It's cold here, around 40 below zero F. The 2007 Prius resists turning off - you have to drive around and try a few times. The computer read out screen is blank - no mileage chart or anything. The back up light is not working. The RPMs go high - is it supposed to shift internally when in drive?
The Prius never shifts, internally or otherwise. There is only one set of fixed gears. It sounds like you have electrical problems. While it could be any number of things, the first suspect in this situation is always the 12V axillary battery. Check it, and get it replaced if necessary. Tom
taxi drivers tell me that when a prius won't turn off via the power button and the smart key in your pocket, insert the smart key into the slot and it powers off every time, just don't forget to remove the smart key. but yes the 12V battery is the culprit more often than not.
Yep. Run http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/73400-weird-stuff-happening-mpgs-dropping-test-battery.html, after the car has sat overnight and tell us the voltages at each step, where applicable. If your combination meter (speedometer, gear shift indicator, "guess gauge", etc.) don't work either, see http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-...9-combination-meter-intermittent-display.html. There are some videos from Luscious Garage of what that looks like.
Update: It's now only 27 below zero and all is working fine. What is that all about do you think? I do have a new 12 volt battery and a trickle charger. I'm going to look up a post I saw about putting on 3/4" thick pipe insulation on the front.
Blocking the grille won't help w/any sort of electrical issues nor the 12 volt. It will help w/warmup time, reducing heat loss and faster heating.
Combination meter!!! Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius Combination Meter (dashboard) - Repair Available pEEf -- the guys that does the repairs -- http://evseupgrade.com/
Follow Up: We blocked the grille with the foam pipe cover this morning and went ahead & took it into the dealer where they checked it all over, declaring that nothing was wrong at all except the recent ultra cold weather. They had had a few other Prius cars in for similar problems. The rear (trunk) hatch was not closed properly. After it was in the shop, it was so limber! All the bells and whistles worked. Ah. So where is global warming anyway?
The combination meter will be an intermittent problem, if it is the problem. Other symptoms include cruise control dropping out.
There are a couple of other threads discussing this issue in detail. I'm having the same problem (at about 50 to 60 degrees F). Search for "Prius won't turn off" and you should find at least two other threads ...
