As passenger, turned key to ON (not start) to listen to radio. A red lightning bolt in red parenthesis illuminated on the dash, lingered a bit longer than I was expecting, then went out. Is this normal behavior or an indication of a fault? Cycled off and back while sitting there, it happened again.
That is normal. That symbol is the Electronic Throttle Control Light. When the ignition is turned on the throttle control is checked to see if it is functioning. The light going off means the throttle system is ok. If there was a problem the light will stay on. So, what you are seeing is good. Going off is normal.
If the light comes on while driving and is not blinking you should be able to drive, dealer attention is recommended. If it comes on while driving and it is blinking you may encounter reduced driveability and immediate attention is recommended.
*nod* thanks. It seemed mostly normal, but it lingered long enough to not seem quite normal. It's my wife's vehicle, so I'm not as attuned to it as I probably should be.
You don't need to turn the ignition on to listen tomthe radio. Just push the radio power on button and it will play for about 10-15 minutes. When it shuts off just push the power button again.