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Shutting car down without putting it in Park

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by MrMischief, Jun 1, 2016.

  1. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    Can't be done. Another Prius benefit.
     
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  2. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Mendel, I guess that's why this old guy is single. :) Your scenario just threw my plan out the window.

    I don't know what the answer is. But I just don't want my Prius to be sitting a parking lot, and the power running for 14 days, while I'm on a cruise ship to Hawaii...

    That car needs to have a way to turn itself off.

    I know how to solve this...

    Drivers, don't be stupid and forget to turn the power off!! :ROFLMAO: :LOL:

    You can't lock the doors, so that right there should wake your butt up! :rolleyes:

    Moving on....
     
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  3. aforkosh

    aforkosh Active Member

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    Having walked away from my prior 2004 Prius with the key in my pocket and the power left on, I wish that the Prius would check for the presence of a key when the car is put into gear. I thought this was especially needed because the car would not lock if the power was still on.So, someone could easily just get in and drive it away.

    It seems to me that adding that check would allow one some freedom to keep the car running for brief excursions away from it while preventing theft and other nightmare scenarios.
     
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  4. Frederickdawg

    Frederickdawg Active Member

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    Always use parking brake. Less stress on tranny. Plus an old habit as most my life been driving manual cars.

    LG-H901 ?
     
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  5. ucla107

    ucla107 Member

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    My brother borrowed me car once and left the car on in the garage for over an hour thankfully it had a pretty full battery otherwise the ICE would've came on
     
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  6. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Agree. Seems like a simple solution to the theft problem.

    I assumed (wrongly again) that we always had to have the magical "Fob" on our person in order to start the car, shift the car, drive the car... So in Mendel's scenario, when your spouse walks away with the Fob, you will immediately know something is wrong because you can't shift into "D" or operate the car.

    That's when you grab the nearest Cop, and ask him to please not tow your Prius while you go chase down your wife.
     
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  7. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Starting in 2004, when I bought my Prius, Toyota initiated a program. I can't recall the actual Japanese name but it translates roughly to "Tony's not that bright so we better make the car pretty smart".

    I have lost count of the number of time I've tried to lock the keys in the car. I still occasionally get out of the car while it's still running. Most people would argue that it's impossible, but I've drained my 12v by leaving the headlights on (twice). I also ran out of gas once, but in the car's defense, it tried to warn me.

    So yes, the car is pretty darned smart.
     
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  8. pjm877

    pjm877 Member

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    I have locked the car with the dogs in it running for the AC as I ran into the store for a quick few items.

    You have to use the manual key. (well it was that way in the MY04 Prius... )

    I will now have to try it later today to see the reaction of the system.
     
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  9. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    My daughter left her 2009 running by mistake. No issue. But the 2011, I gave her, they lost a FOB in the car and could not find it. It allowed you to lock the car after the first warning. Did not think you could do that at all.

    My wife uses and misuses the ER brake/parking brake to the point every car she has driven that the cable is out of adjustment and the ER/PB is unusable. She forgets and leaves it on. Consequently, I never use it except when she is in the car yelling at me. It is there for me for an ER stop when I need it and I want it to work when I push on it and not go to the floor with no help at all. Have had that happen on other cars and the ER/Parking brake saved my life. When your pedal is dead you need help.

    Also if you ask the dealer to adjust it they may adjust it too tight and dork your MPG. Just verify it is in park. That is sufficient. Try to avoid parking on steep hills with a lake at the bottom. :ROFLMAO::LOL:

    It is very difficult to lock your keys in this car or leave it running and try to lock it. But it is not idiot proof.

    Have left all 5 Priuses running at least once.
     
    #29 ETP, Jun 3, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2016
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  10. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    That's pretty impressive considering the parking brake is not designed to stop a moving car, it's simply there to prevent a parked car from moving. It only brakes the rear wheels which have much less stopping power than the front brakes. In a vehicle with disks the parking brake is a tiny drum brake within the rear rotor, no where near enough force to effectively stop a vehicle. I haven't looked at drum brakes in years but as I recall the parking brake only pressed one of the two shoes into the drum, so again no where near enough force to effectively stop a moving vehicle.

    Typically the only parking brake that needs adjustment is the one on a vehicle with disk brakes in the rear. The tiny parking drums don't usually have self adjusters so you just get behind the wheel with a flat screw driver and turn the adjustment wheel manually. If you have drums in the rear they self adjust when you stop in reverse so adjustment isn't often needed. The cables rarely stretch but if they do, under the car is an adjustment point you can turn with a couple of wrenches to take up the slack. Either adjustment is easy to do, tighten the parking brake or cable until you just start to feel drag when you spin the wheel, then back it off a notch.
     
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  11. eric1234

    eric1234 Active Member

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    The GEN III and GEN IV addressed this by automatically turning them off (after a delay). If the parking lights are left on, they are turned off immediately.

    Unfortunately, the map lights will remain on indefinitely. I've drained my 12v in the 2010 twice that way... And then learned that the jumping "tab" under the hood is insulated on one side - and that only one jaw of my jumpers is live...





    merged.






    Try walking away with the fob in pocket and car on. It will beep at you in a unique way (triple beep, I think) - letting you know that something is unusual and amiss.

    There is at least one simple reason: if the battery in the transmitter is dead, the car needs to be able to start and continue to run without receiving the signal being sent by the fob. If you have a "dead" fob - you can start the car by holding the key to the start button, and then continue on your merry way. In this scenario, the car sees a fob during the start (while being held against the start button), but not thereafter.

    If the battery were to completely die mid-journey, I imagine that you would hear the triple beep. (Haven't experienced this myself.)





    merged.






    Perhaps on some, but not universally. On my 2001 Mazda Protege ES and 2010 Toyota Prius, the parking brake activated a lever that physically forced the pads against the disks.
     
    #31 eric1234, Jun 3, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 3, 2016
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ That's how the Prius parking brake works, the regular brake pads do the holding.
     
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  13. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Thanks eric. I heard the triple beep this morning, when I was practicing. Wish it was a little louder.

    I left the power on, and then tried to lock the doors by pushing the lock on the inside door panel. Penelope rejected my attempts! :LOL: She popped those buttons right back open.
     
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  14. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    For anyone wanting to test the "don't lock the keys in the car" feature, please PLEASE test it with the window rolled down. You know, just in case. ;)

    Also be aware that on older Prii, there were potential "dead spots" where the car could not detect the fob. Because the driver typically has the fob and is typically sitting in the driver's seat when starting the car, there are no sensors in the back of the Gen2 Prius. This means that if your fob is in your coat or gym bag and you throw it into the hatch, the Prius might not detect it. Two things about that:
    1. It might not let you start the car since it doesn't detect the fob as being inside the car.
    2. It might let you lock all the doors because it doesn't detect the fob as being inside the car.
    I don't have my Gen4 yet, so I can't directly test this myself. If anyone wants to test this, it would be an interesting test and valuable to the rest of us. Remember, have at least one window down!!
     
  15. eric1234

    eric1234 Active Member

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    For Gen 4 and Gen 3, it will recognize the fob in a coat or gym bag in the hatch.

    not sure about locking of doors, but I imagine that if it will start, it will prevent locking...
     
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  16. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    Very interesting, is it a cable that goes clear back to the rear wheels and actually pulls the pads somehow or does it use a separate brake cylinder to give hydraulic pressure to the pads? Either way, I'm sure it is still rear brakes only and that it doesn't have as much clamping force as your regular brake so it is not, in fact, an emergency brake. If it's using hydraulic pressure it's probably very likely that if your normal brakes have failed for whatever reason the parking brake would also be out of commission. Also; if your parking brake is out of adjustment then it's very likely you need a brake job soon because the regular rear brakes may not be working either.
     
  17. eric1234

    eric1234 Active Member

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    So, I hate to be too snarky, but if you don't know what it is, how can you be "sure"?

    Further, why bring up the distinction of emergency and parking brakes (no one else has suggested that they're anything other than parking brakes, have they)? And, even further to that point aren't they the same on all passenger cars?

    That is, while many have wasted time trying to explain the distinctions between an "emergency" brake or "parking" brake - don't all cars have the same capacity (what most refer to as "parking" brakes)?

    Edit: I see that ETP has suggested that he has used the "parking" brake as an "emergency" brake. In that regard, your characterization that a mechanical system applied only to rear brakes surely isn't going to provide the same stopping power as 4 hydraulically brakes is correct. I'll leave the remainder of that discussion to Mischief and ETP...
     
    #37 eric1234, Jun 3, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2016
  18. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Road check and ops check is in order for this car only. I will watch out for the snarks as they bite bad.

    Links Toyota sent me today. If you already have these please ignore.

    http://www.toyota.com/toyota-owners-theme/pdf/ToyotaCareBrochure_English_FULL_outlined.pdf?et_rid=328490775&et_cid=2918617&mid=9001311331746&cid=2000039592449&siteid=DMG_RLA_EM:OWEM2:pRX:201606&tdesc=toyotacare

    Toyota Owners Official Web Site
    From the manual below: Will not do a road test with the parking brake as the manual did not mention it at all. Evidently the regen system may still work with hydraulic brake failure.


    Only in an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the vehicle in the normal way, stop the vehicle using the following procedure:Stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road.Steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet and firmly depress it. Do not pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle. Shift the shift position to N.  If the shift position is shifted to N After slowing down, stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road. Stop the hybrid system.  If the shift position cannot be shifted to N Keep depressing the brake pedal with both feet to reduce vehicle speed as much as possible. To stop the hybrid system, press and hold the power switch for 2 consecutive seconds or more, or press it briefly 3 times or more in succession.If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency
     

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  19. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I have to be careful now as there are so many models and generations of Prius.
    But with my Gen 3, Standard, hitting the power button automatically puts you in park and powers you off.
    When I'm done driving it simply seems the most logical and easiest way to power off. Why hit two buttons when one will work?

    I pretty much ONLY use park, for those few times when I find myself wanting to be stopped or "parked" but keep the engine (vehicle) powered up. Like on really hot days, when I might be sitting in my vehicle outside, listening to the radio.

    Otherwise, it's one button operation for me. And when it comes to powering down, that one button is the Power button.

    PS.
    Parking brake or Emergency Brake usage? I've always set the parking brake after I park with every vehicle I have ever owned. I think that's why they refer to it as the Parking Brake.
    I have never had a problem because my parking brake became worn out. IMO it's friction that causes the wear on brakes, and with a parking brake and a vehicle that is stopped, you aren't creating any friction. only trying to prevent roll.

    As someone who once while crossing a parking lot, had to witness a vehicle slowly rolling into my own, because someone did NOT set their parking brake.
    Yes, I set my PARKING brake every time I park.

    I see no negative to this operation except in making sure you release it before driving.
     
    #39 The Electric Me, Jun 7, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2016
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  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ I believe not using the parking brake actually contributes to it's demise: the cables can seize from lack of use.

    How about hill parking, pointing up, down, with/without curbs, how to angle the wheels, actually nestling the wheel into the curb, where present. Just walking a hill of parked cars, you'll see precious few doing it right.
     
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