P0ACD code, rodents, "Check Hybrid System" (the saga begins)

We moved to a rural location in January 2018. We've been battling mice and rodents in *all* of our cars ever since.

My 2010 Prius has been particularly prone to mice. They got into the cabin air filter, they made a home in the trunk above the spare. A rat or squirrel put acorns in the engine bay.

I've slowly been winning by trapping them, putting minty-scent dryer sheets everywhere, using repellent, and putting a sonic deterrent in the car at night.

This morning however I went to start the Prius and the dire "Check Hybrid System" warning came on. I checked the OBD code, it is P0ACD -- oddly enough searching for this code on this forum turns up zero results.

Apparently P0ACD means "Hybrid Battery Temperature Sensor 'C' Circuit High". ( P0ACD TOYOTA Hybrid Battery Temperature Sensor 'C' Circuit High ). Including these potential causes:
• HV Battery Assembly harness is open or shorted
• HV Battery Assembly circuit poor electrical connection

So the obvious possibility: mice chewed through a wiring harness, shorting out the ability to monitor the temp of the high voltage battery.

Another possibility: while I was cleaning, mitigating, otherwise chasing rodents, I knocked or tweaked or crimped a wiring harness somewhere causing this.

Another possibility: I left the hood open overnight (they like to build nests on top of the engine block below the hood) - perhaps the exposure to moisture overnight caused this (seems unlikely.)

Anyone have experience with this error code? Any tips? I am going to go through the vehicle tomorrow but will probably give up and have it towed to a dealer.

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Edit to add: Since I am not getting the red triangle (only the check engine light) I guess it's safe to drive the car to the dealership rather than towing...

 

For anyone interested in the outcome of this, or for people searching in the future... the mice had created a nest beneath the hybrid battery, and at some point they chewed through a wiring harness, hence the "Check Hybrid System" error.

Labor and parts to fix the entire issue at a Toyota dealership: $550. Ouch. I imagine this could be done for less $$$ by an independent mechanic. Or I probably could've done it myself. Oh well.

I now surround each tire with glue traps at night to try and prevent a repeat occurrence. It's a huge pain.

In somewhat related news, there's a class action suit against Honda for using soy in their wire coatings: Honda Soy-Coated Wiring Irresistible to Rodents?