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Cruise Control is Unavailable

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by hcprius, May 21, 2016.

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  1. hcprius

    hcprius Junior Member

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    Yesterday while traveling on the freeway and using cruise control my 2016 Prius beeped loudly, displayed the message "Cruise Control is Unavailable" and dropped me out of cruise. I turned cruise off and back on, and got the same message. There's also an orange indicator light blinking that looks like a car hitting another car, and the "Cruise Control is Unavailable" message now displays on the info panel every ten seconds*. Collision prevention is also unavailable.

    Was this something I did wrong? Is there a way to get cruise control and collision prevention back?

    I do have an appointment on Monday to have the car looked at, but wanted to check in with y'all too, since this has been a helpful source in the past. Thanks!

    * Is there some way to stop the car from telling me over and over that cruise is unavailable? I KNOW it is unavailable, and it's obscuring navigation or whatever else I want to have displayed up there.
     
    #1 hcprius, May 21, 2016
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I do not own a Gen 4, but in Gen 2 and on a v, if you have the car in B mode, you can't use CC.
     
    #2 JimboPalmer, May 21, 2016
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  3. hcprius

    hcprius Junior Member

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    I was definitely not in B mode, I was going 75 MPH at the time it hit. It's also still kaput this morning after being off all night, and I never shifted to B that I'm aware of.
     
    #3 hcprius, May 21, 2016
  4. Frederickdawg

    Frederickdawg Active Member

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    Dirty sensors / radar perhaps

    LG-H901 ?
     
    #4 Frederickdawg, May 21, 2016
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  5. JohnF

    JohnF Active Member

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    It's possible that if you had an OBD reader like Scangauge or Carista you could hook it into the OBD port and read the error codes, write them down(!), and cancel them. But the dealer might prefer that you did not do that.
     
    #5 JohnF, May 21, 2016
  6. ATHiker

    ATHiker Senior Member

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    My intuitive parking sensors gave warnings several times this winter when even one of them got a bit iced over. If you have been in the mud lately, I would recommend washing the Toyota emblem on the nose. Its a long-shot, but who knows.
     
    #6 ATHiker, May 21, 2016
    Last edited: May 21, 2016
  7. hcprius

    hcprius Junior Member

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    It had been raining for much of the drive so maybe..? Perhaps I need a car wash.
     
    #7 hcprius, May 21, 2016
  8. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Do you have the radar cruise control?
    Because if so, I have to believe it could be something like dirty sensors or a failure of the system. Something causing the feedback to be invalid.

    In any case, since this is a new vehicle and still under warranty, and since cruise control can be a "safety" issue, I really wouldn't want to guess.
    If it's something simple? Let the dealership figure it out.
    If it's something more complicated. Let the dealership figure it out.

    Hopefully they come back and tell you it's was something very simple.
    Or they come back and tell you the whole system needs to be replaced.
    Or something in the middle.

    I doubt highly it's something you did wrong.
    My advice however is just to get it checked out ASAP.
    Once you find out what it is?
    Let us know.
     
    #8 The Electric Me, May 21, 2016
  9. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Page 283 of manual "Always keep the sensor and grille cover clean to ensure that the vehicle-tovehicle distance control operates properly. (Some obstructions, such as snow, ice and plastic objects, cannot be detected by the obstruction sensor.) Dynamic radar cruise control (vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode) will be canceled if dirt is detected."
     
    #9 alanclarkeau, May 21, 2016
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  10. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Wash, wax, and detail. It is lonely and needs love:)!
    Or road kill stuck somewhere.
     
    #10 ETP, May 22, 2016
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  11. I'mJp

    I'mJp Senior Member

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    In my gen 3, the dcc would kick out if I put the windshield wipers at max.
    Have not tested that "feature" in a gen 4 yet, especially with automatic washers.
    jp

    edit :

    Try it out, manually turn the wipers to max while on dcc on the gen 4.

    It will kick you out of dcc pronto ! Just tested !

    Just like gen 3.
     
    #11 I'mJp, May 22, 2016
    Last edited: May 22, 2016
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  12. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Gen4 is radar based and it is behind the plastic Toyota emblem on the front bumper.
    Keep it clean and don't wax it or anything else than what you got at delivery.
    If it still refuses to work, dealer.....
     
    #12 pakitt, May 22, 2016
  13. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    Ask the dealer what codes were thrown. This sounds like it might become a popular thread.
     
    #13 goldfinger, May 22, 2016
  14. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    Do you have a clear bra? My very first thought was someone doing you a favor put a clear bra over the hood emblem not realizing it could screw with the radar.
     
    #14 MrMischief, May 22, 2016
  15. hcprius

    hcprius Junior Member

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    Okay, gang, here's what came from the trip to the dealer. I know you're all on the edge of your seats, so I won't make you wait any longer:

    NOTHING.

    They hooked it up to diagnostics, did some sort of reboot, and nothing showed up as wrong. Turned the car on and cruise and pre-collision were working just fine.

    The dealer did say that sometimes the car make decide that cruise is not warranted (for whatever reason) and de-activate it, and sometimes when that happens it stays deactivated until you reboot the system.

    That's not much of an answer but it's all I got, sorry.

    So, can anyone recommend a system to interface with the car's computer? I'll ask in another thread too, but figured someone in this one would know. I have a Mac laptop, but it can run Windows too. I'd like to be able to read the codes and, upon occasion, do some programming without having to find a dealer.
     
    #15 hcprius, May 23, 2016
  16. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    Huh sounds like BS to me but it's what we got.

    I was actually thinking about this on my way in the door at work (after using radar cruise most of the way in). As I skimmed the manual I saw a way to override the radar system and return to a constant speed cruise. I don't have the book with me now but it was something like hold the on/off toggle down for like for a second or two. maybe if it occurs again give it a try, see if the constant speed cruise will work which may confirm it's the radar being funny.
     
    #16 MrMischief, May 23, 2016
  17. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #17 JimboPalmer, May 23, 2016
  18. thunderstruck

    thunderstruck Active Member

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    Autozone will scan the car for you.
     
    #18 thunderstruck, May 23, 2016
  19. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    Maybe you had a "bug" sleeping between the bumper and sensor. It must have flown away.
     
    #19 goldfinger, May 23, 2016
  20. PriUncut

    PriUncut Active Member

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    Ahhh the old... when in doubt Reboot trouble shooting method... we now need a Reset button on our cars! Good grief :unsure:

    I wound if disconnecting the 12 volt battery under the hood (or boot if you across the pond)... would work as a reboot? Since that method does reset some settings in memory.
     
    #20 PriUncut, May 23, 2016
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