So, its really hot here today in Phoenix. 105 degrees and stupid me left my prius out in driveway last night without the windows open. Now it started, but when I put it in reverse - it goes to neutral and shows me the ever dreaded triangle of death. It has done this before, but when I let it cool off (at night), I am able to start it and park in garage. My concern is if I go shopping for two or three hours on a 115 degree day, it may not start. My car has 200k on it, and I love it to death ... and maybe this is its death ... do I need a new battery? Lisa
Is there a READY light on? It sounds like your car may not have even started up. You can check the health of the 12v battery, that's usually the first thing to check when the car doesn't start
The car started. It would not go into drive - would go back to neutral. It has done it on several very hot days and never on a regular day. I saw a similar post from a man who has a car in Montana that his would do it when it was too cold. ... its very interesting. It must be a safety that puts it back into neutral when its too hot ... or maybe ???
Sorry your first post is with such a scary event. But welcome anyway. It must be 150° or so inside the car. I'd check the 12V like @JC91006 said. But try to put it in acc mode and lower the windows and cool it down, too, if you can. You might also need to reset the code, but it may clear itself if you can get it running and then start it a few times. That's if there's no real damage and it's just balking at the temperature. My 2005 would sometimes not want to go into reverse at work on hot days. But I never got any alarms. I'd just slow down and try again with more deliberation and it would work.
Thanks. I've actually been a member for about ten years ... but usually just read the posts. I have posted a few times, but for some reason this time it didn't recognize my email anymore I know it is close to - if not exceeding - 150 in the car. I wouldn't want to run either till I cooled down. But it does start, and I can even leave it in neutral with air on, but I wasn't sure if that was wise. Once I tried to put it into reverse too many times it gave me the triangle of death. Its weird. I know that others here in Phoenix have prius' the fact that it does this on a relatively cool summer day scares me ... I know 105 isn't relatively cool to you guys, but believe me there will be 90 days hotter than today this year. Lisa
If anybody knows hot weather and Prius cars, it would be @Patrickwong. He's a fellow AZ member. Maybe he knows why your car went into neutral in the hot sun.
I think it is heat related, bu there's more to it. My '05 only ever did it in hot, hot weather. My wife's '05 and her '07 have never done it. And it's not nearly as hot in Tampa as in AZ. I'll be interested to see what Patrick knows. I just did some googling, and it seems to happen on very cold days, too. But I didn't find any answers. What seemed to work for me was waiting extra time (5 seconds or more) after the ready light, and then shifting and holding it in R or D for a couple seconds. Not sure if that was what made it work or if it was just messing with me.
This may have happened once when my mother was driving a gen2. But since it was my mother, I didn't really think anything of it. She's the type to leave her keys inside and house and then tell me the car wouldn't start.
Thanks for your responses guys! I do hope that someone out there has had this problem and knows what to do. My uneducated guess is that the big battery is overheated (or too cold in cold weather). Afterall, it does have its own fan to keep it cool. It will start - so I don't think its the little battery. Lisa
Now that's funny right there. To be honest, it only happened to me about a half dozen times over two summers and it always engaged on the 2nd try, so I think Lisa's problem might be more severe.
Your cooking the hybrid battery. No window shade no tint sun blasting the back hatch area. I bet the fan in the rear is on full blast. Next time check the battery charge level in the mfd and you'll see it's not even pink but empty.
