On Saturday, 16 May 2009, I started my Prius and it would not go into gear. It kept popping into neutral. I drove it home by holding it in gear. The Prius rested during the night. After reading several other older posts on this problem. I restarted my car making sure my foot was on the brake. This has apparently worked. My car is a 2008 Prius, I noticed that other posts were on earlier Prius models. I do not need help, I just want people to know that newer models also appear to have this problem. I have had other odd behavior. For a couple of months, the radio never really went off. Even when it was turned off, I could still hear a radio station very very faintly. It eventually quit doing this. Also on many occasions, the car does not turn off. I think that this happens when you stop the car and perform all the correct motions to turn the car off very very quickly. Is it possible that I have a poltergeist? (pun intended)
there have been a few forums stating failure of the gear shifter. it should be under warranty. not turning off may be because you're doing things a little fast?... are you using park before powering off? you can just hit the power.. but it may not register every time. the radio thing sounds odd.. i know i have constant static.. or.. something.. almost like a low hiss that always comes out of the system. i really don't have any sort of recommendation though.
There was a batch of faulty of JBL Amps installed in cars between 2004-2005. I'm not sure if the hiss could be due to the Amp staying on and powering the speakers. Free Toyota Technical Service Bulletin AU001-05: Parasitic Draw from JBL Amplifier.pdf OnlineFreeEBooks.net the most imitated free ebook site
When I was in high school back in the Dark Ages, three of us were riding around in a '65 Mustang. Back then a killer sound system was an AM radio with a speaker in the front AND the back! We parked at school and turned off the car. The radio kept playing. The driver was stumped. he reached up and turned off the power knob - no change! He climbed under the dash and pulled the fuse. The Beach Boys still played in the back! What the heck! Then we realized - the fancy, brand-new portable cassette player was laying on the back deck cranking out tunes. It was never the radio at all! ound:
I also have this problem and have noticed that it seems to happen when the car has been sitting in high heat. (The gear problem). It is quite annoying when you are pulling out into traffic then all of a sudden it falls out of gear. We have an 07 Prius.
If your car is still covered by the 3 yr / 36K mile warranty then you can get the gear selector replaced at no charge. Otherwise, the part costs ~$400 and you will probably be charged one hour of labor. I recently replaced the gear selector on my 2004 and posted about that here: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ing/65102-how-replace-2g-gearshift-lever.html