Diagnosing The Dreaded Prius “Red Triangle Of Death”

When you have the red triangle of death pop up on the dash of a Prius, you know it’s usually not good. There are many causes of this light. What did we find with this one? Most people automatically think it’s a bad hybrid battery. Is that what we found on this one? Come along this simple and effective diagnosis and learn how to find the root cause of this extremely common issue! We hope this helps. Enjoy!
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[@dianepfeifer5774]

Thanks for removing the cap from the coolant so I could see actual movement!

[@speedy_pit_stop]

Short and sweet, right to the point. Just how I like it.

[@JimenezPerez]

I came here because of the kitten video. I stayed here for the Prius video lol. Subscribed.

[@dogdooley4495]

I love how you don't assume what the issue is and throw parts at a problem.

[@sollykhan2385]

As usual another excellent tutorial, to the point, no excess baggage, THANK YOU 🙂

[@HYBRIDEVMASTERSGARAGE]

Great Demo & Presentation 🙂 Enjoy your Scope Skills !!

[@JimmyMakingitwork]

Yeah, the pumps are the most common failure item in these, next is the battery harness which corrodes and terminals break and of course cells can go bad which can be replaced individually. Scan data is super helpful in these, for pumps and variations of .5 volts between cells can cause codes and the red triangle of death, so it doesn't take much. Nice work.

[@weldingjunkie]

I personally like to see how and where you connect and why. Ecu vs connector etc. I’m willing to bet the majority does. Thanks for sharing

[@johnrpizzaguy]

OBD 2 port. Almost always under the driver’s lower legs With the exception of the first couple of years of Honda being in the center console.

[@weldingjunkie]

@@johnrpizzaguy what? I’m talking about the Scope. And obd2 is def not always under legs. On left side of dash door, or middle of console like Benz. But but I wasn’t talking about where to hook up a scan tool.

[@djmobileautoservices]

​@@weldingjunkielol. Jay Q. You have to hook up on the DLC port 😅😂

[@speedy_pit_stop]

Every issue in every car is different. Wiring and connector location diagrams are your friends.

[@weldingjunkie]

@@djmobileautoservices 😂😂 is that under the hood?

[@ChrisHall02]

Recently had this with a 2005 Prius, bought an aftermarket pump, hope it lasts!

[@pontiacsrule8761]

I'm a DIY & don't know anything about a Prius. Thanks for the lesson. Good info to know.

[@alrifainidal]

Great diag for an electric water pump. Thanks for the nice work

[@Hybriddiag]

P0A80 or P0A93 are very common dtc,s on these inverter cooling pump and replace hybrid battery modules are i am dealing every day....

[@danieljohnson4418]

I had the red triangle of death illuminate last year on my 2010 Toyota Prius. I determined it was the high-voltage battery. Not an overly difficult job, even for a DIY'er.

[@MichaelMorehouse-j3v]

Like your videos, learning a lot from watching them. But I am a shade tree mechanic. Just starting to learn the electrical side of the cars. All I have is a basic code reader, test light, and a couple of voltage testers. Can not afford the fancy gadgets you have. Do you have any pointers to help us small guys out.

[@crasher88]

love the hybrid diagnostic videos I am always wanting to learn more about them

[@billseay6399]

Hey thanks again my brother love it

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Excellent presentation ! Thanks !

[@djmobileautoservices]

Quick and easy. Thanks for sharing guys

[@DependableAutoTruck]

thanks so much only have 1 customer with a prius has over 100,000 miles haven't dont anything other than maintenance

[@AlphaPrePurchaseCarInspections]

Keep up the good work! Great video

[@odishoodisho4904]

Good job 👍

[@mastmec]

Great videos, a while back you talked about a fluid to apply to electrical terminals to help with intermittent connection issues. What is that fluid

[@jadenschwarz722]

Could it be dielectric grease?

[@rodvan-zeller6360]

At 6:15, scope is a window into the circuit, always preferable, I use both scope and meter simultaneous, my preference.

[@MsFireboy2]

Thanks for posting. Sherwood have you guys ever had an EV vehicle with a coolant intrusion into to stator assembly come into your shop?

[@alext8828]

Will the pump work if the car is only in the ACC position, or does it have to be fully "ON"?

[@eddiereichel9354]

I did a inverter cooling pump on a customer Prius. Man that thing stunk like no other electric failure IV experienced.

[@rodvan-zeller6360]

At 6:40, unless there is wiring damage, you are approaching it the correct way.

[@weldingjunkie]

Always good to show the pump speed to based off the commutators.

[@davidsawyer1599]

Personally, I want and need to see where every test lead is attached and why. Not everyone who views these is in the choir. I don't own one of those vehicles. But if I did. I would want all the insight I could get. There are channels aimed directly at the pros. This channel is all-encompassing pros and someone in a jam looking for help. Not everyone is an automotive technician.

[@cliffshenkel7350]

The “money” light!!

[@MegaChickenPunch]

What was the mileage on the pump before it broke?

[@philh9238]

Now if you have how to do an insulation leak test on the high voltage system

[@alinduta5398]

I tested a four wire pump on a 2015 prius with power,ground,activation and feedback signal good power,ground and activation but bad feedback signal,this was causing the problem it was the same fault code low performance, which I find misleading regarding the real fault

[@SuperAayush11]

I get that red triangle when i turn off my car what does that mean ?

[@davidhinton3595]

NOPE, it's NOT the Red Triangle of Death. Officially it's the Master Warning Light that alerts us to possible problems in one or more systems. It could be low engine oil.

[@kclefthanded427]

Sure beats an expensive inverter

[@cheapers1952]

I'm curious who's the proof reader of the comments or are there multiple readers PS a quick short a lab scope Showing the indication and how to get rid of the noise

[@harveyadams5453]

You never said what kind of pump that is for the amateur guys they need to know that

[@theroyaltyautoservice]

3:33 is where he mentions it. 👍

[@bigdaddymak1439]

Hybrids have an electric water pump separate from the mechanical one on the engine for the hybrid system

[@davidbaldwin2729]

this electric pump is pumping coolant to keep the electrical inverter cool. Prius's have two separate cooling systems with pink antifreeze, one for the engine and one for the inverter. The inverter generates heat so it needs to be kept cool.