What'd happen if you press the P while you drive?

beeps and goes into neutral.

 

Or what would happen if you pressed the Power button while driving on the freeway?

Someone else try it and let me know.

 

So pressing park while driving puts it in neutral then ? Good to know.

 

Unless you are going a slow walking pace, in which case it puts it in park (and jerks to a stop). I have read the speed which determines which happens, but can't remember. My opinion is that if you think you put it in park and don't, then let off the brake, if it starts rolling it is not unusual to hit the park button in a panic. That slow, it will stop (so I believe it is a safety feature).

I have hit park more than once while driving by mistake (going for the power button for the stereo and hit park instead). It just goes into neutral.

 

I've tried it. Many of us have tried it. Don't do it at low speed. At low speed the parking pawl will engage and you will stop very quickly. At anything above a couple of mph the Prius shifts instantly to N.

Tom

 

I think one of you is talking about the power mode control, and the other is talking about the one that switches the vehicle off!

 

lol

 

Actually a regular car has a lockout that would save it from damage if put in park at speed. The Prius simply goes into neutral. A good way to deal with a runaway.

td

 

Mythbusters tested reverse at 50 mph in a manual and automatic along w/park at 50 mph. We've already spoiled it for you, but there's a video of it at

.

That said, I don't think I want try either in my regular automatic car.

 

I thought about P, but didn't want to wreck my car. Why do people always want to do what they know they shouldn't? We are so devious!

 

Not old cars - they would just sheer off the park pin (assuming it engaged - sometimes it would just grind away at the teeth it engages in).

 

No, wait...I meant what happens if I push the Prius on-off Power button while driving on the freeway...not putting the engine in power mode.

If my 2002 Pontiac Montana were to start uncontrolled acceleration, I could just turn the key to the off position, killing power to the engine. I'd lose the power-assist for steering and brakes, but I'd also no longer be accelerating. I want to know if hitting the Power button on the Prius would have the same effect.

Or is the Prius too "smart" for that?

 

You have to hold ON/OFF for 3 seconds. It will have a similar effect as your Pontiac.. power steering and brakes would be lost.

 

If that's true, then why didn't the drivers of out-of-control accelerating Toyotas do that? It would be one of the first things I would have thought to try.

 

This has been covered about a thousand times, several of the times are in this thread. But to save everyone from looking, here we go again:

Power Button - Press and hold for about 3 seconds. The Prius powers down into a zombie state, where most systems are powered off and the car shifts to N. To resume driving you must stop the car, power off, and power back on.

N - Pull the shifter to N and hold for about a half second. The Prius shifts to N. All systems remain active. To resume driving, pull the shifter to D.

R - Pull the shifter to R. The Prius instantly shifts to N. All systems remain active. To resume driving, pull the shifter to D.

Park button - Press the park button. The Prius instantly shifts to N. All systems remain active. To resume driving, pull the shifter to D.

Notes:

Anytime the Prius is in N all drive power is removed from the wheels. Likewise regenerative braking does not function, nor does the engine recharge the HV battery.

Depressing and holding the Power button will kill power to the drive wheels. The 3 second delay and loss of power assist makes this a less attractive option.

Pressing the Park button works well, but don't do it at very low speeds. If you press the Park button while creeping, the Prius may drop the parking pawl, causing a *very* sudden stop. This is not a problem at speeds above a crawl.

I recommend pressing the Park button if you need to remove power in a hurry.

Tom

 

Generally they panic and repeatedly stab the button, which is not the same as pressing and holding.

Tom

 

I'm surprised this isn't made more obvious in the mainstream media stories. Could save lives.

Of course, I'm also surprised that the mainstream media didn't check to see if that San Diego Prius driver owned a Honda or Kia dealership...

(Actually, qbee42, no one in this thread had said what happens if you push the Power button while driving...but thanks for the info anyway).