Prius v Not Starting/Parking Brake Issue?

For what it is worth, this happened earlier today with our 2010 Prius. It's 90-100 degrees (F), so it is certainly not anything freezing.

Possibly a low battery, but it started right up a while later. I'm guessing the half-hour wait magically fixed it, as noted above.

The best answer I've seen is a faulty (or broken) brake switch sensor that assumed that the brake was not pushed down. The car has been towed to the dealer and we'll see what they say tomorrow.

 

The parking brake on my 2012 Prius v only stops one rear wheel. Actually our family has two of these v models, same year, and both exhibit the very same issue. If I jack up the rear of the car (using the specified jack point), then apply the parking brake firmly, the driver's side rear tire cannot be spun by hand, but the passenger's side spins easily by hand just as if the parking brake had not been applied. I expected both wheels to lock up. Is this a feature? If not, any hints on how to troubleshoot this?

 

How many miles on it, and have you kept up with Toyota USA’s recommended 30k (or tri-yearly, whichever comes first) brake maintenance?

 

Thanks for thinking about this. The pair of 2012 Prius V's have 65K and 100K miles. Pads, rotors, and slide pins are checked and maintained regularly. The parking brakes aren't used much since my driveway is flat and we're not in the habit of using them. For one of the vehicles, the parking brake was adjusted recently (by a mechanic) both under the dash and through the router hole which improved holding on hills, but it still rolls on steep hills - I believe because just one wheel is grabbing. Do you have links to parking brake maintenance I could try on my own?

 

I have 2nd gen (excellent manual), 3rd and 4th gen “repair manuals” in PDF format, and can extract sections, brakes for example.

Prius v I don’t have, sadly. I think Toyota has abandoned the book format, printable format, and your only option is to go online to Toyota Tech Info.

that’s not completely onerous though. You could make up a shopping list, take out a minimum length subscription, and try to scoop everything you can think of.

frustrating though.