EEEK sitting at light, car lurched forward!

[Eve]

eeek sitting at light car lurched forward!

OK I know I am not the first. I have Google searched this found the problem on 04 -05.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1828
Camry 07
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f49/does-your-tch-lurch-forward-when-you-brake-14528/
I do not have luck in searching this forum, so if you guys know the link please help me out.

I am sitting at the light ready to make a left turn.
I have just left my house so the car had been running barely 2 minutes..gone . 5 of mile
I did not have my foot firmly on the brake , at the light so very lightly, so I was so slightly rolling at the light.
Then I lurched forward.
The sensation was like I was hit from behind. So it was strong.
I looked in my rear view mirror to see if there was anyone behind me.

Poor older gentleman behind me probably thought i was nutty as
I put the car in par and jumped out to look at my bumber.NOTHING.
I look at this poor old guy about 5 feet behind me..he looks at me bewildered, I say to him did you bump into the back of me???

Now he says no..nicely..thinking this poor girl is delusional.

So I get back in my car bewildered, but shaken. I U turn at the light and went into the gas station to collect my thoughts about what happened.
If I had been close to the car in front of me would I have hit it? If you dont have your foot on the brake, would that have been the sudden acceleration, I read somewhere.
Do you need to REALLY stomp on the brake when stopped so this doesnt happen?

The only noticeable change lately in the car ,is when I start the car and the ICE shuts off, it noticeably shudders. This didn't happen in the first 1100 miles. Seems much more pronounced now. I now have 1619 miles on my car, 5 weeks old.
Any advice. Do I worry about this? Does anyone know what causes this.

Thanks to everyone in advance
eve

[blazer_5154]

Sometimes, when sitting at a light the car will start the ICE to recharge the batteries or to re-heat the catalytic converter / warm the engine and this will cause a noticeable shudder / lurch in the car. There have been a couple of times it was rough enough that I thought I had been bumped by something, but no one was behind me. You normally don't have to press excessively hard on the brake pedal, but you do need to depress it rather firmly to keep from moving.

[M. Oiseau]

Sounds like everything is normal, including the shutdown shudder.

The lurch is just the car reacting to the ICE being quickly spun up; lots of rotational inertia. So, when stopped be sure to press the brake pedal firmly and when parked with the system on and READY, be sure to engage the parking brake to prevent the car moving an inch or so when the ICE kicks on.

[qbee42]

This is normal. You should always keep your foot firmly on the brake when you have no intention of moving. This is true with any car.

Tom

[Ichiro]

Doesn't sound 'normal' to me at all

[nerfer]

Originally Posted by qbee42

This is normal. You should always keep your foot firmly on the brake when you have no intention of moving. This is true with any car.

Tom

But it shouldn't shudder and move like that.

I have noticed that after a minute of driving (depending on the temperature) I get a little surge as I drive, like the choke is reduced when it warms up, if it had a choke. Since this happened a half mile from her home, I wonder if this is what happened, and as she just holding the brake lightly it was enough to overcome the brakes. Still seems like a stronger surge than expected to make it feel like she was hit from behind.

[Eve]

foot now planted firmly on brake..no more rolling for me
i guess i just have to contain all the energy i have
I thought about trying to recreate it today..but too scary

thanks

[racerbob]

Hybrids are a bit different from cars that keep the engine running all the time. Some starts can feel non-linear. The advice in the posts here are important in maintaining safety. They are not any different than safe driving practices in any other car, just a bit more important now. You might also notice that the cruise control responds without hesitation when going uphill. Some people think the car is out of control and accelerating. This is simply the lack of hesitation and instant torque of the electric motors. You will learn what to expect of the car as you drive it more. It doesn't have a "mind of its own" Remember that the ability to move is always there and you should be able to apply firm braking pressure whenever stopped and engage PARK and the parking brake when stopped for more than traffic controls. Adjust the seat so that your foot can be planted flat on the carpet next to the brake pedal. You will grow to love the car once you understand its little quirks.

[Eve]

Originally Posted by racerbob

Hybrids are a bit different from cars that keep the engine running all the time. Some starts can feel non-linear. The advice in the posts here are important in maintaining safety. They are not any different than safe driving practices in any other car, just a bit more important now. You might also notice that the cruise control responds without hesitation when going uphill. Some people think the car is out of control and accelerating. This is simply the lack of hesitation and instant torque of the electric motors. You will grow to love the car once you understand its little quirks.

i loved this car from the minute i got in it..
NO CRUISE..this is a base..

[Jo_Vincent]

Well, in the spirit of questioning how things work and after researching how the Prius works, I have difficulty understanding the following:

1. If the Prius car is stopped and
2. the ICE is off and
3. the driver selection is in drive "D" then,
The driver should depress the brake harder than they normall would in ICE only car (just in case the ICE in the Prius starts).
This comment is not intended to minimize the safety and advocate against the advice in this thread but to help understand what is normal and why.
I won't go into details in this thread but I think the Toyota PSD design team took the scenario that was first described in this thread into consideration. I will bring this question up in the technology thread.
Thank you.