Central "joystick" is lagging? Is it due to the cold?

Discussion in 'Prius v Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Musical_Jinn, Jan 8, 2015.

  1. Musical_Jinn

    Musical_Jinn New Member

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    Hi folks, I've been lurking this site for a while now and I just now joined up because I recently got a new 2014 Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon, not an uppercase v) Three! Its the first new car I've ever owned and I'm in love.

    Everything has been running great except I had a small concern this morning, when I started the car and got in the 'joystick' or whatever you call it that controls the temperature and fan speed, etc was severely lagging -- the small display for temperature was super slow, it was like the numbers didn't want to change at all. And the direction I wanted the air to be blowing was super behind as well, I had to cycle around (slowly) a few times to get to the setting I wanted. Even especially strange, turning the joystick itself was laggy, it didn't want to turn (click) as fast as it normally does--it was like it was resisting me.

    Now, I'm new to this car, so I don't know if this is a normal thing, or I should be calling up the dealership for a replacement. I mean it got pretty cold (around 0 degrees) last night, could that be the cause? Nothing has gotten into it spill-wise, so its simply confusing for me. If this is normal and something I just need to get used to, then that's fine, because it still worked--it was just unnaturally slow. But if its not, I figured that this would be the place to ask.

    Thanks!

    PS-- Does anyone have any advice about making it more cold-hardy? I was just sitting in the car defrosting (with the heat not very high at all-I could still see my breath) and I was just watching my MPG average tick lower and lower (without doing any driving). Any tips to alleviate this or to make it better?
     
    #1 Musical_Jinn, Jan 8, 2015
  2. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    If the ICE is running and you're sitting still, the average MPG will drop steadily, that's expected. You don't say where you're at, but if its north you might consider a block heater. It won't save you any money but it'll make the warm-up quicker.

    As for the HVAC control, that doesn't sound normal, but if its OK now just wait and see how it goes.
     
    #2 rdgrimes, Jan 8, 2015
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome and congrats! i don't have a v, so i'm not familiar with this joy stick thingy. it does sound like something is wrong to me though, i doubt it's the cold. why not swing by a dealer and have them look at it? is it still under warranty?

    as far as mpg's are concerned, there's a million ways to save fuel. best thing to do is just get in and start driving after a minute or two, unless you have to hop right on the freeway, then you might let it warm up a bit more. don't look at the mpg gauge, focus on average mpg per tank or long haul. all the best!(y)
     
    #3 bisco, Jan 8, 2015
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  4. AMP

    AMP April 2012

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    I have a 2012v and I notice that the "joystick" or control knob gets stiff in the cold. It's not hard to turn, but it does take more effort.
    I am in Chicago, so we have had some minus temps here. I think it is a normal winter thing. It is my 3rd winter with the v, and I love it.
     
    #4 AMP, Jan 12, 2015
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  5. Zrkia

    Zrkia Junior Member

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    I agree. I live near Lansing, Mich., and my HVAC control knob gets sluggish in the cold, but becomes normal as the car warms up.
     
    #5 Zrkia, Jan 12, 2015
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  6. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    I've only seen -6 Deg C here in the uk since I got my Prius Plus, but not noticed the HVAC selector sticking.
     
    #6 kithmo, Jan 14, 2015
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  7. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    In the cold the ICE has to turn on immediately to get warm and defrost. So your MPG goes down in the winter. Also your tire pressures drop so check them when the seasons change.

    I just drive off as soon as it is safe to go. These Prius ICEs use very thin oil so I just drive moderately for a while till the ICE is warmed up and then my MPG is pretty normal considering I'm running on winter formulated fuel which has less energy content than summer.

    Summer it gets better.

    No my HVAC joystick doesn't stick but its only been down to 12F.
     
    #7 mikefocke, Jan 14, 2015
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  8. Musical_Jinn

    Musical_Jinn New Member

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    Thanks for all the replies, folks! It hasn't happened past that one time, so I think with it being the first time the car experienced those temps and with others having the same issue it should be okay. I live in Nashville, so I won't be experiencing super cold temps that often anyway, it was just bizarre. Thanks for welcoming me, it looks like you all have a fantastic community here.
     
    #8 Musical_Jinn, Jan 29, 2015
  9. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    Liquid crystal displays definitely slow down when they're very cold.
    That might have been part of the experience.
     
    #9 css28, Jan 29, 2015
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