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emergency brake light stays on and car won't go

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Chris Herman, Mar 9, 2013.

  1. Chris Herman

    Chris Herman New Member

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    Greetings, I just bought an '07 Prius with all the options except leather, and when I took my wife out to show her how it works, it didn't. The emergency brake light wouldn't go off and the shifter light on the dash would only go to neutral. We turned it off and on again (more than once) and finally the e. brake light went off and the zero showed up for speed and we could go. I'm wondering if there is some safety feature that won't let you engage to go until the e. brake is released. And if the light is on, the car thinks the e. brake is still engaged. Plausible? How do I fix it? Would this be the switch on the pedal? Thanks for any help you can give.
     
    #1 Chris Herman, Mar 9, 2013
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Please run the test at Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat after the car has sat MANY hours or overnight (or you can use a voltmeter). Please tell us the 3 values (not just 1). Don't go changing the battery first until you tell us the values...

    If you have HIDs, you can avoid unnecessary cycles on the lights by toggling between off and parking light positions.

    Weird stuff can start happening w/a low or bad 12 volt. Don't waste $ on having a dealer "test" the 12 volt (07 Prius Dead - Any Guesses? | PriusChat). If you're on the car's original 12 volt, it's likely near or at end of life now.
     
    #2 cwerdna, Mar 9, 2013
    SteveLee likes this.
  3. Chris Herman

    Chris Herman New Member

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    Thanks Cwerdna,
    I ran the test and got 11.9 V for veh. signal check, 11.7 V with load, and 14.4-14.3 V charging.
    Time for a new battery? Best source near Seattle? Seems to be a lot to learn about this car. And I'm not a real tech head. But if you ever need advice on solar, I might be able to help, especially passive solar and green home design.
     
    #3 Chris Herman, Mar 10, 2013
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^^
    That's after the car sat overnight, right? If so, that isn't THAT horrible and shouldn't cause a problem yet but the 12 volt will need to be replaced soon.

    You are pushing on the brake pedal while pressing Power, right? If you're pushing all the down and having trouble getting to READY mode, then it's possible you have a bad brake light switch (which seems almost unheard of on Priuses).

    There are 4 possible states: OFF, ACC, IG-ON and READY. READY (READY light on) is the only one in which you can drive.
     
    #4 cwerdna, Mar 10, 2013
  5. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    #5 JimboPalmer, Mar 10, 2013
  6. Chris Herman

    Chris Herman New Member

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    Yup, car sat overnight. I think I had the brake depressed. It hasn't done it again recently, but the screen does come up with some odd cycles, like phone mode automatically, or the warning screen to tell me not to look while I'm driving. Is it also normal for the car to ask for a command when I honk the horn? I will be sure to have the brake all the way in when wanting to ready, set, go.
    Thanks a bunch! Getting a roof rack for it tomorrow. Need to carry kayaks and ladders. Red Rider is gonna be a working Prius now. Wasn't that the name of a BB gun? Is it girly to name your car? I appreciate the information.
     
    #6 Chris Herman, Mar 12, 2013
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Lol.....
     
    #7 edthefox5, Mar 12, 2013
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