Prius C shutdown completely while in drive

So, what was it?

 

I experienced this too. I had started the car, drove a few miles, pulled over to put some gps coordinates in, and when I wanted to drive again, the display screen said "shift to p and start". I did just that and i was on my way. I think this is due to being motionless in drive for a while because it also happened in my drive way when I had the car on and was just listening to music, and once I was ready to leave, I realize the car had shut it's self off. When I first read your title I imagined the worst like shutting of on a highway, but I think it someone else might be able to explain why the car does this better than I can.

 

There must be a automatic shutdown when the EV battery is low. If you park and leave the radio on, like the other Gens, the car should be left in ready. As for driving around a parking lot and depleting the battery, take it back to the dealer, there is something drastically wrong.

 

Feedback is important and everyone benifits. So what was it NATE ?

 

I don't think you'll get an answer - his original post was Nate's one and only visit here.

On his profile: "natetheokay was last seen: Aug 29, 2012"

 

Yeh, I figured that, Dumb.

 

Keep in mind here that the c is just like the liftback - if it is in READY mode with the shift in either P or D, then it will cycle the ICE on when necessary to recharge the HV battery, which in turn keeps the 12V battery topped up. If the shift is in N then it can't charge the HV battery.

If it is not in READY mode, then there is an automatic power-off after 20 minutes (accessory mode) or after 1 hour (on mode), assuming you don't drain the 12V battery sooner, which is why the manual does not recommend testing this.

If a c is behaving differently either there's something wrong or there's user error.