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help red triangle

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by onesiks2, Jun 2, 2008.

  1. onesiks2

    onesiks2 New Member

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    today i was vacuming my car on my driveway <my driveway has a slight incline>and i left the power on ready mode with the radio on when i was done i tried to move it so i powered down and powered up again thats when the red triangle appered on the dash and on the screen in orange it said pard mechinism malfuntion park car on flat area or something like that so after powering down and powering on a few times it went away.. i drive the car about 5 miles after to make sure it was okay and it did not come back but iam worried is there something wrong??i will be taking the car for a long trip and i do not want it to break down on me:(:(:(
     
    #1 onesiks2, Jun 2, 2008
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I've seen occasional complaints about a failed parking mechanism causing the symptoms that you described. Since you are planning a road trip it probably would be a good idea to to take the car to your local Toyota dealer to have the problem checked out.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jun 2, 2008
  3. ZC1

    ZC1 Junior Prius Owner

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    I'm not trying to diagnose your situation but...

    I got the exact same message when on level ground in my garage doing the same thing you did (radio on).

    What I figured out was this:

    When the drivers door (or perhaps any door) is open, I get the message and Red triangle, if I immediately shut the door, the boogeyman disappears.

    Try the same scenario on flat ground.

    (My foot may be on the brake at this time.)


    ZC1
     
    #3 ZC1, Jun 2, 2008
  4. NoMoShocks

    NoMoShocks Electrical Engineer

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    That Red Triangle and convaluted message is actually a Japanese idiom. The English Translation is "The Door is Ajar".

    Test is out by gently closing your driver's door so that the latch only engages the safety catch, and not fully closed. Then try to drive the car and see the same Red Triangle (the world as we know it is coming to an end) message.
     
    #4 NoMoShocks, Jun 2, 2008
  5. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Fantastic description. First time it happened to me I drove around the block and restarted a couple times trying to figure out why it was gonna blow up. I was getting out so I would not be injured when she blew when I saw the door was ajar :eek:
     
    #5 abq sfr, Jun 2, 2008
  6. miscrms

    miscrms Plug Envious Member

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    :D

    Definately one of the most non-intuitive messages I've ever seen. Right up there with Microsoft.

    Rob
     
    #6 miscrms, Jun 2, 2008
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