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2006 Prius would not go into drive

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Owner of "Little Green", Aug 13, 2022.

  1. Owner of "Little Green"

    Owner of "Little Green" Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Boulder, CO 80304, USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    This week my car would not go into drive when starting as usual with foot on brake. I turned it off and on, no luck, pressed the left brake in and then out again and I got it into neutral, but not drive and it started rolling a bit. Then eventually after a few minutes went into drive and has been fine for the last few days. I did the in car
    12V battery check and it was 12.3, 12 and 14.2. The onscreen hybrid battery level showed 2 blue bars this week. It was wicked hot, 95 degrees, running AC at top speed but only driving less than 15 minutes each trip. Any clue why my car wouldn't go into drive? This have never happened before. Hybrid battery was replaced less than 2 years ago.
     
    #1 Owner of "Little Green", Aug 13, 2022
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
    Two
    Your 12v is low and that can create the symptoms you describe. Get your 12v battery charged up, or buy a charger so you can do that: https://www.ebay.com/itm/354203591176 Or if that doesn't work, this is the 12v I recommend: https://ebay.us/5n8222 Let me know if you need details on easiest way to install it as it's a slightly different battery type that lasts longer.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Aug 13, 2022
    Owner of "Little Green" likes this.
  3. Owner of "Little Green"

    Owner of "Little Green" Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks! So how long do you have to keep the battery charger on? How do you tell whether you just buy a battery charger or get a new battery? Whenever I use the in-car diagnostic my readings are 12.3, 12 and 14.2, with the last being with the car turned completely on. The battery you gave the link to is cheaper than the Toyota True Start Battery (by about $100) which is also supposed to last a long time. I don't think I could install any of them, but might be able to find someone who could or maybe Boulder Hybrids would do it.
     
    #3 Owner of "Little Green", Aug 14, 2022
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Two
    This charger and most decent chargers these days have a processor to give the battery the exact amount of charge it needs based on how fully charged or empty it is. And during covid, I met lots of people who had batteries that were only a couple years old that died on them and had to be replaced because if you aren't driving your Prius everyday, your 12v battery is going to not get enough time to recharge when the vehicle is on.
     
    #4 PriusCamper, Aug 15, 2022
    Owner of "Little Green" likes this.
  5. Owner of "Little Green"

    Owner of "Little Green" Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
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    Took the car in today and the battery was bad so I thought I better not wait to order one and had them put one in.
     
    #5 Owner of "Little Green", Aug 15, 2022
    bisco likes this.
  6. Owner of "Little Green"

    Owner of "Little Green" Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
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    Thanks everyone for all your kind help with this issue. I learned so much from all of you! :)
     
    #6 Owner of "Little Green", Aug 15, 2022
  7. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    or the shifter is just acting stupid
     
    #7 TMR-JWAP, Aug 15, 2022
  8. Owner of "Little Green"

    Owner of "Little Green" Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I was hoping that was the problem! But unfortunately I had the battery tested and it was bad and had to get a new one.
     
    #8 Owner of "Little Green", Aug 16, 2022
    bisco likes this.
  9. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    I do hope that your symptoms never reappear. Just keep in mind the Toyota repair manual typical states in every troubleshooting procedure to check voltage on the 12v circuit first. Right or wrong, they require no action to be taken unless it's <11 volts. I've seen a Gen 2 fire up completely normal even when the 12v battery was at 8 volts. Once the car goes to "ready", which yours did, the 12 volt system is taken over by the 201 volt HV battery and DC-DC converter (the prius version of an alternator), which is why your voltage jumped to 14.2 volts. After this, if you car wasn't going into Drive, it's very unlikely that it was due to the 12v circuit being at 14.2 volts.
     
    #9 TMR-JWAP, Aug 17, 2022
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