So last night I was waiting in a car wash for car infront, put my 2008 RX400h with 204K miles in neutral. Ambient air temp was 104 outside and all of a sudden I got a message to put it back in Park. The traction battery was at 1 bar. Put it in Park and message went away. After car wash drove home and batteries came back up to normal. Has anyone had that problem?

 

The traction battery powers the A/C compressor. Putting the trans in Neutral disconnects the IC engine from the MG unit that
charges the battery. Heavy use of the A/C during the 104 degree day just brought down the charge to the point that the engine
wanted to fill 'er up but could not. Normal under those exceptional conditions. Battery graphic and A/C OK now?

 

Thank you, that sounds like the situation and the answer sounds logical...As far as I know everything is ok, (wifes car)

 

I've run into this while going through a car wash where the vehicle has to be put into park so the track can push the vehicle through the wash. It's more likely to be a problem in the summer heat with the AC quickly draining the traction battery with ability to charge.

 

On the hybrid system, whatever state of the gas engine was in when shifting to N, it will stay in. If it was in electric mode, the gas engine will not come on until shifting to P or D. It needed to run the engine to charge the battery to keep the A/C running.

If the engine was running before shifting to N, it would stay running the whole time (wasting gas).

 

BTW when i got my drivers license at 16 (1962) in Brawley, California I was paying 25 cents a gallon. According to WolfframAlpha adjusted for inflation that works out to $2.03 today! Bloody cheep gas. Today I pay from $2.03-2.15 in Tucson and $2.39 here at home in Cochise County. Still Bloody cheep gas people. So I don't complain about mpg anymore.

 

OH man, memories, worked at Texaco in 1965 and gas was .27 per gallon. We had to wash all windows and headlamps when car pulled in.