By now you've probably seen or heard from Toyota what you should do in the case of an emergency in your Prius. Shift the car into Neutral, apply brakes, pull over. If that doesn't work, hold the Power button for 3 seconds to shut the car down. There's only one problem with these instructions - they are exactly the opposite of what Toyota has written in the 2010 Prius manual.
As you can see in the image above from the 2010 Prius owners manual, the manual says on Page 155 under Chapter 2-1 Driving Procedures:
- Do not under any circumstances shift the shift lever to "R", "N" or push the "P" position switch while the vehicle is moving. Doing so can cause significant damage to the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
- Do not shift the shift lever to "N" while the vehicle is moving. Doing so may cause the engine brake not to operate properly and lead to an accident.
- Do not turn the hybrid system off while driving. The power steering and brake actuator will not operate properly if the hybrid system is not operating.
It's not until 12 pages later on Page 167 that the manual clarifies its stance on emergency situations and says it's OK to use the Power button:
Stopping the hybrid system in an emergency
- If you want to stop the hybrid system in an emergency while driving the vehicle, push and hold the “POWER” switch for more than 3 seconds. However, do not touch the “POWER” switch while driving except in an emergency. If the hybrid system stops while the vehicle is being driven, this could lead to an unexpected accident.
Obviously if you are in an emergency situation you're looking to do whatever will stop the car and aren't going to worry much about causing damage to the transmission if shifting to Neutral means that you'll be able to stop. Common sense and survival instincts should kick in and tell you a new transmission is worth another possible outcome.
The 2004 Prius manual is known for being a horrible Japanese translation, but it at least goes in-depth enough to tell the driver that the Prius' "joystiq" needs to be held in the N position "for a while".
With the following improper shifting, the rejection function operates and a beep sounds so the hybrid transaxle cannot be shifted.
(i) When you attempt to shift the transaxle from the "P" position without depressing the brake pedal.
(ii) When you push the "P" switch while driving.
(iii) When you operate the shift lever from "D" to "R" or vice versa while the vehicle is moving.
(iv) When you operate the shift lever to "B" from any position other than "D".
In case of (i), the transaxle remains in "P". In case of (ii) through (iv), the transaxle is automatically shifted to "N".
The shift lever always returns to this original position after shifting operation. You can operate the shift lever only in "D". Keep the shift lever in "N" for a while after you shift it to that position.
Remember, the quickest way to get into Neutral in the Prius is to hit the "P" Park button. Holding the Power button for 3 seconds will shut down the Prius and you will lose power steering, but the Prius does not have a locking steering column so you should be able to maneuver to the side of the road without incident.
Thanks to PriusChat forum member Hobbit and his friend who pointed out this information in this post.
