What does the Check Hybrid System light indicate

45

Asked by steuped May 17, 2020 at 11:57 AM about the 2011 Toyota Prius Base

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 2011 Prius with 320,000 miles has been sitting more due to COVID-19.  
Went to move it and the Check Hybrid System alert was on.  The check
engine light came on as well along with the brake system warning light and
the slip indicator.  The car starts normal and moves and stops without
problems.  I am 20 miles from the Toyota Dealer.  Is it safe to drive?  Is there
anything that can be done from a novice repair person (me)?  Is it the Hybrid
battery?  Is it the braking system?  

18 Answers

1,435

When all those lights come on at the same time it indicates that there is a problem with the hybrid system. You should not drive the car more then 40 mph, and don't use AC. If there is a place around you that can scan the vehicle, do that first. Write down whatever codes the scan shows. If ther isn't a place around you, try disconnecting the 12v battery for about 2 minutes. That will reset all the codes, though.

27 people found this helpful.
130

I got the same problem today, but all the mentioned lights came on, while starting to move after a red light. What is the cause and how to fix it?

13 people found this helpful.
130

My dealer told me that the hybrid battery has some faulty cells and told me to replace it $3K - $5K. Diagnosis is $150. May be worth trash now. NEVER AGAIN TOYOTA IN MY LIFE. My 2007 accord runs perfect until date.

13 people found this helpful.
70

Got the same problem. Took to a mechanic who said high voltage battery must be replaced.

7 people found this helpful.
90

I got the same issue today 11/24/2020.. mileage is about 103K

5 people found this helpful.
1,435

If you need the hybrid battery, we sell reconditioned for 990 or new for 1990 www.exclusivelyhybrid.com

18 people found this helpful.
20

I just got Check Hybrid system light and i am driving fine with it. i took it the dealership to see why the message is coming .. they are charging about $5000 repair. please help me advice what is the point of going with hybrid. Anand 904 599 9763 cell ajadala1@gmail.com

2 people found this helpful.
70

Hello Alex How do I contact you Sir

7 people found this helpful.
320

My 2013 Prius suddenly started showing this message. It would drive, but only using the gasoline engine, not the electric motor. I took it to the dealer, they found a Toyota service bulletin about the issue (0003-21), and they replaced the inverter. It took about 2 weeks for the part to come in, but Toyota paid for everything even though it's not under warranty any more.

32 people found this helpful.
120

Our 2012 Prius C had the check hybrid system light come on as well. It is at the dealership now. I let them know that I know about TSB 0003-21 so we will see what happens now. Inverter failures are pretty common and obviously a defective part so it should be covered but I won’t hold my breath about it. If not covered then this will be the last Toyota in our family.

8 people found this helpful.
110

I've had this message pop up many many times, I never sweat it. It will happen if you remove certain fuses even for a split second but like someone commented above just disconnect the auxiliary battery in the back for a couple minutes and that'll clear everything out and everything should run normally probably maybe it's what I do the positive terminal in my 2012 Prius v uses a 15/32 socket.

11 people found this helpful.
30

I had the same problem for Prius 2010. There was missing oil, I filled around 1l, after that error still appears. Then i disconnected battery, for several minutes. This helped to fix problem. I hope it will not happen again.

3 people found this helpful.
40

I had multiple Toyota hybrids and when they sit for a while the light comes on after the first start you have just drive it around to charge the battery.

4 people found this helpful.
115

My 2012 Prius recently showed this message, too. I was still able to drive it, but only the gasoline engine was working and the electric motor was not. I took it to the dealer in San Antonio and told them that I am aware of the issue (0003-21) which I learned from others' responses above. The dealer told me that Toyota has extended the warranty on this issue (my car is no longer under the regular warranty) and will pay for the repair. The total estimated cost would have been $3,000, and I am grateful that Toyota will pay for it.

11 people found this helpful.
60

I've seen the service bulletins and it's saying the extended warranty is up to 100,000 miles. How many miles did your car have when it was repaired by Toyota. I have the same problem on my 2010 prius but it has 180k miles.

6 people found this helpful.

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