a minor problem (I think)

Next time press the P button.

 

Troll alert!!!

 

There's a technical explanation somewhere here that says why the car moves slightly when the ICE kicks in, and I'm sure others will chime in with that explanation as well. However, if the car was in park when the ICE started up, it is, to my understanding, physically impossible for the car to move more than a few inches unless something has damaged the prawl.

 

1. You were parked too close to the wall.

2. Standing still ICE start is totally normal based upon battery SOC, engine/cat temperatures or cabin temperature requirements. There is quite a bit of torque forces in action between the ICE and MG1, which starts the ICE, during a standing ICE start. In other words, in park you will drift forward with an ICE start, but limited to the play that is inherent in the parking lock system (all automatics have this play). If your parking brake had been set this would not have happened.

3. There is probably absolutely no damage to your bumper of front fascia. Get a new license plat bracket and frame and learn from this lesson, always set your parking brake.

 

Was this a startup situation, or had you pulled into the space after a drive?

 

A troll with 90+ prior posts? I doubt it.
That would be some serious dedication to the art of deception!

 

Okay, Prius novice here -- What's "ICE" and MG1?"

 

I recommend getting into the habit of using the parking brake every single time you park your car...

I notice than the P gear still allows for the car to move a significant amount before the car is "stopped."

Put the parking brake on, just to be sure!

Edit: and possibly leave it on until the car begins it's warmup ICE run.... i noticed in your last post that you did mention that you had the parking brake on.

 

ICE is the Internal Combustion Engine. There are two Motor/Generators MG1 and MG2. MG1 is the smaller of the two and it would need to start when the ICE started.

There are some really good explinations of how the system works and if you wish to take the time you can find links to them here.

Here is one to start with.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car14.htm

 

I usually disengage the parking brake right before i put the car into gear with my foot on the brake, yes.

 

I think if your car leaps forward a foot or two, or even a few inches, when it's in park something must be seriously broken. Does it do this often? has it ever happened before? Could you have bumped the selector when your foot was on the brake and accidently put it in "D" or "B" without noticing?

I just went out and tried starting the engine in "P" parking brake off about a dozen times. I couldn't get the car to move forward even a fraction of an inch. I am not saying this indicates that yours didn't do it; but I think it might indicate that it shouldn't have.

 

Not really. Every automatic trasmission car I have driven has some play in the park position. The car will roll several inches until the slop in the geartrain and motor mounts are taken up. This is also true of my Prius. The car can roll a few inches with the park pawls engaged. I've also noticed that when the ICE starts up while in park the car will move forward to the end of that slop. This seems normal.

If the car moved a few feet, then something is really wrong.

 

Thanks, Tumbleweed.