Keyless safety problem?

There are times you -want- to have the car running (in "ready") when you get out. Get in the habit of using the "P" brake and the car won't move even if you leave it in "D" (been there, done that, and yes, I'm an idiot sometimes too). But you DO get a loud warning if you leave it in "D", and you get "dings" if you just leave it in "P" (FOB in pocket) when you get out. Do it every day to open and close the garage door (door opener is Mexican - Manuel).
You CAN do this in any car, not just the Prius or other "keyless" systems. And not all "gearshifts" are visible.

When getting in car engage brain before putting the car in "ready". Sorry to be so non PC but that's life and reality!

 

I kinda disagree. A good system is one that puts physical impediments in your way, making it nigh impossible to screw up. Warnings and bells are the refuge of a second rate design.

 

Good point.

 

it's possible alright, it happened to me once when the car was brand new and i learned the lesson. the initial movement is near zero and it moves slowly, so you can chase it easily, unless it's downhill of course.

i don't remember the warning sound (it was a long time ago), but if there was sound i thought it was because opening door with ready on.

 

It just takes time doing it over and over again, you'll get used to it fairly quickly. After that you will hate going to a car that needs a key to start it.

 

I think it's the drivers responsibility to know how to turn off their vehicle, and park it properly.

If you are routinely getting out of your Prius while it is still in drive, running and with no brake applied?

Well....let's just say I don't think it's a failure of the machine.

 

Warnings:
If you -close- any door with no FOB in the car and the car in "ready" there are three "beeps" from the hood area. It will do this at every door closing event, not just one time. If you are not in a really noisy environment and can hear you will know the car is on.

If you -open- the drivers door with the car in "ready" and "D" (or presumably in "B" or "R") you get a very loud warning. Bells, flashing lights, don't remember what, it causes me to panic when I do this so my memory is erased!

Based on what has happened to me, I don't see how anyone could manage to actually get out of the car without realizing the mistake they have made!

 

I sometimes leave for work at 4:00 AM and at first I was putting it in ready while I load bags, clean the windows of morning dew, etc. I would leave the fob in my pocket. I've had to find an alternate way of doing it so not to disturb my neighbors of the beeps every time I opened and closed the rear hatch, doors, etc. It was very annoying.

 

NEVER! If there was a sensor which turned off the car when there's no driver in the seat, it would be impossible to warm up the car, or to use an inverter to run a microwave or rice cooker, and if there was some sort of failure while driving, the car would shut down.

I have done what you're talking about a few times in my driveway. Stop the car, get distracted, the ICE is not running, open the door, but immediately the car has a warning sound and screen telling me to put the car in Park. That seems enough.

 

If you had one scenario like this you need to control this by merely pressing on the emergency brake just to save yourself an lawsuit or even criminal negligence. The deal is that this is not an accident but can be determined that you now KNOW it may happen so therefore you can be culpable and be charged with an accident if and when this happens again. Now we do not want this to happen but this is not some thing taken lightly. It may be either be a technical glitch or an operator error. Not matter what you must be be wary of this and seek solutions

 

Yeah, and third-rate design is using a beeper that sounds much the same regardless of the type or degree of hazard.

 

Yes, having a habit of always using the emergency brake can help prevent the car from rolling if accidentally left in drive while trying to exit the car.

 

Or if accidentally left in Neutral, for those of us who drive cars that simply don't have anything called 'Drive' or 'Park'. The e-brake has saved me more than once.

Every manual transmission vehicle ever in my household has lacked any sort of interlock to force immobilization of the car when it is turned off and the key removed. (Some locked the steering wheel, but never the transmission. Both the Prius and the latest stick shift lack the steering lock.) And except of the Gen3 Prius, this household has owned only manual transmissions for more than three decades. So I guess I'm not the right audience to promote these out-of-Drive interlocks.

 

you are right, it's a continued beep rather than 3 short beeps.
someone who is very new to the car will not understand the difference. it happened to me too, but i obviously learned the lesson. i don't understand why advanced cars in this day and age don't do verbal commands (like airplanes).

 

I agree with voice warnings. I liked that feature in my 280ZX back in the 80's.

 

If the Prius had voice warnings it'd say "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM", over and over, regardless of the issue.

 

prius is a very advanced car, but the ergonomics of its warning system is seriously retarded.
this recent thread is a good illustration of it: Trouble Light Indication when changing lanes or turning quickly | PriusChat

in a regular car with analog dashboard, everyone will understand the red flashes of oil pressure lamp. sorry, but prius' beep and split second warning triangle is not good enough.

and yes, it can be done easily. my son drives a POS 2003 saturn, but its alphanumeric dash warning is very advanced and spells out the nature of problem after a beep.

 

There would need to be a multitude of languages. Then when someone steals your car and they didn't understand your selected language, they would sue you because they didn't understand the verbal warning, and the car ran over their foot!
There could be different versions, too - like GPSs have. One could be the nagging spouse voice, "Shift into Park, you idiot!"

In the Gen 3, the dash says "Shift into Park" when you open the door.

 

yeah, this goes without saying

and that's useless because it should say "close the door/hatch, stupid."

 

Numerous folks in this thread may be happier with the new 2016 Prius: