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I got the dreaded triangle

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by daniel, Aug 27, 2007.

  1. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    As regular visitors to FHOP know, I've been spending the summer hiking in the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta. I just got back home, and it's been a fantastic five weeks.

    A few days ago, while in Jasper, Alberta, I drove from my hotel to the center of town (about half a mile, I'd guess) to go to the bank and the grocery store (I don't see how anybody can live there: there are only two, small grocery stores, both dreadfully crowded and with a poor selection of food) and when I got in my car to drive back to the hotel, the triangle appeared, along with a steady unending beep, and the display told me to put the car in Park while parked because the battery would not charge while in Neutral. I was not in Neutral. I was in reverse to back up in my parking space prior to pulling out into the street. I put the car in Park and then back in reverse, and the triangle and message and beep re-appeared.

    The car drove normally, though the beep was annoying, and I started to drive back to the hotel. At a stop sign, I shut the car off and turned it on again, and there was no difference.

    Then I noticed the icon telling me a door was ajar.

    I opened the door and slammed it, and all the warnings disappeared. All was well.

    It seemed odd to me that a door being ajar would cause the car to warn me not to have the car in Neutral when it was in Reverse or Drive.

    Just wanted to mention this peculiar oddity, that's all. I've had no other problems, if you can even call that a "problem": the result of not closing the door all the way.
     
    #1 daniel, Aug 27, 2007
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah.. I'm sure several of us had that experience before (I know I have). Why they can't say "Door Ajar" on the MFD like the Camry Hybrid is beyond me... that and the red triangle of death and the beep.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Aug 27, 2007
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I see that almost daily b/c I stop the car, open the door and grab the news paper off the driveway on my way out in the morning... if I saw that stuff I'd probably be confused only about which door was open before even thinking about something being wrong.
     
    #3 efusco, Aug 27, 2007
  4. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Aug 27 2007, 07:46 PM) [snapback]502948[/snapback]</div>
    I find it intriguing the order in which owners discover various aspects of Prius.

    For me, I found out about the triangle in that situation the first week I bought mine... due to my photo work... needing to line of the Prius for a shot.

    So, I just assumed others would run into that relatively quick. Apparently not. Perhaps I better leave a note for myself to add that to the next User-Guide update. Thanks for the roundabout tip!
     
    #4 john1701a, Aug 27, 2007
  5. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    Strange that it happened in reverse. My car allows me to back up, but all hell breaks loose when I put it in drive with a door ajar.
     
    #5 seasalsa, Aug 27, 2007
  6. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ Aug 27 2007, 07:19 PM) [snapback]502997[/snapback]</div>
    I'm normally very careful to close the door securely. So much so that it took over 3 1/2 years for this to happen. And I don't recall ever reading about this here on PC.

    I think it happened this time because my hands were full, and being parked on the street, rather than in a lot, I was in a hurry to get in and get the door out of the way of traffic.
     
    #6 daniel, Aug 27, 2007
  7. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I guess it would be normal to have the door shut before putting the car in reverse or drive. But if you open the door the computer is telling you in it's limited vocabulary to put the car in park before you get out.

    I found this only 2 days ago when I was out in the garage admiring the car as I do. As I had just opened the door I knew why it was happening.
     
    #7 patsparks, Aug 27, 2007
  8. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    I frequently back up short distances holding the drivers door open
    so I can lean out and see what I'm approaching better. It [my '04]
    doesn't seem to howl in reverse, just in drive or neutral. Since I
    often drop into neutral to make low-speed maneuvering smoother, the
    complaint comes and goes, and I just ignore it while doing what I
    gotta do.
    .
    _H*
     
    #8 hobbit, Aug 28, 2007
  9. acdii

    acdii Active Member

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    Happened when I started the car with the door open but not touching the brake. It mentioned parking brake blah blah blah. Thought it was amusing.
     
    #9 acdii, Aug 28, 2007
  10. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    Ah Yes, the "Dreaded Triangle of Door Ajar"
     
    #10 Tempus, Aug 28, 2007
  11. Seamus

    Seamus Grumpy old man

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    I had this happen to me today. My wife and I were at the Lilac Festival in Rochester, NY where they park you in an open field. When leaving I backed out and noticed the triangle of death was lit and the cannot charge while in neutral warning was on the MFD.

    We drove a few hundred yards but didn't want to go onto a public highway with such a scary warning as that being displayed. I rebooted the car at least a half dozen times and then got yelled at by the parking attendant for parking in the wrong place. I opened the door and snapped at him that the car was malfunctioning. A couple of minutes later he comes over and volunteers to help. I asked him if he knew anything about hybrids and he says sure he's been a valet for twenty years. Meanwhile the engine cycles back on and he says, "There it just started you are good to go."

    Regretfully I got a bit short with him; I told him to go away. I then shut the driver's door. My wife and I were discussing Mr. Dumbrectum when we noticed that the triangle of death was gone and the MFD had cleared.

    This has to the single least helpful warning message ever devised. This message scared my wife so badly she wasn't sure she wanted to drive home in the car.
     
    #11 Seamus, May 14, 2008
  12. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Sounds like your door switch shorted out. Yes, it can be
    that simple.
    .
    _H*
     
    #12 hobbit, May 14, 2008
  13. Seamus

    Seamus Grumpy old man

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    I've decided this is a look-up table problem. When computers have an error they return a numerical code, 43, 19, 403, whatever. The program then goes to the lookup table and displays the text associated with that numerical code. Evidently the text associated with whatever code the door ajar is got erroneously entered as this cannot charge in neutral monkey business. It's worse than wrong, it misleads.

    Mine won't throw this code in reverse only in drive.
     
    #13 Seamus, May 15, 2008
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