Forgot to turn the car off

CaptPat,

If the car was in "READY" mode when you exited the vehicle, then you should be fine....Your car will run the ICE accordingly and the car will be fine. (As long as you have fuel and no Criminals in the neighborhood..LOL)

Did you leave the KeyFob in the Car?? The car should beep if you walk away from it a small distance if you had the FOB on your person, alerting you??? I would suggest to NOT leave your FOB in the car, some may, but I just think it's wiser to keep it on you.

As for the jump start, some portable units will work, but follow the Owners Manual Jump Start Procedure. I think it wise to use the engine area connections versus direct connect to Battery, but other may have more valuable information on this topic.

Anyway, your car should have done nothing more than burn a little extra gas..

 

Hello Pat:

Your assumption should be correct. To my knowledge the G3 will function exactly as the G2 in this regard.

Probably not. The aux sockets are dead on Toyotas when the car is turned off (same as Honda's). Therefore since the aux socket is switched off, no current can get through in either direction.

The proper jump point should be under the hood in the main fuse box. Black & Decker makes a combination jump starter/tire inflator that I carry around with me.

Best wishes,

 

Hello again Pat:

Also, the 12v battery is only there to provide current to power up the vehicle computers. So, very little current is needed (part of the reason why Toyota uses such a small battery in the Prius). The ICE is always started by the traction battery and MG1. If the traction battery is completely dead, the ICE won't start, even if the 12v battery has voltage.


Best wishes,

 

OK, here is probably a dumb question and I didn't find anything relevant after a quick Google...
What happens if the Traction Battery is completely discharged or enough that it can't turn over the engine? What is the SOP for getting it back on its feet?

 

There is a special procedure and charger for bringing back the traction battery from a near full discharge. Although there are some members that have done it, it is usually a job that should only be done by a Toyota service department. The battery can be damaged if not done correctly.

Also, there is the risk of overheating the traction battery and having it blow up.

 

Excellent! I elected to go for the larger model B&D, but only because it incorporated the tire pump. However, I wish that it were a little smaller.

It's amazing how well those units work. I used mine to jump start my last minivan, and it still had plenty of charge left afterwards.

 

Hi Yardman, I was wondering, what model number is that combo jump starter/tire inflator by Black&Decker? And where can I get it? Want to have it in my trunk in case of emergencies and for a weekly tire pressure check....Thanks!...jp1960

 

My 2009 has Auto Off, I thought 2010 went off after 30 seconds after you open a front door, and that the dealer could change that to 0 seconds.

 

I drive with the lights on, never turn them off, the car does that automatically 30 seconds after shutting down, enough time for me to get to my back door and safely inside the house. Great!

 

My 2010 let me know when I had to run back into the house for something forgot--car in the garage, motor running. I put it in Park and left my purse in the car--no way I could ignore the fact I'd done something wrong!

 

WAMO, I have a 2010 GEN III and left it running for about 1 1/2 hours the other day. We went to a function and in between getting the kids and bags out totally forgot to turn off, had the key in my pocket. I heard it beep as I walked away, thought it was the alarm, will pay more attention next time. Came back, unlocked the doors and everything was on, heater and radio. We had enough gas, but the battery charge was all the way down to one block. I would love to find out if there's a auto off.

 

When the traction battery is "used up" there is still around 40% capacity. As long as the computers are willing to use it they certainly should be able to start the ICE and recharge it. If you think about it, it should be nearly impossible to drain that battery. If something happened to it, it would probably good to have Service look at it anyway. I'm not so sure the computers would take as good care of the auxiliary battery.

A "friend of a friend" left his running at the airport lot for 3 days. It was still on when he came back. All it did was use some gas.

 

Ouch, you car was actually unlocked when you went back to it. The Prius will not lock when running, unless you use the mechanical key.

 

By default, after power off, the headlights turn off 30 seconds after you leave the car. The dealer can configure it on request so that they turn off when you open the door.

 

I think it would be impossible for me to leave the car on... How can this be done? There are times that I want to do this but cannot find a way to.
If I try to leave my son in the car for a few minutes while picking up cleaning, or to open an entrance gate, etc... I would always lock my previous car just to be safe. But now if I try to do the same thing with the Prius (key fob on me, not in the car) - I get beeping, and then screaming (extended beep) as soon as I step away. It will not let me lock either by handle sensor or button.
I have to turn the car off before I can lock it.

 

Three beeps means that you left the car ON, and took away the keyfob. Continuous beeping means you left it in gear! Sure hope you set the parking brake well!

In bad weather, it's nice to leave the car ON with the air conditioning / heater running. When you come back, the car is still comfortable. It costs a little gas, so you wouldn't do it for a long time, but 10 minutes inside a store (or an hour in a restaurant on a blazing hot day) works for me.

You have to lock/unlock the door with the mechanical key. Be sure to put the car in Park with the parking brake set. I also turn off the screen (I have a Gen2), and try to block the dash display with a magazine or whatever. The engine will run for a minute or so every few minutes, depending on how much electricity the A/C requires.

Several people have noticed the engine running when I return to the car. I tell them that I left the electric air conditioning turned ON, and the engine runs occasionally to keep the battery up.

 

I always put it in park and set the parking brake. (It is my habit to back into a space until I hit the blocks at the back, then to put the car in neutral to move a bit forward from the block... And then into park followed by the parking brake.)
It has most definitely been in park with the parking brake set every time I have tried to lock it while on. I am wondering if maybe this is some kind of dealer setting...
It will not even let me do so to come out, turn the car on for heat without ever changing any gear or touching the parking brake, and then lock to return inside. I tested to be certain now. It will do 3 beeps, and then after a few seconds start a continual beep.

You say you have a Gen 2 - maybe there is some difference?