Engine does not switch off even if I walk away from the car?

My husband and I feel the same way. We have both now had an incident where we were positive that we turned off the Prius, only to come out in the morning to find the car on. The battery is low, gas mileage down, and the engine has run all night. The car keys were in the house, a good distance away.

I am concerned as to why the car was on....is there an electrical glitch? We both were positive we had powered it off. It really bothers me that the engine would continue to run when the key is not present. I have similar concerns about carbon monoxide buildup in our garage in the winter.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

 

How can you be positive you turned it off? Did you tell yourselves that you had better turn it off so it doesn't run all night? Seriously, sometimes we think we are positive on a subject but often times we are wrong.

If you really want to ensure the car is off for safety reasons then try locking the door every time you exit the car.

 

You did not turn it off; the running engine proves this. It's easy to leave the car ON by mistake. You can ensure that the car is OFF by locking it when you leave it. If it is ON it will give a long warning beep.

 

Okay, yes you cannot lock your car if the engine is not shut down! It beeps when you get out of the car which is a warning signal. At the same time I thought without the key close to the car you will not be able to switch the gear to Drive.

 

Your attitude will change when 4-5 years from now and the key fob battery is low, you are driving down the interstate, the car loses the fob, and shuts off and spirals to your death.

It designed to automotive standards which require many fail-safes. It is no different then any other car. If the car is on when you leave, you get warning beeps. The car does not randomly shut down, it only does as told like every other car. A computer only does as told.

 

Take a look at the dash before you exit the vehicle. Are all the indicators OFF?

If it says READY, it is ON.

 

once the car is on... it's on.. you can drive it till you shut it off.

the fob failing doesn't do anything... just prevents you from starting the car without sticking it into the dash. (i think the genIII has the dash hole...)

newer toyotas supposedly won't have the dash hole, if the key fails, you hold it up to the power button, and it works the same as having it in the dash.

maybe people are confusing the 3 beeps (outside) with the single lock beep (.... you can not lock the car with the key fob or the doors while the car is on...

common errors to look for... if you open your door and the car does a constant beep, you're not in park and the car is still in D... if you close any door and the car beeps 3 times, your car is still on, and unlocked. (key is outside of the car)

if someone walks out of your car, closes the door, and the car beeps, they have your key... hehe

the 3 beeps will always mean the car is on and the key has just left he car. it's a long beep inside and 3 beeps outside.

 

btw... a prius with the engine on, radio on, and a few things charging from the 12v outlet will only consume about a gallon every 8 to 12 hours... with the a/c on it's more like a gallon every 6 to 10 hours...

this all varies with radio volume, inside and outside temps, a/c settings, etc...

 

Stop using the park button!

Pull to a stop, push power to engage the park function and turn the engine off. Watch as dash goes dark.

Your car is off.

I believe the park button on a Prius is used to keep the engine running but not allow the car to move. This is not what you want at this time. Let the power button engage park for you when you're done driving. I believe that's why it engages park and shuts the engine down.

Change your habit to hitting the power button instead of the park button. You should also learn to expect the dash to go dark when you hit the power button. Dark dash = dark engine.

If the dash stays lit, then you're in the wrong mode.

Good luck. It'll take some time but it'll become second nature shortly.

 

No, it does not have the dash hole/slot.

If your building won't protect you from garage carbon monoxide, you should fix it, irrespective of the car's behavior. While many attempts at suicide by automobile CO have been foiled by modern emission controls, there are still some innocent victims of intentional CO poisonings.

Your dwelling should have a working CO detector, and your garage and house should have walls and ventilation that prevent garage air pollution of all sorts, including stored chemicals, from entering the house. This issue is frequently ignored, but for your health it must be addressed.

 

Don't you already know it won't shut off no matter what happens to the fob, including if your significant other walks away from the car with the fob in the pocket after it's on?

Those who are positive they shut off the car actually didn't.

 

Wow! And these people (the OP) are actually driving? Scary, isn't it? I'm guessing theirs would be one of those Prius that keeps speeding up when the brake pedal is pushed, too.

 

Hmm ... Funny thing about that.

 

good one

 

I don't think this is a big risk for me because as long as I hear music, the car's still running. My risk is leaving my iPod. It wasn't an issue in my Civic because I had to plug the adapter into it, so I unplugged it before I turned the car off and put it in my purse. In my Prius, if i set it on the console tray, I can leave it. I've done it twice. It's not an issue if it's in my purse the whole time, of course.

 

Yes I know that. But the person I was replying to wanted it to work differently and shut down when the key is gone. I was telling them that was a mighty stupid idea.

 

I wonder how many people think their car is still on because they hear the cycling that occurs when the door is opened as the car prepares for human intervention?

 

Like this ?
http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/wav/ignition.wav

And for the OP: http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/wav/error.wav

 

I had a 2004 (Gen II) with the fob slot, so now (with my keyless 2010), I'm always reaching for the non-existent fob in the dash before exiting!!