MFD and battery issues

[osabr22000]

Stats: 06 Prius with approximately 60k miles.
Last Thursday, on February 26th, the MFD went blank on my prius. I tested the gas mileage, and the gas mileage appeared to be around what I am used to so I did not think the hybrid battery failed, just the multi function display. My bluetooth did not work, nor GPS, but I was still able to control radio and climate functions through the dashboard and steering wheel buttons.

Then, on Tuesday, March 2nd, we could not get the car started. I tried to charge it all day through a battery charger and that did not work. Yesterday, I got a successful jump from one of my neighbors, but my car would not idle for very long. When the car came on I got an error to the effect of "There's a problem with the transmission 'P' lock mechanism", and I was actually able to get past that error, put the car in reverse and see through the camera. So now, I assume that maybe the mfd didn't fail.

What else could be my problem? Is it the 12 volt battery? Does the MFD display run off of that, and is a symptom of a weak battery the MFD going blank?

Please let me know what you think and thanks!

[qbee42]

My first guess is a shorted 12V battery. A bad battery will not hold a charge, but a shorted battery will drag down the 12V bus.

You can test this by disconnecting the 12V battery, then using a jump to start the Prius. If all is well, then the 12V battery needs to be replaced. If you still have problems, start looking at fuses.

Tom

[richard schumacher]

Borrow a voltmeter and check the voltage at the jump point under the hood (the other meter lead goes to any bare metal on the frame) with the car OFF. If the voltage is less than 12.0, it's most likely a dead/dying battery.