Electric Sensor = $1000? (Triangle of Death and Check Engine)

[bnllovesme]

My 2005 Prius with 85k miles flashed the Triangle of Death and the Check Engine light on Friday. I haven't been noticing anything weird with it. It cleared after restarting 3 times but I took it in this afternoon to see what was up. (My dealer, Mark Motors, is really known for great customer service.)

They gave me a code of P0AC0 and said it was an electronic sensor that would cost around a grand. Luckily, I had bought the warranty so it covered that and they gave me a 2009 Camry until the part comes in on Wednesday.

This message board has been so helpful since I bought my used Prius in October...could anyone shed some light on my problem?

Jackie

[mingoglia]

The description I found for that sensor is:
Hybrid Battery Pack Current Sensor Circuit
Range/Performance

That makes it sound like something that would be covered from the normal 8 year / 100k Hybrid warranty and not something that would necessarily have to use your extended warranty. Perhaps Patrick Wong will comment on this as he's in the know....

Mike

[miscrms]

Originally Posted by mingoglia

The description I found for that sensor is:
Hybrid Battery Pack Current Sensor Circuit
Range/Performance

That makes it sound like something that would be covered from the normal 8 year / 100k Hybrid warranty and not something that would necessarily have to use your extended warranty. Perhaps Patrick Wong will comment on this as he's in the know....

Mike

That was my thought too.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by bnllovesme

My 2005 Prius with 85k miles flashed the Triangle of Death and the Check Engine light on Friday...They gave me a code of P0AC0 and said it was an electronic sensor that would cost around a grand. Luckily, I had bought the warranty so it covered that ...

Hi Jackie,

This is a new one - I haven't noticed any prior posts regarding this DTC before. The problem is with the sensor that monitors the current flowing into the traction battery. The possible range that the sensor can output is from -200A to +200A (the sensor actually produces voltage from 0.5V to 4.5V, where 2.5V represents current of 0A.) According to the repair manual, if the sensor provides a value outside this range, it is obviously incorrect so DTC P0AC0 will be logged.

I question the assertion that this sensor would cost $1,000. After you receive your repair invoice, please provide the part number of the sensor so that I can look it up and see what the part's MSRP is.

I agree with the comment that this repair should be covered under the hybrid system warranty since that warranty covers the traction battery and the traction battery ECU. The sensor is mounted on the negative cable of the traction battery and feeds data to the traction battery ECU.

BTW, I am surprised that the check engine light came on, and not the hybrid vehicle icon in the MFD. This DTC is logged by the traction battery ECU, not the engine ECU.

Good luck with your repair.

[bnllovesme]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

BTW, I am surprised that the check engine light came on, and not the hybrid vehicle icon in the MFD.

You're correct, I remember that icon showed up on the MFD as well. Thank you so much for the explanation, it really rattled me when I searched this forum and couldn't retrieve any hits on that service code!

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by bnllovesme

... it really rattled me when I searched this forum and couldn't retrieve any hits on that service code!

Hi Jackie,

• One thing great about PriusChat is that there are so many active users, that obscure Prius problems eventually will be reported here.
• How does it feel to be the first to report this particular obscure problem? This is like a scientist who discovers a new and strange disease coming out of central Africa...

[bnllovesme]

Part number is g4283-47030

Tech said he's never seen that sensor go out before either.

[Patrick Wong]

The MSRP of the sensor is $50.

TinyURL.com - shorten that long URL into a Tiny URL

[rusty houndog]

Originally Posted by bnllovesme

My dealer, Mark Motors, is really known for great customer service.)

They gave me a code of P0AC0 and said it was an electronic sensor that would cost around a grand. Luckily,

Jackie

Being a curious fellow, I'm interested in how much the invoice actually charged for the repair.

[bnllovesme]

Originally Posted by rusty houndog

Being a curious fellow, I'm interested in how much the invoice actually charged for the repair.

I'm not sure, it just says $0 because it was covered under warranty.