I am very happy with my 05 Prius at 80,000 miles in the Boston area. It has been flawless for 8 years until the last 2 weeks. When outdoor temperatures went below 10 F. the gear shift would slip to N from R and from D. I once drove a few miles pressing down the shift at D with right hand and handled the steering wheel with my left. When temperature rose over 10 F. operation was normal. The service dept. at two local Toyota dealerships had no knowledge of this happening. Comments?
welcome to priuschat! i think the shifter needs to be replaced. search threads for this problem. or it might just be a 12v battery issue. all the best!
Do you have any wires hanging down, like for a GPS, that could be tapping it out of drive? Have you tested your 12 Volt? If it is near replacement, the cold could affect that...
A number of Prius owners have reported a problem with "slipping out of gear". But, never before was it related to temperature. Some owners traced the problem to the contacts in the gear shift switch and were able to disassemble the switch and clean it. It's probably easiest to just replace the switch.
The shifter jumping out of position has been mentioned before. I seem to recall that it did have to do with plastic flaps inside becoming stiff, or distorted. Extreme temps, hot or cold, are implicated. One DIY cure for this is by trimming the pieces with an Xacto knife. Or, you can replace it via taking some of the dash apart and unplugging the old, plugging a replacement. Or, just hang a weight on the lever until the temps warm up. Search for "shift lever repair" in GenII for some threads on this issue.
I think nh70 has nailed the problem. The shifter does not have any switch contacts to clean it is what is known as a "hall effect devise". Basically transistors that are turned on and off by magnetic fields. I think it is likely you will need to replace the shifter for reliability, but rising temperatures may well cure the problem until it gets cold again. John (Britprius)
yup, agree with nh70 and britprius. If you have the bucks, pay the dealer. Fix is to replace the shift mechanism. Poor man will shave the plastic that is deformed on the mechanism. Plastic on back side deforms with time and causes problems when shifting gears. Several posts scattered here on Prius Chat about the symptom. Some have fixed it, others have swapped the switch. It is a DIY job. Search around the forum and you should find details on how to DIY. Google is your friend also if the onboard search function doesn't find it.
The 12V battery is not the issue in this particular case. My thread below may be of interest to the OP: How to Replace 2G Gearshift Lever | PriusChat If you don't wish to purchase a new part, contact Steve at autobeyours.com who is selling used Prius shift levers for $65 plus shipping.
