Parking brake malfunction...autopilot on, computer is self aware and trying to kill me!

I understand:

Dealers can handle many things but major repairs not covered under insurance get expensive very quickly. That is one reason we recommend: (1) self-maintenance, and (2) independent repair shops. The overhead at a dealership has got to be something of horror and what I've heard about how all dealers treat their mechanics . . .

Tuition in the school of 'hard knocks,' you've learned a lot about these cars . . . perhaps not the lessons desired but enough to handle problems in the future.

It took a year or so to finally figure out that the traction battery is part of the transmission as much as say a wet-clutch or hydromatic converter. As the traction battery fails, like a failing automatic transmission, the car soon reaches a point where it can no longer move. But unlike a traditional automatic transmission, the Prius transmission

• keeps the engine in fuel efficient power regions
• provides reverse power
• high-torque from a standing start
• limited, extra power in a hill climb

But heat is the enemy and charging the traction battery is exothermic, heats the battery, which stresses the modules. So what we recommend is minimize charge cycles:

1. up hills in the truck climb lane at 55 mph - this avoids discharging the battery requiring subsequent charge
2. highway speeds on flats 65 mph - this returns 52 MPG sunrise to sunset, I follow (not tail gate) large trucks
3. modest acceleration - around town, accelerate like a large semi-trailer truck
4. down hills, use "B" - this will moderate the charging current and minimize, not eliminate, the heat

This car is not for everyone and for me, it helps to be curious about the technology. It is a puzzle that figuring it out has been and remains its own reward.

Bob Wilson