Hi All, My 2013 Prius 3 (solar panel and sunroof) with 3,300 miles did something really weird last evening. We drove a round trip from Phoenix to Tucson yesterday. I gassed up in Tucson for the return, upon arrival at Sis-in-laws place in Phoenix I shut the car off and the end of trip screen showed I'd driven 118 miles at 51.7 MPG. A couple of hours later my wife found the car running in the driveway, the lights were on and the engine was running. When I opened the drivers door, it beeped so the door was locked, the car immediately shut down and the lights went off. (I've set the car so the lights are always on and shut off with no lag when the car is turned off and drivers door is opened.) I remember the end of trip screen very plainly so there was no hitting park and wandering off in a fog or anything... Does anyone know of other incidents of this happening?? I do plan to discuss this with my dealer in Minnesota when we get home next week. Thanks, Jim from MN in AZ
It could possibly your AC is running since you have a solar panel with sunroof. That's my only guess since when you opened the door, the vehicle stopped running.
I would also assume that the A/C button was pressed on the remote which would have triggered your vehicle to start air circulation. This would sometimes require the engine to start to keep the battery charged. The ICE shutting off upon opening the door is normal behavior if the A/C or Remote start features were activated.
The solar panel package remote AC won't start the engine. Is it possible that you heard the AC compressor and cooling fans running and assumed that the engine was running?
In short? I hang around Prius Chat way too much, but I think I can safely say, no the problem you describe is not a commonly presented problem. Are you both 100% sure the vehicle was turned off? And are you simultaneously 100% sure that when you approached it what you heard was the engine actually running and not just fans or the circulation system or AC? My only advice would be that a running vehicle, even a Prius, in an enclosed space can be dangerous. If you have a 1 in a Million defect where your Prius for some reason doesn't shut down properly or can restart itself? You don't want an environment that puts your life at risk. Otherwise? I'd file it for now under fluke or possibly misunderstood circumstance.
Sounds like you had the keys in your pocked and pressed the A/C button which can start the ICE if the traction battery is low enough. The fact that the engine shut off as soon as you opened the door means that the car was started externally (not by leaving it on from the inside).
The system will not start the engine. From the owner's manual: Operating conditions The system will only operate if all of the following conditions are met: l The shift position is in "P". l The "POWER" switch is OFF. l All doors are closed. l The hood is closed. l The brake pedal is not being depressed. l The air conditioning is not set to MAX HOT. Remote Air Conditioning System automatic shut-off The system will automatically shut off under the following conditions: l About 3 minutes have passed since operation began l Any one of the operating conditions is not met The system may also shut off if the charge level of the hybrid battery (trac-tion battery) drops to low. (→P. 191) n Conditions affecting operation The system may not start in the following situations: l The charge level of the hybrid battery (traction battery) is low (→P. 191) l The air conditioning temperature is set at a high level.
Hi All, And thanks for the information and ideas. I know for sure the car was shut off upon arrival back at Sis-in-laws. I suspect the A/C button on the fob was accidentally pushed and held long enough for the A/C to kick on. I'm going to keep close watch on the situation... Thanks, Again - JJ back in MN
