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Transmission Inoperable?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Boyer646, Aug 6, 2010.

  1. Boyer646

    Boyer646 New Member

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    My wife and I have a 2005 Toyota Prius. When she got in the car today and tried to start it, the screen stated that the transmission is inoperable, to put the car on a flat surface and press the brake in all the way. The car was already on a flat surface and I pressed the brake in all the way, and it still didn't work. When I got out of the car (with my key) the screen display would not shut off and the car would not allow me to lock it. Any suggestions
     
    #1 Boyer646, Aug 6, 2010
  2. Politburo

    Politburo Active Member

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    Change the 12V battery.
     
    #2 Politburo, Aug 6, 2010
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  3. Boyer646

    Boyer646 New Member

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    My wife and I are new to Prius ownership. We have always owned Toyotas in the past and I have always worked on them myself. But I have had trouble with the Prius and its messages....Tranmission Inoperable, is because of a bad 12v?
     
    #3 Boyer646, Aug 6, 2010
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Low voltage on the 12V bus will cause strange error messages to appear. Your symptoms have been experienced by other owners. Usually replacing the 12V battery will take care of the issue.

    (You should hope that is the case, since the alternative is to replace the transmission control ECU or some other expensive part.)

    Your message mentioned that you cannot shut off the car. If this is still the case, try holding the POWER button down for several seconds.

    Good luck.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Aug 6, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  5. Boyer646

    Boyer646 New Member

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    I'll give that a try. Well... the car never really turned on, it wouldn't turn on for my wife. When she tried, that is when the message appeared on the screen. So she tried what the message stated and nothing happened, and she tried a host of other things. She ended up just getting out of the car and that's when it wouldn't lock and the message wouldn't go off the screen. This all happened while she was at work, so she stepped away from it for five minutes and is going to try again in a little bit...

    Thanks for the help Patrick and Politburo
     
    #5 Boyer646, Aug 6, 2010
  6. Rmutzabaugh

    Rmutzabaugh New Member

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    On Friday there was a lady in a Prius in the middle of a busy street. Two of us walked over to offer assitance. Told her to put it in Netraul and we would push it to the side. Her response was she tried that already, it wouldn't go into netraul. Looking at your comments here, I guess no power no shift. I was coming on here to ask the quesstion in case that happens to me. Dah, make sure cell phone has power and minutes? In that case you can't roll it onto a roll back either?
     
    #6 Rmutzabaugh, Aug 9, 2010
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, it would be nice if your cellphone was functioning.

    It also would be nice if you replaced the 12V battery as a preventive move, at four-year intervals, rather than waiting for a failure. That would reduce the likelihood that this particular problem would happen to you.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Aug 9, 2010
  8. Boyer646

    Boyer646 New Member

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    Thanks again for the help....I spent Saturday getting the 12v battery out of the trunk, which I've read some posts about getting the battery out and it took me a lot less time than it did some others. I got the battery out in about 10+/- minutes. After getting the battery out, I put it on the charger for a bit. I then hooked it back up to car and it worked at first but started draining quick. I then went to my local Toyota dealership and got a new OEM battery for $138. Put the battery in and the car has been working great ever since.
     
    #8 Boyer646, Aug 9, 2010
    3 people like this.
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