How a Paperclip Saved My Toyota Prius From Becoming a Paperweight

I bought a 2006 Toyota Prius a few months back and let me just say, I love it. I’ve always owned old trucks that guzzle down fuel like it’s going out of style, so driving past gas stations in an economical hybrid is still a pretty new experience for me. I’m also new to maintenance and repairs on these bad boys. About two weeks ago, my blue beauty turned into a paperweight that would only shift into neutral and park—no drive or reverse. Fortunately, I was able to fix it with a trickle charger and a paperclip.

I was almost flabbergasted to see that as the suggested fix on owners’ forums and Reddit, but what do you know, it’s apparently a common procedure. Second-generation Prius models run into this problem when their 12-volt battery gets low, and some say the same can happen when the hybrid battery goes bad. I got nervous thinking it could be the latter, especially since I just replaced the 12-volt unit the week before, but I figured I’d start small and work my way up if that didn’t fix it.

Y’see, I have an almost two-year-old daughter who loves to play in the Prius. Maybe she likes the color or maybe it’s because it’s just her size. Regardless, I suspect she might’ve been the culprit of having left a cabin light on or something. After hooking the 12-volt to a trickle charger for a few days, my Prius and I were on the path to recovery. But we weren’t quite there yet.

While the freshly charged battery cleared the glowing red triangle of death from the car’s dash, all the other lights were still on. The check engine and tire pressure monitoring system lights were on before, but you get me. The gas engine still wouldn’t start, and I was staring down the VSC, ABS, MAINT REQD, and BRAKE warnings. At this point, I wasn’t actually sure I’d fixed it.

Then I googled it. I found a Reddit thread linking to a YouTube video that showed how to enter the car’s diagnostic mode. It involved jumping two terminals on the OBD port with a paperclip. “No way,” I thought. 

Yes way, I soon learned.

The trick involved putting one end of the paperclip into the fourth pin slot from left on the top and the fifth pin slot from left on bottom. I did this with the car off, and after rigging it up, I pushed the power button. Then, in following the video step-by-step, I pushed the brake pedal eight times. This launched the Prius’ diagnostic mode and allowed me to clear the codes on the center stack’s touch screen.

My car then went back to normal, shifting into drive and reverse with the gas engine turning on soon after. Great success!

Apparently, a lot of Prius owners use this trick to clear codes and dashboard lights. It’s important to know that won’t fix the underlying issues that caused the lights in the first place. For example, had I not charged my 12-volt battery before using the paperclip method, nothing would have happened. My check engine and TPMS lights are both back like they were beforehand, showing I need to address those separately. This isn’t an excuse or even a band-aid for your ABS problem! If the light is on, you need to get it properly checked and repaired.

But there you have it. My happy hybrid is back on the road, sipping fuel and getting me from Point A to Point B without issue. What a great little car.

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