The dash lit up like a Christmas tree yesterday - multiple warnings and lights

[swampdog]

It seems that the LC wanted to get in on seasonal celebrations, with the dash lighting up like a Christmas tree.

Yesterday, after driving about a kilometer at low speed, numerous systems shut down and the message area of the display flashed messages. The Engine light also came on and stayed illuminated, as did 6 separate warning lights. Warnings included: Hybrid System Malfunction - Visit Your Dealer, Driver Monitor Unavailable - See Owners Manual, System Malfunction - Visit Your Dealer, Secondary Collision Brake System Malfunction - Visit Your Dealer, Check Engine, Reduced Engine Power - Visit Your Dealer, Drive-Start Control Malfunction - Visit Your Dealer, Brake Override Malfunction - Visit Your Dealer. I could not override the warnings that just kept on scrolling. It can't be that safe driving with multiple systems shut down.

I checked with the dealer; they said it was OK to drive unless the vehicle told me to turn it off- it did not do that. I turned the LC off three or four times over the next few hours and restarted it. No change. Then I drove to the dealer and turned it off. After waiting for about fifteen minutes until someone had time to look at it, I restarted it. All warnings were gone. The dealer thought it was a faulty sensor somewhere in the system that had fixed itself, so they could not do anything.

Several times previously while driving on the highway, the cruise and lane holding systems stopped working, with corresponding warnings. After about five minutes, the issue disappeared without me doing anything. I mentioned this to the dealer and they thought a dirty sensor in the grille area could be to blame for that. But the vehicle was clean and no rain or snow was falling at those times. So, I don't know about that either.

Has anyone else experienced these issues?

 

[katekebo]

Xmas tree lights on the dashboard can be caused by literally hundreds of issues, some can be trivial, some very serious. Impossible to know without reading the codes.
One characteristic of Toyota is that it will light up many warnings and show multiple messages that are usually not related to the actual cause. For example, a simple misfire, that would normally only light up the CEL in most cars, will trigger multiple warnings in Toyota like "AWD system failure" or "Stability Control Unavailable" and "Visit Dealer". The reason is that most people ignore the CEL if the car "runs good" and eventually neglecting the issue results in major problems. So Toyota decided to play a little psychology trick and display a myriad of message to instill a sense of urgency in the driver / owner.
Buy a cheap OBD2 code reader and carry it with you in the car. The next time the CEL turns on, plug in the code reader and write down the codes. That way you will have a good starting point for the mechanic / dealer to diagnose the problem, even if the codes clear themselves after turning off the car.

 

[jbtac2002]

you'd think there would be logging somewhere or a history of alerts, so when it doesn't show up at the dealer, they can still find objective evidence than an alert did occur...

 

[neema2k]

I've seen several posts regarding this and this one is a pretty decent lead on the fuel pump.

You are not alone... second time I have had this happen to me (September and last Saturday) at exactly the same location... going down Floyd's hill on westbound I70... very fun place for a car to go into limp mode.

• Hybrid system malfunction
• Drive-Start Control Malfunction
• System Malfunction
• Check engine

Just received word that Toyota told the dealership to replace the high pressure fuel pump.

Anyone have any experience or wisdom when it comes to this part? How big of an issue is this? Long-term issues caused by this part malfunctioning? Is this serious enough to start pushing for a new LC because of potential damage to the engine etc.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.



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This error flooding thing is common in the software world. Usually it's one error cascading and triggering a bunch of other errors that would not be there without the first error. Programmers deprioritize these error handling systems and usually never look back. In this case I would think Toyota would eventually address this.

We are the first bout with this complicated system. Hopefully one day some software and firmware updates could address these kinds of problems.