Can The Intelligent Parking Assist Damage The Car?

You're wasting your time worrying about it. You're still fully in control of the car via your foot on the brake.

 

I respect your opinion, but I simply believe that an IPA is supposed to be an "assist" device. In the end...the driver is supposed to monitor the "Robo-Parker" and override this device if your parking evolution starts to go awry. Every IPA equipped vehicle that I have stick time in has an override feature....if this fails...then you can join the throng of people out there who are blaming car manufacturers for things like UA. I've never heard of a case where an IPA system has run amuck and not allowed the driver to cancel the parking evolution.

Permission granted.
A forum is supposed to be a place for people to opine.
The really cool thing about public forums is that people's opinions will usually stand (or fail to) on the strength of their own merit.

 

No one seems to have mentioned the Green box that appears on the screen when you select park assist, that shows you where the car is going to end up . If the green box is clear of the kerb and/or any other obstacles then the car won't get damaged. If it's not clear then adjust it with the arrows, easy as.

 

But the green box is just an estimation (as is the fact that it's green in the first place, as opposed to red if it thinks you'll hit something, or if the car can't turn fast enough to get to a particular place). Depending on a number of factors already mentioned, it's possible to watch the green box move relative to the ground if you watch the camera while the car parks itself. Most of the time, it still won't hit anything - the point is, you have to not be a complete moron to use the system. It'll only hit something if you let it.

 

Yup.
There's more than a thread of truth there. I used to be one of those people. The reason I joined this forum is that my company (AT&T---the NAVY gig is only part time now---hopefully!)
Rather than bitch and moan about having to drive a goofy little car with a 600 page owner's manual, I decided to learn more about this car, since I was going to be driving it every day.
Along the way I considered Prius ownership, and I got some stick time in some of the other trim levels for this car. I've educated a lot of people locally about the merits (and foibles) of this car---and there are a lot of both. If more Prius drivers out there would wipe the spittle off their screens and use light rather than heat to illuminate the benefits of this car, there would probably be a little less Prius Hate in the world.

As far as the original question: Can The Intelligent Parking Assist Damage The Car?

I think not.
Priuses have windows...and mirrors---although the right exterior mirror on my G3 does not work as effectively as the one on my truck for planting your right rear tire an inch from the curb, and the rearward visibility on this car borders on being stupidly dangerous.
If the IPA tries to put your car into a curb, you have the option of stopping it, and doing a mid-course correction or parking the car yourself.
I parallel park mine almost every day---just like many other people do. Like them---I had to get used to where the corners are for this car, bad mirrors, bifurcated rear glass and all.

If my II had IPA, I'd probably use it....but if I whacked a curb or squished somebody's kid I don't think it would be Toyota's fault.

 

I've found that the green box can be deceiving. It'd sometimes cut across the corner of the car in front, but actually meant to behind it. Part of the problem is the screen isn't 3D and can't accurately show you the precise placement. When I first started using IPA, I'd constantly adjust the green box to pull further away from the curb, more behind the car in front, etc., but consistently found myself rather far away from the curb and the like. Now, I've learned to trust the green box as the car originally sets it and it's never hit the car in front of me even though it'd initially show it cutting across it.

You're getting plenty of those here. Moreover, I've had at least five friends test out the IPA (successfully on the first try) even though they've never driven a Prius before. That's how confident I am of the system.