Accident in Prius, Engine would not shut off

You didn't mention if you were injured but I hope you're OK. The car can be fixed easier than you can. I'm very sorry this happened to you. I just got my Prius back after being in the body shop for 7 weeks to repair hail damage so I know what it's like to be without the vehicle. I hope everything turns out OK for you.

PS, not to make light of a bad situation but the top down view of the Prius reminds me of the top view of a Microsoft optical mouse.

 

I feel sorry about what happened to you.

BTW: During speedo above 0mph, I see no way of stopping the engine, because IGN button or P gear do not engage/act.

Good luck!

 

Did you press and hold the Power button? That is the normal way to force a power down. It takes about three seconds of holding.

Tom

 

Ditto here on regrets and glad you are OK. So the ICE was still running while the Prius was turned on its side? Engines are not made to operate that way so you better have Toyota check it out to be sure there were no consequences from that part of the mishap. That was probably the burning oil smell you noticed.

 

Not good...I would be very concerned.

 

Hope you're ok. Bit bad the other guy didn't stop! I don't know how people can do that to another human being.

My theory on why the engine wouldn't shut off was maybe the car was still in 'Drive' and would require you to either select Park or press and hold the Power button for longer than 3 seconds.

 

I'm glad you're OK!
You can fix or replace the car!!

When it comes to the ICE not shutting down after the accident---well, I'm disappointed but not surprised. You should contact the NTSB. I suspect that there's some three-fingered nerve pinch that will disable the ICE, post-accident. Since your airbag didn't deploy, that might be the root cause---I mean SURELY Toyota's ICE will shut down if the airbags are deployed----right?

I hope they catch the person who did the hit and run on you, but failing that---I would be praying that the car's totaled.
It probably won't be though if the airbags didn't come out.

Good Luck!

 

The op hasn't said what they tried to do to shut the car down.

Did you hold down the power button or just press it in?

 

Ditto.

 

There should be a fuel cutoff but those only work in high impact situations. There might be engine damage but I wouldn't think so just after 5 min.

 

Depends, if there was still oil pressure, no problem. The OP should be able to tell us if he/she saw oil pressure light while sitting on a side.

I'm also curious if OP held the button for at least 5 secs?

Another thing is why the engine didn't go off when no gas was pressed? Maybe it was spinning all electric?

 

I know about a year ago when you had all the "run-a-way" Toyota stories there were several debates about kill switches or power button redesigns....

I think this illustrates once again why Toyota needs to rethink the idea of an emergency kill button and/or how the power button actually reacts. In emergency or traumatic situations it seems either people don't know about holding the button for 3 or more seconds and/or they simply do not do it.

In this case no harm no foul...but if the button was depressed for 3 or more seconds my understanding is the vehicle should of shut down...

 

One more question for clarification, did you apply the brakes to keep the wheels from spinning?

 

Not just a Toyota problem is it? Many cars have keyless entry and running. How do they operate? What 'kill' switches or devices do they have?

Perhaps the old fashioned key would be a better system. People are familiar with it and you physically turn it off and remove it rather than remembering to press a button on a car that is quiet even when running.

 

Never said it was "just" a Toyota Problem...

Has the OP ever answered whether they held the button for 3 or more seconds???

Most of the discussion I'm refering to came born out of the tragic and unfortunate accident involving the San Diego police officer and his family...I believe it was a Lexus (Toyota Product)...

Without re-opening the debate much of the discussion became centered around the the ease or ability to shut off the engine in panic situations.

I just think (unless there was something physically wrong with the automobile) this incident could be illustrative once again of the drawbacks of a delayed 3 second or more cut off...and also that many owners don't seem to either know about the 3 second delay and/or they forget when faced with a panic or stressed enviroment.

 

They need to strike a balance between accidentally hitting the power button and actually using the button in a panic situation. The best way to be able to use the power button in such a situation is to become an informed owner. Otherwise, an uninformed owner can just as easily miss a 3 millisecond panic shut-off button right in front of them.