Causes of "Stop Vehicle Shift To P, leave engine running" Error

New Mercedes-Benz C-class cars W205 S205 A205 C205 S-class W222 A217 C217 or GLC X253 and C253 and many other models are known for their sophisticated technology. When car dashboard displays warning message “Stop vehicle, shift to P, leave engine running” and battery icon when there is an issue with main battery and charge status is low or battery voltage drops below 12.5 volts. First things first you should try to stop leave engine running and let re-charge battery or use special battery recharging tool to do that properly and recharge main starter battery if that doesn't help, then go the next steps to identify root cause of that. In case this message occurs, some features of the vehicle may be turned off for power conservation and it is advisable to pull over at a safe location, set your parking brakes and place the car transmission in park mode. So, what causes this error warning message to occur at first and the most imporant how you can fix it?

P error

First thing to do when you stop vehicle shift to P

Mostly when you see this warning message on your dashboard, the best thing would be to follow this advice and stop vehicle leave engine running at safe place - turn off all lights A/C (Air Conditioning) and any other features radio etc. which uses car's battery.

Let car to run for 20-30 minutes as many time this is caused by drained battery due to excessive use of AC, radio, exterior or interior lights etc and simple re-charging solves it or alternative option is to go to highway and drive car fast (not exceeding speed limits) in this way battery will be charged much more faster.

If fault message doesn't dissapear after running car on with parking, try our other advices from top to bottom, as we did fix many mercedes-benz with the same malfunction.

Recharging and or replacing main battery 

The  most likely that main starter baterry A0009823108 needs to be chareged or replaced, this is the most common malfunction on C-class W205 S205 A205 C205 E-class W213 S213 C238 A238 S-class W222 A217 C217 GLC X253 Hatchback and GLC C253 Coupe vehicles.

If you would like to save some money try to leave car in parking transmision for 20-3o minutes with all features such as AC (air conditioner), radio, exterior and interior lights turned off, disconnect all the electronic devices and charges connected to the auxiliary port and cigarette outlet, basically turn off everything what is possible except engine, let it run and charge main battery, in mostly of our repair cases that worked like a charm.

As mentioned previously, above in our blog post you can go to the highway and drive as much as possible fast not exceeding speed limit in this way it will be charged in faster pace.

After that you can try and check if warning message still present, if yes you can replace it with new battery or try to re-charge it as it is cheaper option and will work as well.

As always we try to give advices which help our customers and blog readers to save money, so the last step or advice would be order trickle charger and charge the battery with it.

It is not expensive and trickle charge could be used in any other vehicle as well.

For this method you don't need to keep engine running, this charging method works if the vehicle is parked or even if it was parked for an extended period of time.

Connect a charger to the battery positive and negative jump-starting posts in the engine bay. Or disconnect the battery and charge it.

These the most common fixes to Stop vehicle shift to P leave engine running warning message on mercedes-benz and almost 100% successful.

If you live in Spain, Germany, Italy, USA, UK, Canada, Australia New Zealand you could see different message, we have collected them as well.

  • Stop Vehicle Shift To P leave engine running
  • Stop vehicle leave engine running
  • Detener el vehiculo Acoplar P No apagar el motor
  • Fahrzeug anhalten Fahrstufe P einlegen Motor laufen lassen
  • Arrestare la vettura Innestare rapporto P Lasciare acceso mot. motore
  • Stands bilen Skift til P Lad Motoren kore

Common causes of stop vehicle leave engine running:

  • Keeping ignition on with the engine turned off
  • Leaving the lights on - interior or exterior
  • Parasitic current draw draining the battery when the vehicle is parked
  • The battery is no longer holding a charge, test and replace the battery
  • Too many electronic consumers connected to the auxiliary outlets
  • Defective alternator or voltage regulator
  • Loose battery connection or ground
  • Serpentine belt damaged or off

Leaving the lights on or exessive usage of accessories

A common cause for this error can be leaving the lights on for too long. This type of human error causes drainage of the auxiliary battery. The battery sends power to the headlights of the car, causing energy drainage. Jumpstarting the battery can fix this. However, continuous drainage of the battery shortens its lifespan.

Another big issue too much usage of car's accessories such as listening music etc and driving short distances, you need to remember that to power up and charge up the battery you need to have a good drive, but if you are using all the additional accessories and driving just short trips it may also cause that drainage of the battery.

A parasitic drain

A parasitic drain can also cause the error to occur, and it happens when the vehicle’s accessories draw power from the auxiliary battery and or main battery even after the removal of the key from the ignition. Small parasitic drains are typical and occur when the battery delivers electricity to save radio presets, operate security and keep the clock running. However, if the car's electronic system is faulty, large systems could be operational when the car is turned off, draining the battery.

A defective alternator

A defective alternator can cause battery failure leading to the above error. The alternator supplies power primarily to the car systems by converting the engine power into electrical energy. This power recharges the auxiliary battery, ensuring it has enough power. Faults in the alternator cause battery drainage over and over when the car is started, eventually causing failure. If your vehicle has electrical issues like lights flickering and the battery keeps dying, get your alternator inspected and fixed as soon as possible as it is crucial part.

Faulty battery

Don't forget to check main battery located at the front of the car under the hood (bonnet) and try to re-charge it before buying new, as it is common issue on mercedes-benz cars.

Sometimes simple A0009823108 battery replacement does a job and you can fit any brand battery until it matches required power and capacity of the battery required by car's manufacturer.

Part numbers and compatible cars

Below you'll find all compatible part numbers and mercedes-benz cars, which were collected by us to help our readers to fix that fault message.

Main battery part numbers:

  • A000 982 31 08
  • A0009823108
  • A0005414601
  • A000982300826
  • A0035416601
  • A0035417301
  • A0035417501
  • A0055412001
  • A005541240126

Mercedes Benz compatiblity list:

  • C Cass W205 Saloon Sedan
  • C Class S205 Estate Touring
  • C Class A205 Cabriolet Convertible
  • C Class C205 Coupe
  • C Class 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
  • C Class C180 C200 C220d BlueTec C250d C300 C350 C350e C400 C450 C43 C450 C63 AMG 4Matic
  • E Class W213 S213 A238 C238
  • S class W222 A217 C217
  • GLC X253 Hatchback C253 Coupe GLC250 GLC300 GLC63 AMG

Poor maintenance and installation

Poor maintenance and installation can cause the error. If a relatively new car's battery A0009823108 is having performance issues, it could be because of loose cables or corrosion. If the electrical wires are not tightened and correctly installed, they shake, causing failure. Ensure the terminals are tight to resolve this problem. Corrosion buildup causes electrical failure, though this may be a sign of bigger issues such as a faulty electrical system.

If there is corrosion or you are getting this warning message time by time, then we recommend to check positive and negative terminals on the battery to make sure there is no corrosion on any of the battery posts if there is any -  use battery terminal brush and clean them to ensure good connection between battery and car's electronics.

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