Did something stupid w/new Prius, tell me it's OK

You're fine. The car will manage itself at idle. In fact, unless you had the A/C or Heat on above a moderate level the engine may not of even started during that entire time. If it did, no biggie. The only negative with this whole thing is your new ride could have been stolen. Try explaining to your insurance provider the brand new car that you just bought and haven't paid a single premium on has already been stolen.... That's a tough conversation.

 

No worries; glad your car was not stolen. It is a good idea to check the dashboard and MFD before leaving, to ensure that all is dark. Another good idea is to always lock your car, and listen for the confirming beep. If you hear an unusual beep then the Prius is telling you that something is wrong.

 

It's ok! Your baby is fine.
Did you have the air on? If so it kept it nice and cool for you.
The car will run the engine and charge the battery and shut down until the charge reduces. I wait on my wife shopping all the time and this car is the best "wait just a minute while I run in and get---" car yet.

 

A friend has a Lexus hybrid (is it a 400h? whatever the SUV is called) Anyway we went to lunch one time and we came out and he couldn't find his keys. He went back in the restaurant and couldn't find them. He tried to open the door and sure enough he left the vehicle running. He's owned that at least a year and he managed to do that.

With my Prius I lock it everytime I walk away. As mentioned by another poster if you do this each time you'll never leave it running. If you press that outside button to lock the doors and it's running it will beep for what seems like 5 seconds, if not more. You can't miss it.

Mike

 

Pushing the outside lock buttons is a very worthwhile habit. As previously mentioned, the car won't give you the reassuring beeps if your Prius is still on. If you leave your keys in the car for some reason and lock it then it will unlock once you touch the door handle.

Locking -- good. Beeps -- good.

 

Next time you leave the car "on" lock the door with the key in the fob.

 

Just press the Power button without hitting the Park button. The car will park and then turn off. This way, you won't forget.

 

As mentioned before, nothing bad happened. Some people have used the Prius' abilities as an emergency generator by adding an inverter. Others leave it on when at a drive-in movie.

 

You're car is fine. You . . ?

It reminds me of a similar mistake I made this winter. I was a bit distracted, and when I parked in my garage I simply left the car in park. Thankfully, I didn't have the heat on, and I had turned off the radio and the lights. I didn't realize my mistake until I opened the door to the garage the next morning (about 11 hours later) and found the engine was running! I calculated the gasoline usage for that entire period at 0.5 gal.

You simply must get into the habit of turning off the car with the Start button. It is pretty easy when you are in a parking lot, because you push the button on the driver's side door to lock the car and hear the confirmation. As others have said, you will hear something different when you try to lock the car and it is not turned off (or a door is ajar). It is a different story when you park in your own garage and don't lock the door!

The greatest dangers you face when leaving the car on are:

1. Someone else will drive it away.
2. Someone else will take away something else in the car (because it is unlocked).
3. You will waste gasoline and add, unnecessarily, to air pollution.
4. You will expose others to hazardous gases (if you leave the car on in an enclosed space next to a living area).
5. Your car will run out of gas and, eventually, drain the battery -- very expensive!