I just got a Habanero Prius III and am loving it, but I have run into a safety issue that may hit other owners. Previously I drove a 2008 Prius and became accustomed to just turning off the power when my trip was done. With the joystick like shifter this was no issues as the vehicle was just set to park. Now however on the Prius C, Toyota has added a needless traditional shifter and as a result, if I do the same sequence, I have left the vehicle in drive. Obviously you can see what might happen. I have done this 3 times, but caught myself as the vehicle started to move. I imagine after a couple of weeks I will adjust, but I am guessing that there will be several reports of Prius C hitting things in parking lots.
Most cars won't let you remove the key while the transmission is still in Drive. Oh, I get it, you probably have the Smart Key instead of a normal key.
Can't say always. If its slushy and the temperature is dropping, the parking brake could freeze and not release. If you are on a hill, I would heartily agree with "always".
The C is designed to attract people who have never owned a Prius before, so they will be right at home with the fake shifter and putting it in park like they always have on their traditional cars. But yeh, if you're coming from a Prius you'll have to get used to doing it the old way all over again!
The same thing happened to me when I first started learning stick on my 2002 Audi 225TT. I forgot to engage the gear at the mall parking lot. Luckily while I was gone someone stopped it from rolling and wrote a note saying how lucky I was haha. You'll get used to it
hahaha... you're not the first Prius C owner to talk about this.. from what I can tell you.. it has only happened to previous Prius owners who are too accustomed to just hitting the power button to park. the camry and highlander hybrids come with a regular gate shifter as well and this "issue" has never been addressed until you guys mentioned about it. it's no safety concern.. it's just you needing to get used to not driving a traditional Prius that has the joystick.
I gave my friend driving lessons in the Prius. So, it was the only car he had ever driven. Then he took some lessons from the drivers' ed for highway driving and parking etc. The first day, he looked at the instructor and asked where the 'button' is to start the car.
This is not a prius c safety issue. This is a prius driver issue. Most people know you need to put it in P before you cut it off.
I see this as a "Darwin Awards" issue. Even the OP describes it as a "Traditional Shifter". I think if you can't figure out how to shut off your vehicle in a manner that is "Traditional" with 99% of all vehicles on the road? Then you probably shouldn't be STARTING your vehicle and driving.
Not having had a normal automatic transmission in my household in nearly three decades, this issue often pops up when I drive rental cars. Because a stick shift must be left in gear, I often reflexively do the same in rentals, just set the brake and turn off the ignition. So the car must remind me to use P by withholding the key until that action is performed. Look again. The fraction of vehicles on the road that completely lack 'P' has fallen only to about 10%, not 1%.
Bottom Line? Shifting into park and shutting your vehicle off, is VERY common procedure for a MAJORITY of vehicles. If you can't grasp that procedure? Probably shouldn't be driving.
Isn't this similar to saying that the common brake interlock to shift ordinary automatic transmissions out of Park is unnecessary because drivers who need the reminder shouldn't be driving? While shifting into Park is certainly common, drivers such as my spouse who have never, ever lived in a household with a vehicle that needed to be shifted into Park cannot be all that uncommon. They should not be treated as lower class citizens simply for lacking this reflex.
Most cars won't let you remove the key if not in park. None will let you start if not in park. If Toyota insists on emulating a traditional shifter, they need to make it traditional in all respects. Tom
Apparently you have never heard of quality and safety systems derived from Deming. Why do you think those interlocks were installed in ordinary automatics in the first place? Do you believe they can all be removed now?
I second that and add that the responsibility is on the person operating the car to understand how the basic operations function BEFORE driving the vehicle. I certainly understand the force of habit, but in an unfamiliar vehicle, it's up to the operator, not the designer to anticipate real-world conditions including the force of habit.
No, I honestly don't even know what you're saying here. I simply do not define The Prius c shutdown procedure as being a legitimate safety concern. There is a level of personal responsibility that should be embraced by all auto users. Knowing how to safely and correctly shut down your vehicle is IMO part of that user responsibilty. Unless you find the shut down procedure of The Prius c to be abnormally complicated or difficult ( I do not )...then I say suck it up.... If you are more than a few days or weeks into Prius c ownership and find yourself endangering yourself and others because you can't shift into park before shutting down? Then by all means...please abandon ownership for your good and the good of the community around you.
