2013 Prius engine not shutting off at stop

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by randommonks, Jul 4, 2016.

  1. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    So it's an issue I've noticed 3 times now this summer. The car has been driven for at least 5 minutes each time and should be past the warm up phase. If I'm sitting at a light, the gas engine just keeps running. I thought it might be some kind of computer error so I tried powering the car off and turned it back on. EV mode will stay on for about 30 seconds but then the gas engine turns on again. Battery is 3/4 full like normal with the AC on. I've tried putting the car in EV mode but it says "not available". Temps in Houston have been in the high 90's recently so I'm wondering if this is the result of an overheated battery or if it's something I need to be worried about and take in to the dealership?

    Car currently has around 34,500 miles and I've had the car since it had 79 miles. All oil changes done on time at my local Toyota dealership. 12V battery is original to the car.
     
    #1 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    57,968
    39,995
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    How about after 15~20 minutes run time, does it then shut down ok? I'd put it down to vagaries of the warm-up phases.

    I do notice with partially warmed engine I can get it to turn on/off, by raising/lowering the cabin temp setting. Some parameter like that at play?
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Jul 4, 2016
  3. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Actually yes after about 15ish minutes, the engine will shut off like normal. I have the AC set to around 78-82 depending on how hot it is outside.
     
    #3 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
  4. working1

    working1 Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2013
    121
    111
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Symptoms the 12V battery needs to be replaced. ICE will keep running in an attempt to charge a bad 12V battery.
     
    #4 working1, Jul 4, 2016
  5. DongFeng

    DongFeng New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2016
    4
    3
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I do not think so. The engine is working to ensure sufficient current for the air conditioning. If you switch off the air conditioner, does the engine stop running?
     
    #5 DongFeng, Jul 4, 2016
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    8,002
    3,192
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I don't think so, once in Ready Mode, there is plenty of voltage/current from the traction battery.
     
    #6 xliderider, Jul 4, 2016
  7. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    If I notice it happening again, I'll try turning the AC completely off. I can check the battery level when I'm at work tomorrow as well.
     
    #7 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,181
    50,611
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    maybe it just hasn't completed the warm up cycle.
     
    #8 bisco, Jul 4, 2016
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  9. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    8,002
    3,192
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    +1, I agree. OP stated only 5 minutes into drive in first post.
     
    #9 xliderider, Jul 4, 2016
    bisco likes this.
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,181
    50,611
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i have always found the prius warmup pretty inconsistent. hard to figure sometimes.
     
    #10 bisco, Jul 4, 2016
  11. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Hm well it seems like an unusually long warm up then in the heat of summer. I've never had a warm up this time of year last longer than the first stoplight (usually around 2 minutes into the drive).
     
    #11 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    111,181
    50,611
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    is the battery all green when it happens?
     
    #12 bisco, Jul 4, 2016
  13. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Battery is always at normal charge level (3/4 of the way full) when this happens. Edit: I think once it was 7/8 full.
     
    #13 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
  14. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    8,002
    3,192
    0
    Location:
    Honolulu, HI
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    2 minutes into the drive, are you serious? It takes longer than 2 minutes to raise the engine coolant temp. Plus, you stated the engine does shutdown normally after a much longer period has elapsed.

    You're worrying about nothing IMHO.
     
    #14 xliderider, Jul 4, 2016
  15. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Just stating my experience with my car (that I've had for almost 3 years). How long does yours take before the engine will shut off?
     
    #15 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    57,968
    39,995
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    On warm days I can get engine shutdown at the end of the first block. But that's after using the block heater for a couple of hours. :whistle:
     
    #16 Mendel Leisk, Jul 4, 2016
    randommonks likes this.
  17. Kramah313

    Kramah313 Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2015
    408
    322
    0
    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    If it has been sitting in the heat for hours, the engine may be running to keep the battery temp down. I've found that my AC will blast if the car has been sitting in the heat, even up to 10 amps for the compressor alone. I have the temp set to 79 or 80 so I think this is intended to cool the battery rather than me. When it does this the battery temp is usually at least 105 F. If the AC will blast like that, the engine may run if the battery is even hotter so that it doesn't get hotter still trying to move the car. Just a guess.
     
    #17 Kramah313, Jul 4, 2016
    xliderider and randommonks like this.
  18. randommonks

    randommonks Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    65
    37
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    That's actually similar to what I suspect since I've only noticed in the afternoons.
     
    #18 randommonks, Jul 4, 2016
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)