Help - Car's stuck - can't drive, can't turn off

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by brosnan, Dec 19, 2004.

  1. brosnan

    brosnan Member

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    My car has become useless - anyone have suggestions to try? It's currently in my garage draining the battery but I can't put it in "gear" and I can't turn it off. Here's what happened.

    I got in my car intending to drive off.
    As usual I was in the keyless mode with the fob in my pocket.
    Pressed the Start button with my foot on the brake.
    The speedometer lit up and the A/C fan started. A few normal clicking noises.
    Tried putting it into reverse - but nothing happened (says "P" on display)
    Tried to turn off the car by pressing start - it doesn't turn off! Red glow in the Start Button.
    Tried turning the Smart Entry system button on/off several times - no change.
    Tried putting the key fob in the dash - no change. And it won't release my fob! It's seemingly stuck.
    Enable the service menu with the Audio->Display->3 taps method. All tests showed OK.
    Tried waiting (now more than 20 minutes) - still no luck

    Any ideas? Anyone had this happen?
    Thanks,
     
    #1 brosnan, Dec 19, 2004
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  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    You might have already tried this, but there is the Emergency shutoff technique: hold the (Power) button for five or more seconds. With luck, it will shut down.

    Make sure you open your garage door for when the engine kicks on.

    You can call the Toyota Prius Roadside Assistance number and perhaps they will be able to help. I'm sure that once you get it shut off you will be concerned about starting it again, but this might be another glitch which, after a few restarts, will go away on its own.

    Whatever happens, take it to the dealer tomorrow if you can and tell them what happened. Without telling them to pull the codes, ask them if they can ascertain what happened. The reason you should not directly request the codes is that in some cases when the dealer does not find codes the owner has been forced to pay for the labor.

    [edit: I reelly need to befreind the speling buton]
     
    #2 TonyPSchaefer, Dec 19, 2004
  3. brosnan

    brosnan Member

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    Thanks Tony - I did try holding the power button down for a really long time but no luck yet. It stays in this intermediate on state.
     
    #3 brosnan, Dec 19, 2004
  4. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    Try pushing the powr button twice, WITHOUT your foot on the brake. That's what works for me when I get in this state.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
    #4 TucsonPrius, Dec 19, 2004
  5. brosnan

    brosnan Member

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    The problem seems to have cleared itself up mysteriously. I went out to the garage after about 45 minutes, reached in through the window, pressed the power switch and it instantly turned off. Now everything seems normal. Hmmm.
    Thanks for the suggestions.
     
    #5 brosnan, Dec 19, 2004
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Shawn, how long ago did this happen to your car? Have you seen any indication of it returning? I guess I'm asking both for general knowledge and also so Mike or anyone else might know what to expect.

    Mike, you might still want to have a dealer look at it. Your call, of course.
     
    #6 TonyPSchaefer, Dec 19, 2004
  7. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    There's a KB on this issue in PC. I too found I can escape the Stuck-in-Ig-On by pressing twice on the power button with foot OFF brake.

    Happens to me about once a month, but happened 2 or three times this month. Someone suggested this may be happening by being too quick in pressing the power button, and suggested holding the button down half a second when powering up to ready.

    On my last maintenance, I mentioned the problem, though I knew there was little they could do about it unless it actually happened to them, which it didn't. I just wanted it to go on record and be reported.
    I thought it might be a reprogram or brake switch campaign, but my VIN qualified for neither.
     
    #7 DanMan32, Dec 21, 2004
  8. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    It's never happened to me, but it has happened to my wife, twice.

    Somewhere, I read that it was an interaction between the time you press the brake and the time to press the power-on button. (For programmers--see race condition)

    I just know that with the foot on the brake, it will not turn off. It also won't release the fob from the slot if it's there. I just happened to try what my wife didn't; leaving my foot off the brake. And it's alwasy worked--so far....

    Shawn
     
    #8 TucsonPrius, Dec 21, 2004
  9. NiMHpwr

    NiMHpwr New Member

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    The same thing just happened to me this morning. Something strange that I noticed was that the head lights indicator was dim and then got progressivly bright. I watched that for a few seconds and noticed that the ICE had not started which it usually does by that amount of time. I thought it was just lagging and tried to put it into gear, but nothing happened. I then tried to turn it off (foot on brake) and still nothing. I tried a few more things and nothing until, like mentioned above, I pushed the power button with my foot off the brake ( can't remember how many times I pushed it) and the car shut off. I then waited a few seconds and and started it up again and took off for work.

    Hope it doesn't happen again although I think it will be easier to fix next time.

    Justin
     
    #9 NiMHpwr, Dec 21, 2004
  10. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    It happened to me once when I deliberatly took it slow: Press brake, wait, press button. What I may have failed to do is hold the button down for half a second, as one poster in another thread suggested.
    I thought it might be the brake switch problem starting to surface, causing too much noise and confusing the HV. My car doesn't qualify for the switch so it should be OK.
     
    #10 DanMan32, Dec 22, 2004
  11. LG Sweet

    LG Sweet New Member

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    I have a 04 prius, when I turn on the car it lights up but will not allow me to put it into drive. After turning the car off and on and holding down the start button, then it will work. Any suggestions>
     
    #11 LG Sweet, May 26, 2011
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    My suggestion is that you first ensure that you are fully depressing the brake pedal when you try to make the Prius READY.

    My next suggestion is that you determine the condition of the 12V battery. When the car is IG-OFF, turn on the headlights and see how bright they are. If dim, then replace the battery.

    If you still have a problem after observing both of these suggestions then we'll need more info about the circumstances when the car fails to shift into D. For example, are you sure that the car is READY before you try to shift into D.
     
    #12 Patrick Wong, May 26, 2011
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  13. northwichita

    northwichita .

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    quote
    when I turn on the car it lights up
    unquote

    Do the brake lights 'light up', that is a good check that the switch on the brake pedal is working. My brake switch was slow to release, on my 04, before I replaced it. I started looking for the reflection of the brake lights on start up and confirmed my problem with the switch ( plus a big safety issue when driving).
     
    #13 northwichita, May 26, 2011
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