!)/ABS/VSC/traction control, and a message came on the screen saying something about a problem with "P" parking, and that it should be parked level and the parking brake applied. It is sitting level with the parking brake applied already. Also, the door ajar warning light and beep start as soon as you open the car door to get in.
I'm thinking from what I've read that my 12v battery has died/is dying. I'm the original owner, bought car in March 2006, and it has just under 61,000 miles on it.
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My cat converter is rattling on driver's side and check engine light is on. Rattle is the inside of the converter, not the heat shield. How much $ and what kind of converter replacement is recommended?
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Toyota says the code is P0420 and the Catalytic Converter is rattling under heavy acceleration showing the Catalytic converter is bad and should be replaced. Toyota wants 2,334.00 which seems very high to me. Is it the Catalytic converter? The car is a 2004 Toyota Prius.
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I checked out a 2006 Prius yesterday a guy is selling. It had the CEL on (not sure why somebody would try and sell a car with that, but anyway). He said that it's because they get gas at a station that consistently doesn't tighten the gas cap enough but by the time the tank is down to 1-2 bars the light always goes away. Although I don't doubt his story, I absolutely doubted the cause. So I took it to get the code pulled and it was P0420, which is catalytic converter threshold below efficiency.
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I just moved to Colorado with my 2009 Prius and on the fifth day here the check engine light went on and the dealership said my catalytic converter failed. Luckily I was still under warranty. Is this related to the altitude or just a coincidence?
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My check engine light has been coming on and off and it seems to show P0420 for catalytic converter. The light stays off for about a week and it'll come on for a day or two and off again.
Wouldn't a failed converter stay failed? Can P0420 be triggered by loose/bad gas caps?
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My 2006 prius started beeping and showing multiple warning lights - The big triangle with the exlamation, Brake System Warning light and Check Engine light on the dashboard. On the main screen the hybrid system warning icon popped up.
I asked from a toyota service place and they said this might be due to multiple reasons (they didn't mention exact reasons) and will cost a lot of money. I've been checking some posts and found some advice regarding the inverter cooler. I checked the coolant container for "waves" as instructed by this post Suddenly hit with multiple warning lights! | PriusChat.
I can see the coolant moving when I turn the car on. What other reasons that can cause this issue?
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I drive my 2005 Prius 40+ miles each way for my commute. I bought it in the fall of 2007 with 56k miles already on it, and with my commute I'm up to 140,000 miles already.
This morning I was about 5 minutes from work, cruise control on, and deeply absorbed in listening to a podcast. I was startled out of my reverie by several things happening simultaneously. The car beeped, the cruise control kicked off, and multiple warning lights lit up on the dash, with a warning icon of some kind also on my MFD.
(Once stopped, I looked up the warning lights. They were: Master warning light; Check engine light, or "malfunction indicator lamp", according to the manual; YELLOW Brake system warning; VSC warning light. On the MFD, the Hybrid System Warning Light was on.)
I was on the highway doing about 70 and I had just crested a hill, so I allowed the car to coast on the downside while trying to access the situation. I cautiously pressed the accelerator, and though the road noise made it impossible to hear the engine, the car seemed to still be driving normally. The Energy Monitor still showed normal flows between battery, engine, and wheels. I had one final, short uphill climb before my freeway exit, so I chanced it. I took it easy and allowed my speed to decrease on the uphill so as not to push too hard, just in case. Once off the freeway, most of the remaining mile is downhill or flat - I can often make it to the office without the engine, and in fact I did so this morning.
Once at the office, I put the car into Park and grabbed the manual so I could identify all the warning lights before powering off the car. I turned off the Prius, let it sit for 5-10 seconds, and powered it back on. The brake system warning and VSC lights did not come back on - only the master warning light, and "check engine" lights reappeared, and "Problem" on the MFD was again replaced by the Hybrid System Warning icon. After the usual 10 seconds, the engine started normally and responded to the accelerator.
One additional note: After the freeway exit, my car is usually at 1 green bar or just below on the hybrid battery. Immediately following the freeway exit is a steep downhill that usually puts the SOC to completely full. That was the case again today, and as often happens, that full charge was able to take me the rest of the relatively flat, distance to the office at my usual 25-35 mph. I mention this because whatever might be setting off the warnings, the Prius still seems to be managing the charge level normally; at least in the admittedly short period I was able to observe it after this occurred.
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I own a 2004 Acura RSX that I purchased new nearly 10 years ago. The car currently has 182,000 miles on it. Two years ago (approx. 130,000 miles), I had to replace the catalytic converter and both O2 sensors. This lightened my wallet to the tune of $1,200 (aftermarket franchise, OEM replacement). A few weeks ago, the "check engine" light came on. I used my scanner, and got the dreaded P0420 code, and had it verified by another shop. O2 sensors were OK. What REALLY shocked me was that replacement catalytic converters are only warranted for 5 years/25,000 miles (50k in CA). The first replacement piece lasted 52,000 miles (less than half the miles/years of the original part)
Here are THE QUESTIONS: What killed this catalytic converter? What can I do to prolong the life of this part? My car has the base powertrain that (according to the owner's manual) recommends 87 octane fuel. That's all I've ever used. The mechanic suggested moving up to mid-grade fuel, though he admitted that he wasn't sure.
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The check engine light came on so I took my car in. My mechanic whom I've used for years told me the following: the catalytic converted had started to come off, in the process it pushed the oxygen sensor up against the body of the car and shorted it out. The total damage is that the O2 sensor and the cat has to be replaced. The line-item estimate was $104 for a sensor and $650 for a cat, plus labor. Total: $1000. Now, I'm looking online and seeing cats that work on my car for far less ($200-400 depending). I talked to another mechanic on the phone who verified cats don't have to be $650. My mechanic said they only use top quality parts with warranty, etc. But the other mechanic said that for a car that he wants to get moving again, a cat is a cat and any new part will, of course, come with a warranty. So... what should I do? Is $1000 too much? If I go with the mechanic who says he can get me down to $700, will that be cheap work on my car? It has 108K miles, and I'd like to get at least another few years out of it.
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I have a 2002 Toyota Prius that is currently in limp mode...
Took it to the dealer for diagnostics and they said the Catalytic Converter has failed...So I went online, bought a new one and replaced it. The symptoms prior the Cat replacement were still there...mpg loss, power loss, and exhaust air was not exiting the end of the pipe but actually leaking out the connection point where the Cat and the manifold met.
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On my way home tonight - As i was making a turn near my home i got a bunch of warning lights that came up. Red Triangle, VSC, Check engine and i believe the Brake Warning (The little Circle with the ! inside).
The Car drove fine till i got home (only about a mile away at that point). Looked under the hood- nothing that stuck out as being busted but only a quick glance. If i still get the lights in the morning, Off to the dealer. Don't have a Code reader so cant pull anything here at home from the car.
If its related or not is the A/C seemed to get a bit weak in the minutes before the lights turned on - I remember intentionally cranking it up which is something i normally don't do. because the A/C is normally great in the car.
I have to say in the 4.5 years I've had the car - this is the first time I've had this kind of issue. The battery died and had to be replaced like 9 months ago but i didn't get the amount of warning lights I am getting now.
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