CAR WON'T START!

I want to go back a message or two and make sure I understood.

He (the driver is your husband, understand) has come to a position where the car was running and he pushed the brake to stop. then with the foot on the brake, he chooses to press the park button, not the power button. (Why, what was his reasoning? In most stop light or order window or parking ticket machine situations I wouldn't. I just sit there with my foot on the brake like in any other car. The car is smart enough to turn off the ICE (gas engine) in those situations. It would stay on only to heat or cool the cabin or to initially warm up. I put it in park, power off and use the parking brake in situations like the ATM where I'm liable to be distracted.)

He received a P within the highlight square on the transmission selector screen top right?

He did or didn't used the parking brake?

Then with the foot still on the brake (or having been replaced it on the brake pedal or was it off the pedal?) he moved the transmission selector lever/joystick slightly left and down attempting to move out of park and into drive?

And then he let up on the lever?

The indicator did or didn't move from the square enclosing the P through N to the square enclosing the D?

He allowed how much time before removing his foot off the brake and onto the gas?

I know, so many details. The car does many things wonderfully but takes some acclimation time before it all seems natural. I was certainly confused a time or two in the first months I had it. By the very buttons that are confounding him sometimes. I learned the sequence of things...

 

"The brake light is lit even with the brakes released"

If the rear brake lights are lit with brakes released then the brake pedal switch or wiring is suspect. If the "brake light" is the one on the dash, it means the emergency brake is on (or at least the system thinks so).

 

On my Prius v, attempting to shift from Park to Drive or Reverse without the brake pedal depressed produces two quick beeps every time. So if that happens under the above conditions, it would mean the brake pedal signal is not properly read by the system.

 

Yes, as mentioned, it appears to be a problem with the brake switch, located behind the brake pedal... It probably just needs an adjustment; worst case, replacement.

 

if it's the brake switch, it should go into accessory mode when you press the go button once.

 

Try to reproduce the same behavior in your driveway where you are not rushed to get the car rolling again.
Keys are knowing what each push of the START button does, both with your foot on the brake and with your foot off the brake.
You also want to know how long it takes the cars system to complete each each step before it is ready to go to the next on level or into READY mode.

Then try to reproduce the behavior again when you have traffic behind you.
Always lots of fun when in lines.....

 

thanks for letting us know ab!

 

So the problem was that the brake pedal wasn't being depressed while attempting to press the Power button to restart the car, when the car was actually in Park, but in Ready Mode? Or was the problem that the car could not be shifted out of Park?

All modern cars with automatic transmissions, conventional and hybrid alike, require the brake pedal to be pressed/engaged when shifting from Park to Drive or Reverse.

As mentioned, starting the Prius from ignition off requires the brake pedal to be depressed and held before pressing the Start button.