So I noticed this has happened a few times.. If I press on the break pedal too hard, the indicator light will come on and then turn off a few moments after I depress the brake pedal. This has happened when the car is stationary as well as when I was coming to a stop, it's happened maybe 5 times since I picked the car up a few weeks ago. Is this normal behavior or an indication of a problem? Just an FYI, I'm not talking about when the indicators light up when first starting the car.. This is tied strictly to pressing the brake pedal hard. -Keith
I think that is the hill brake activating. Sorry I can't remember the correct term. But basically when you are going up a hill and push extra hard on the brake for a second, it should beep and turn on that light. It keeps you from worrying about rolling back.
That is Normal, others might be able to tell more technically about but it is meant to be used when you are on a steep hill. it leaves the brakes on for a few seconds to allow you to switch from the break to the gas. so this is not a defect but a feature.
Hmmmm.. There was no beep, but this has happened to me while I was on an incline... but it has also happened on a flat surface as well. I'll be careful to pay close attention when it happens again. Thanks!
Sounds like Hill Start Assist in action You may want to activate it deliberately and see if its the same. From the 2010 manual: Hill-start assist control helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards when starting on incline or slippery slope. To engage hill-start assist control, further depress the brake pedal when the vehicle is stopped completely. A buzzer will sound once to indicate the system is activated. The slip indicator will also start flashing. Hill-start assist control operating conditions The system operates in the following situations: • The shift position is in other than “P”. • The parking brake is not applied. • The accelerator pedal is not depressed. Hill-start assist control While hill-start assist control is operating, the brakes remain automatically applied after the driver releases the brake pedal. The stop lights and the high mounted stoplight turn on. Hill-start assist control operates for about 2 seconds after the brake pedal is released. If the slip indicator does not flash and the buzzer does not sound when the brake pedal is further depressed, slightly reduce the pressure on the brake pedal (do not allow the vehicle to roll backward) and then firmly depress it again. If the system still does not operate, check that the operating conditions explained above have been met.
It shouldn't matter if you're on an incline or not. It's triggered by pressing the brake pedal hard. When my friend bought an '11 Prius new, I intentionally had her trigger it in a parking lot and explained the feature so she wouldn't think there was something w/her car. (I knew about the feature even though my Gen 2 Prius doesn't have it. It's started w/Gen 3.) IMHO, this is something that salespeople should do upon "delivery" of Toyota hybrids w/this feature.
I've come to realize from my car shopping history that there are too many car salespeople who don't know as much as they should about the product they are selling.
Yep. It's not rare to hear of stories on Priuschat about salespeople w/lack of Prius knowledge. Fortunately, it appears to be happening less often.
