Has anyone (other than me) forgot to turn off the car?

Yes, numerous people have reported doing this.

I've tried several times, but so far have been caught by the car's squawks as I start to leave.

 

I forgot to lock my car for a few times. Two or three times.

Now I would stand in front of my car and touch it slowly to make myself remember i locked it.

Edit: Just noticed that the OP means turning off the car, not locking the car lol...

 

You can't forget to turn it off if you make a habit of pressing the power button to shut the car down every time as opposed to pressing the parking brake first. Parking brake self engages when car is shut down with the power button.

I have found if I press the parking brake first I'll start fiddling with other stuff and can see how it's possible to forget to turn it off.

 

Twice I have started to get out of the car with it still running and in Drive. In both cases we were "parked" at an overlook in Glacier National Park looking at the river before we decided to get out and walk. Since the ICE wasn't running and we had the radio off, there was no noise to remind me the car was still running and in gear. Now I'm in the habit of always turning it off when I stop, even if I don't think we're going to get out.

 

The car will beep three times if you leave it on and exit with the FOB (as long as you don't have another FOB in the car). ALWAYS listen for those beeps as you leave. It beeps when you close a door (any door - car door that is).

 

i have done it numerous times, but the car beeps when i close the drivers door, and i realize i haven't shut it off.

 

my father in law borrowed the car once. left the key in the car and kept it running. thankfully the garage was left open. i still worry about it and double check all the time in the garage. i'm anxious to begin with.

 

Done it twice, once outside a bowling ally (and shockingly, no one jumped in and drove it away in the hour+ we were inside. And once in the garage overnight.

Lots of people saying 'well if you blah blah blah that won't happen.' Well duh. that's why it's called a mistake.

In the garage case, I purposely left it running to jump out and look for a noise I was trying to find. But because everything was off in the car and the gas engine wasn't running, I just forgot to get back in and actually turn the car off. By the time I was walking out of the garage the beeping had long since ended.

In the bowling ally case, again, I left the car on (AC running) while I jumped out to talk to my buddy who had just pulled in. We weren't sure we were staying or going somewhere else. We decided to stay and bowl and I just spaced getting back in and. I was talking to people and just forgot.

Stuff happens. It may beep at you, but you may not hear it or you may be distracted or some other thing.

 

Just one of the many dangers of bowling.

 

I always lock mine when I get out. It will make a loud audible sound if it is not turned off. Good insurance for me. The salesman where I bought my car said he had a customer that left his car running for two days.

 

You aren't the first, and you won't be the last.

Easy fix:
(already mentioned above)

Don't press the Park button.
When you stop the car, just press the Power button.
It reduces the shut-down routine by one step and opening the door while it's still in drive will produce a more energetic response from the car than opening it while it's in park.

 

Yes....

 

I believe you mean Park gear, not parking brake.

My parking brake has never self-engaged regardless of other procedure, I have to set it myself.

 

If you press the power button (big blue button to turn car on and off), WHILE in drive mode while stopped this will both shut the car off and apply the electronic parking brake, is that considered a gear and not a brake? I don't know. Either way it saves a step in shutting down the car and makes it harder to forget to shut car down.

If that's considered a park gear and not park brake then the car does not have a park brake then??

Edit: Do Prius have floor mounted foot parking brakes? I digress if they do and have never used it if it does have one. Have always thought that the park button just above the shifter joystick was the parking brake.

 

That is the transaxle's Park gear (or pawl), not a parking brake.

Yes, Prii have floor mount foot parking brakes, completely independent of the shifter joystick Park position ( or gear or parking pawl). The parking brake is that foot pedal on the left side of the cockpit.

As someone who still drives manual transmission vehicles, I always use it. Dad doesn't, and just had his second insurance claim (that I know about, he doesn't disclose all) for having his vehicle roll into and damage someone else's property.

 

I was obviously wrong. I had to run out and take a look at my car while awaiting your response and low and behold there sitting right next to my left leg was..... A parking brake. Lol. As pictured above.

I really thought the park button was a dual purpose button both putting the gear in park and electronically engaging the parking brake... It is not.

Subaru legacy's and other cars now I'm sure now have electronic parking brakes...

I have yet to park on an incline and even if I did I prob would have shut down my car as I normally do. I now know thanks to you that the "P" button is.... For parking gear. Makes sense. That's why I love this fourm, learn something new everyday, even as silly as me not knowing that my car had an actual parking brake!!


Even so going back to op's question, shutting the car down with the power button only does save you the step of pressing the "park gear" button and I think is a good habit to get into..

----and manual foot brake if on an incline.... Runaways suck.