When I am sitting in a long line of traffic at a light during rush hour, I sometimes get this feeling that when I press on the accelerator that I'm not going to move. The ICE has been shut down while I'm stopped, and I just pray that when the traffic starts to move that I will move too. I know... I'm just paranoid, but is it possible for this to happen? If it does, what might be the cause and what can be done immediately, if anything, to fix it and get going?
Sure it's possible, and not just on the Prius. Any machine can fail. You are borrowing trouble. It's less likely that the Prius will fail than an ordinary car. If you do have a failure, power off and back on. If the failure is still there, call a tow truck just as you would with any other car. Tom
I understand your paranoia completely. May I suggest that you cut a large hole in the floorboard beneath your feet, and do the same thing on the passenger side. In case your car does not move, make like Fred Flintstone. Yaba Daba Dooo.... Keith
One solution: Every now and again, just lift you foot off the brake. You don't need to press the go pedal to start moving - you'll start to move under "impulse power" and that might be enough to calm your nerves? Another: Switch to decaf? Another: Buy an EV and since the ICE never runs you get used to trusting that you'll be able to move forward even when it sounds like nothing EVER runs.
PriAva, The only time you may experience something like what you fear is if you slam the accelerator down real hard (like at a drag racing track) while your wheels are on snow, ice, sand, wet road, or wet leaves & your wheels spin & the traction control kicks in to save your $9,000 transmission from tearing itself up, then your car would start moving but really slowly. Even though your gas engine has shut off, when you lift your foot from the brake & press gently on the accelerator, your acceleration is brisk because you start moving by the big, high torque, electric, traction motor & depending on how far or hard you press on the accelerator, the gas engine will restart immediately when needed for any extra power or speed required. You have 2 electric motor/generators. The big 67HP (50KW) one is to move the car without the gas engine running. The smaller one is about 15 KW (maybe about 20 HP?---I don't know the actual specs, but way more powerful than a standard starting motor on a regular car) & spins your gas engine up to 1,000 rpm's in an instant to start it. Unless you're out of gas (please don't let that happen), your gas engine will always re-start when you need it to, so don't worry. And as darelldd said above, the car starts creeping (by electric motor) as soon as you lift your foot off the brake pedal (to simulate what you experience in a regular automatic transmission car). Ken (in Bolton,Ct)
Thanks for the detailed reply, Ken. That's what I wanted to hear. I also appreciate the other recommendations. I do the foot off the brake suggeston, but was wondering what if it didn't move then. And, Tech Guy... I now won't have to put any holes in the floor. That was good! Thanks again, everyone!
Hi PriAva, After a while, you will get paranoid that the engine is not turning off quick enough when you get to a stop!!!
Just turn the radio on kind of loud, and you won't even notice the quiet of the engine being off. Should solve your problem right away!
I think you should worry more your Prius won't stop/brake while driving than just worry about it won't move whiling sitting in the traffic. Both are legit but unnecessary concerns, though the former trumps the latter as it involves more risks.
I'm the opposite. When I get in my other cars, I keep wondering why the engine is still running at the stop light. Oh, yeah, old technology. That and not having the key handy, when I jump in to go someplace!
I get the same way when I realize that the engine is running at 80 mph. What sort of old-fashioned technology burns gasoline at all?
Really now...you have got to find something else to worry about...like the sun burning out in 5 billion years! Yep, that's what the scientists tell us.
