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"Ignition on, not ready to drive" message

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by David3433, Sep 26, 2020.

  1. David3433

    David3433 Junior Member

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    Howdy All. My wife and I have a 2018 Prius Prime, Advanced edition. My wife experiences a car issue that I've never experienced. She will enter the car, and the "Ignition on, not ready to drive" message is showing on the screen. From there, she is unable to start the car. She calls me, and I coach her to (1) again push the Start button, without pushing down the brake pedal (which should turn off the car) and then (2) depress the brake pedal and push the Start button (which should turn on the car). However, it doesn't work; she still gets the "Ignition on, not ready to drive" message.

    I'm wondering whether this happens because she often forgets to turn off the car (she is accustomed to driving a Tesla, which doesn't need to be turned off). When I'm with her, this issue never happens (I suspect because I remind her to turn off the car, if she forgets). Any insights?
     
  2. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    Presumably it’s not plugged in, right?
     
  3. David3433

    David3433 Junior Member

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    It's not plugged in. This happens when my wife is away from the house, driving the Prius Prime. She never charges the cars away from home.
    .
     
  4. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    That’s a curious one; I couldn’t find any mention of that particular phrase in the Owner’s Manual.

    I presume there aren’t any warnings on the dash, right?
     
  5. David3433

    David3433 Junior Member

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    It looks like this.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Is she shifting into gear before properly putting it into Ready(depress brake and push start)?

    To me, that message looks like someone tied diving without the car in ready, which could happen if you are use to Tesla.
     
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  7. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    I second the notion of taking the car out of park when in other than READY.
     
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  8. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    What happens if you do what it says, "Depress Brake Pedal and Push Power Switch to Start"? This message means the Ignition is ON and powered by the 12V battery only. The Hybrid System is not READY. This could happen if she presses the Power button without the Brake Pedal depressed enough--maybe she just touches the brake pedal, not depressing it--or the brake pedal switch has gone bad. You can confirm this by pressing the brake pedal and noting if the brake lights in the rear of the vehicle come on.
     
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  9. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    Could be.

    However, the fact that there are other warning lights to the right still on (unless the picture is a “freeze-frame of it still in the process of doing its power-on diagnostics), seems to suggest there might be something wrong with the car...?
     
  10. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    I was able to reproduce the same symptoms (including mostly but not entirely the same indicator lights) by:
    1. Getting in.
    2. Not putting my foot on the brake.
    3. Pressing and releasing the power button.
    4. Waiting a second or so.
    5. Pressing and releasing the power button again.
     
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  11. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    There might be model-specific differences in which ones, but various warning lights normally will be on when the car is in ON-but-not-READY state. I would first try doing what the car says, then choose my other worries after that.
     
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  12. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I think this was caused by the timing or force of brake pedal depression not being matched with pushing the Start button. I have had a similar warning come on if I depressed the pedal too quickly and released or the Start button pushed out of synch with the pedal. Unless the symptom persists as permanent no matter who does it, it must be an operator error.
     
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  13. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    So, again, I was able to reproduce it (see my previous post).
     
  14. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    If I turn the Camry's off, and then switch back to on, I'll get a 12v battery warning. So I agree the lights being on are normal. If they were on because something was wrong, they would be on when you drove the car.

    The car got an input saying it should be running, but it isn't. The engine, oil pressure, power steering, and 12v lights are on because the car isn't running, but got a conflicting input saying it should be, and these things are currently not operating when they should be if the car was running.

    A single issue can cause other things to trigger warnings, or even not work right. A speed sensor in the Ranger affected ABS, shifting, and the speedometer. Plugging in a ScangaugeII with an older firmware version gave the Sonic a hissy fit. Your case is more minor with it appearing to be a case of not following the car's proper start up procedure.
     
  15. EdPalmer42

    EdPalmer42 Member

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    The first press of the power button puts the car in 'accessory' mode. The second press puts it in 'on' mode, but not 'ready' mode. It's covered in the manual.

    Ed
     
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  16. mr88cet

    mr88cet Senior Member

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    Indeed.