The vertical space in the rear cargo area is very small. Sometimes, I want to buy something that won't fit. What are the hazards of driving short distances with the hatch up? I thought about a 14" length of 2x2 wood to keep the glass from shattering on the cargo. Something like an eye-bolt would latch into the hatch. Haven't figured out how to secure the bottom end. A bolt would do for now. Maybe a bungee cord to supress rattle. That spacer would set the hatch about level with the roof and keep it from flopping uncontrollably. Any thoughts on a better way to do it? Is the integrity of the hatch sufficient to survive at 35 MPH for short distances? How about If I raise it higher?
The hatch will definitely survive. I'd tie it down, don't just let it bounce around. Raising it higher is fine as long as it doesn't bounce around. The force from the air squares with your speed. In other words the faster you go, the higher the drag and it increases exponentially as you go faster. That said, it's just going to push the trunk down, if it's raised up a decent amount. If the trunk is just popped and it's barely open, I imagine the air would suck it up until it gets in the air enough to be pushed down (you don't want it bouncing around). So as long as you tie it down tight, you should be fine. Put some cushion between the lid and whatever you're hauling. The most annoying thing will be the incessant beeping.
I did that with our 2010, and thought putting a carabiner into the latch would be very clever, provide a tie-down point for the hatch AND spoof the car into thinking the hatch was closed, stop the beep. It worked as tie-down, but didn't stop the beep.
How much engine operation? On Electric, there should be no Carbon Monoxide like a normal car, but if the engine starts, I would roll down all the side windows.
Just put that cargo in the area further from the hatch instead. With the seats lowered, you get a decent amount more vertical space. That's worked fine for the larger stuff I've had to transport.
I own/drive a 2012 Prius C two. I just bought my first house. Sometimes I haul items that are longer than my Prius C. So I have to leave the back hatch open. I usually tie it down with bungee cords or twine. When I drive with the hatch open it the Prius C does the annoying door opening beep. How/can I turn the beep off? If something similar is already posted please point me in the right direction. Also, if this is in more than one forum PLEASE do not flag/mark it as spam. THANK YOU!
Yeah I have too. Just sayin’. Honda owner manuals used to say (and maybe still do) something like “if driving with hatch open, roll side windows down”. The exhaust pipe is right there, and around back there’s a lot of air swirl; it can pull the exhaust in. But yeah it’s pretty clean exhaust.
I learned you just click/flip the lock in the hatch witth your finger and the beeping stops. You need to unlock the hatch lock by pressing the button on the outside before you try to close it.
I think I had the latch “closed”, pushed a carabiner in and it “bit” on it, held it just like the bar on the hatch lid. But the beep persisted.
I moved a bathtub. Stuck out back about a foot. Then a week later I moved an 8 foot kitchen countertop. stuck out few feet, store had flags. I did hall a 3 piece tub surround/stall. I had to roof that.
That varies by window configuration and vent settings. Fortunately, a Prius, even most modern cars, shouldn't usually be putting out lethal levels of CO. There is a reason that suicide by car exhaust has dropped sharply, even as overall rates climb. Things were much different back in the 1980s, when I'd read news of accidental CO deaths in moving vehicles within my region at least annually. Typically a child sleeping in a back seat, turned out to not be sleeping. Though these were often from air leaks on the underside allowing leaking exhaust to get sucked in. But station wagons seemed more susceptible than sedans, the blunt tail slipstream seemed to pull exhaust up to the level of the rear window, which could be left fully or partially open. An open hatchback would be very similar.
