20 Most Recent 2002 Toyota Prius - Page 8 Questions & Answers

Jeannie, Did you ever obtain an answer for this question?

it is just a normal self priming gasoline engine to provide assistance to the electric engine put gas in tank and it should start just like a normal gasoline vehicle if the only thing that stopped it was running out of fuel

The Prius has a small 12 volt battery for starting the computer. It is easily discharged if something is left on or a door is left open. Your owners manual will show you where to charge or jump the car from under the hood in the fuse box. Or you can access the battery in the right rear trunk area.

you may have a loose conection some where do you have dimmer switch? check

it's a matter of because the check engine light came on and at the same time you have loss of power this indicates that the vehicle went into limp in mode. the only way to figure out why is to do a diagnostic on it so you don't spend hours trying to figure out the exact problem by guessing and replacing what you might think it is. there is a multitude of reasons for loss of power but the check engine light is a good indicater that the ecm threw a code or more. contrary to popular belief it is not an idiot light especially on a hybrid like the prius. if you loosen a line it will most likely stall not just lose power. the vehicles are pressure sensitive and would throw a code. you have an array of sensors just for the fuel system alone. if it were bad filters you would have rough idle ,hard starting ,or stalling while stopped. none of which you mentioned.

I am sure that your headlights are the High Intensity Discharge (HID) type that throws off a slight blue hue when turned on. If they are the problem you are having is that the bulbs have gone bad and are needing to be replaced. I replaced mine myself and they were about $200 for the pair so you may have to save up first. If you are going to tackle it yourself do a youtube search on how to replace them. Aftermarket bulbs don't save you much so I bought mine from a Toyota dealer.

If you replaced the fluid with the proper type (NOT ENGINE OIL) the transmission system has to be checked by someone equipped to determine the problem - before it fails.

hi there .could be relay problem...if your not handy with cars i would recommend taking it to a mechanic..good luck.