My Prius ended up in the water

[DaveinOlyWA]

oops

[andrewclaus]

I forded the Gila River in New Mexico in my Prius, maybe 8"-10" of water. Everything was fine, but I probably shouldn't have done that.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Hi WightG and welcome to PriusChat!

I grew up on the Ohio River and among lakes of the Hoosier National Forest Preserves and I have to agree that during any given summer, a number of vehicles will find their ways into the water.

What makes this incident interesting is that WightG says that (POWER) was pressed but that the car didn't shut off and then that it drove itself into the water. This is a GenII 2007.

[Sandy]

Pics or it didn't happen.....

[Submarine Dude]

Originally Posted by Sandy

Pics or it didn't happen.....

Agreed. I smell bridge dweller.

[Rokeby]

Same thing could/would have happened in any vehicle left turned
on, in gear, the parking brake not set, and pointing down the ramp.
However, this is being blamed on the car not shutting off.

Failure to shut down when the power button is pushed can be one
of the eratic behaviors that precedes 12v battery failure.

The OP says failure to shut down happened once before, and then
on this day imprudently:

1. "Parked" facing towards/down the ramp.
2. Did not put the vehicle in Park.
3. Did not engage the parking brake.
4. Did not ensure the car/HSD shut off.
5. Did not hear the warning beeps for leaving the car running.

And we are to believe that the car was at fault!

Putting aside not investigating the first failure to shut down,
the driver had at least three "last, best chances" to prevent this
incident.

Unfortunate, but at least three ways preventable...
if in fact it happened.

[EDIT:
"A minute or so later, the car took off, went down the bank and into
river."

And then what happened?

I would think that the owner of a three year old Prius, presumably
in good operating condition, probably still under warranty, and maybe
still being paid for would have some reaction.

Possibly even one of:
* Surprise that the vehicle floated, or
* Horror as the vehicle sank and/or shot out sparks and steam, or
* Relief that somehow they got aholt of the car and pulled it out
with or without damage, or
* Wonder if damage will be covered by warranty or insurance.

It is a wonderment that the driver/owner was so detached/unmoved.]

[KK6PD]

I don't know, I would think a car that runs partially off of ELECTRICITY, and DEEP WATER, shouldn't come within a half mile or so of each other!

The car is not suposed to be SMARTER than the owner, that's why the Parking Brake is still manually operated.

Of course you had FULL coverage insurance at the time of this minor problem, right????

[nerfer]

He stopped and jumped out to help his brother. His memory might not be clear if he hit the power button properly. Is there a minimum time, like a 1/2 second, that you need to keep it pressed for it to be recognized? And sometimes you just forget to do something you normally do on habit, because you're focused on something else at the moment.

When parking on a slope, I always hit the parking brake as well, just to be sure. We all remember how to angle the wheels into the curb, right?

[Bobsprius]

Hit Park and apply the parking brake especially on a incline. No matter what vehicle you have...I don't think this is at all a problem with the Prius.

Sorry for your Mishap....I would be upset too.

[BAllanJ]

Originally Posted by Rokeby

Same thing could/would have happened in any vehicle left turned
on, in gear, the parking brake not set, and pointing down the ramp.
However, this is being blamed on the car not shutting off.

Back in 1974, when I was 16.... fresh license, maybe my first or second time driving by myself in Dad's car. Stopped to mail some letters (pre email, of course)... pulled to curb, threw it into park, hopped out and mailed letters, turned back to see the car reversing down the road. It went through an intersection before I caught up to it and got it stopped. A year later, I saw a news item about Ford Custom 500's having a problem where they'd jump from what looked like park to reverse if you didn't move the shifter over far enough... so I could then blame the car, too. (and, no, dad never heard about this incident)