2006 Prius park gear question/problem

Sounds like the 12 volt battery is dying. If it is original it has served you well and needs to be retired.

Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat

Optima DS46B24R Optima battery direct fit replacement for Prius 2004 +

 

The parking error is a red herring. The Prius displays it when you have 12V problems, and also if the door is open at the wrong time.

Tom

 

I just replace the 12V battery. How long does it take for the triangle of death to turn off? All the voltages and recharge voltages are now in spec.

 

Usually 4-5 cycles of the ignition.

 

Thanks. I've made one 4 mile trip. I'll keep count. If this doesn't work, then I have a loose wire/connection up by the engine. A few years back, squirrels chewed up some wires and the patches may have come loose. Those pests totally disabled the car.

 

I've made multiple trips and the triangle of death stays on. The new battery still checks out okay and is within specs. The car locks in the park position--NP. Any suggestions? The next step maybe to have the dealer check out the wiring.

 

The only thing you can do from this point is have the code read.

 

Yup, I also came to the same conclusion. I was just wishing for a different answer to the obvious.

 

It turned out that there was corrosion where the cables went into the fuse box under the hood. We live in an area where a lot of salt is used on the roads in the winter. Since the repair was done at the dealer, I haven't had any problems.

 

Thank you for the update. We get so few of them but, when we do, it really helps add to our database/troubleshooting abilities.

 

Unfortunately, it took the dealer mechanic to track this down. $$$'s I did have a new 12V battery and it tested out just fine. But if someone has an intermittent problem or the triangle of death stays on, yet the 12V battery is good, look for a bad electrical connection. We've even had rodents chew through the wires.