I pushed the start button and the heads up display and engine came on. The information panel did not come on. I was unable to shift out of neutral. I was also unable to turn off the engine. I had to wait maybe 2-3 minutes and then the engine shut down. I was then able to restart with no problem. This appears to be a software problem. This has happened twice at random intervals.
Either you aren't stepping hard enough on the brake or you are pressing the power button before the pedal is fully depressed. Newer owners will randomly encounter that situation, just as you have. But since it's a really good idea to have the brake firmly down when starting any vehicle, this realistically falls into the user behavior category rather than software needing to be altered.
I had that problem a few times when I first got a Prius. It was due to hitting the power button too fast. I learned to push it in firmly and hold so it takes close to a second, and no more problem ever. As mentioned already you also have to do the brake stuff right. \
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ Dec 3 2006, 01:02 PM) [snapback]357079[/snapback]</div> Thanks. Starting it by not stepping hard enough on the brake and also by pressing the power button before the pedal is fully depressed did not reproduce the problem. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tomdeimos @ Dec 3 2006, 01:15 PM) [snapback]357085[/snapback]</div> Thanks. I tried to reproduce the problem by hitting the power button too fast, but it starts fine that way.
