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Can't turn prius OFF

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by belhai, Nov 21, 2008.

  1. belhai

    belhai Zebadoh

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    Hey folks:

    This morning I decided to take my wife's Prius to work since she had the day off. I turn on the car, but see that the computer display in front of me (mph, fuel gauge, etc) is completely black. However, the monitor in the center of the car that displays the mpg is on. Thinking this is odd, I turn off the car and then turn back on. Still black in front of me. So I decide to turn off the car permanently and take my own car instead to work. The problem is that now the car won't turn off no matter how many times I press the power button. Fortunately there is a Toyota dealer near me which I took there this morning (8 am). I called them around 2 pm today and they're still trying to figure out the problem.

    Has anyone encountered this problem before?

    Thanks,
    Brandon
     
  2. dmckinstry

    dmckinstry New Member

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    Are you sure you had the brake on hard enough when trying to start it? I know that the turning on problems have happened, but I can't remember if there's I time I couldn't get it to turn off. Did you have it in park, brake off and hit the power button only once?

    Dave M.
     
  3. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    loose ground on the 12v could do that. saw one of those a couple years ago.
     
  4. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    The dash was probably black b/c of the dimmer switch being turned down.

    I defer to Galaxee on the power-off issue.
     
  5. bjb1195

    bjb1195 New Member

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    I have had the exact same problem two times now - it is scheduled to go to the dealer tomorrow - but they already told me if they cannot replicate problem they can't do anything????? The first time it happened I played around 15 - 20 minutes to try to get the car turned off - including putting the key in - off course that didn't work. Once I finally got it off - I came back to leave about 20 minutes later and had no dash lights either. Yes - I am sure I didn't have the dimmer turned down - in fact after driving about 20 minutes - they automatically came on by them selfs - magic!
    Yesterday when I started the car in the morning I had no dash lights again - when I got to my destination the car would not turn off - ended up playing with it for about 10 minutes.

    Also, last week I was sitting in the car (engine not running) - just listening to the radio waiting to pick my daughter up - when I pushed the power button the car came on in Neutral - couldn't shift to drive or reverse - had to power off completely and restart.

    Any ideas - again my dealer said if the car is not doing this when I take it in tomorrow they cannot do anything - so another words wasted trip because when I get there it may be just fine and then they don't know what to check.
     
  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Is this thread doubled up? I just answered the exact same post on another thread. Why do people do that? Are they just shotgunning and hoping someone will see it if they spread it around enough?

    I could have saved my time, since the other posters have already stated what I wrote.

    Double posting represents bad form and bad manners. For any of you new posters out there, don't do it. If you feel you must, cross link your threads so we know they both exist.

    Tom
     
  7. bobonlsd

    bobonlsd New Member

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    As for a dealer who can't do anything if they can't replicate the problem then and there -- I think that's B.S. They should give you the courtesy of assuming that you're *not crazy*, and that you are intelligent enough to answer simple questions about what you observed on multiple occasions. They can then at least check the most obvious reasons the situation might arise -- problem with the computer, problem with ground wire (as mentioned in another response), etc. They might not be able to *prove* that they've found the problem, but that doesn't mean they can't at least *try*, for God's sake. They could then send you on your way and ask you to return if the problem returns.

    That's poor customer service.:mad:
     
  8. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Hold the power button in until it turns off, it will.

    Can we merge the 2 threads?
     
  9. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    if they can't replicate the problem, how do they know if they fixed it?
     
  10. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Replicating the problem is the best way to troubleshoot something and diagnose it.

    A good dealer is one that finds the exact problem and fixes it. A bad dealer replaces almost everything (and charges you for it) in the troubleshooting process.
     
  11. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    "Remove and replace one Prius..."

    Tom
     
  12. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Sure, that'll be 24,000 cash up front please.
     
  13. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    It has happened to other owners that the 12V battery connections become loose or corroded. Remove the -ve, clean, then remove the +ve and clean it then reconnect it. Lastly, reconnect the -ve and tighten it. Also check the -ve cable connection to the body.
     
  14. SusanSlattery

    SusanSlattery New Member

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    This has happened to me 3 times and dealer can't figure it out. I turn Prius on, and recessed dash is black (dimmer control does not alter this), and the center console displays the main screen, but as I drive, does not show instant mileage, nor does it track the miles I am driving. No idea whether odometer catches it---can't see it.

    And holding the power switch down the second time it happened? NO DICE. CAR would NOT turn off. Brake, brake, power down, no dice. Hold brake, power off, no dice. Park, power off, no dice. Park, park, power off, no dice.

    I took pictures of my dash driving down a major interstate--all black and inactive control panel, so the dealer knows I'm not crazy, but they want to keep it "overnight" and I said, "Look, it's happened three times in the last 10 months. You would have to keep it for 6 months and turn it on every day three times a day to try and replicate this problem."

    I will ask about the 12v/ground wire--after reading here. Good luck to all--let's hope one of us can figure this out!:cheer2:
     
  15. stone.js

    stone.js New Member

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    I would love to know the result of this seeing that this has happened to me today. It was -22 deg F which might have worsened the situation. Mine behaved exactly as stated and after a 1 hour drive to drop of my son at daycare, I couldn't stop the car with the power button. After I dropped him off I drove about 20 minutes to work and while parking the car, the HUD came back on and I was able to turn off the car. I am worried that I might have the same problem when I leave today. I will call my dealer to see if their techs have experienced this.
     
  16. toi

    toi New Member

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    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6zy-lkbZ6o]YouTube - Picture 040[/ame]

    this would be the same problem i suppose.when this happens backup camera and the backup lights wont work either.hard to turn the car off.
     
  17. Alicewave

    Alicewave Member

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    I'm new to this forum but I wanted to add that I had this problem today. Exactly the same: recessed dash is black, except for the passenger seatbelt indicator lights. The MPG computer still worked and the car drove as normal. Then I couldn't turn the car off. Called Toyota to see if I could bring it in, was due for 20k service anyway. I live in Ithaca, NY where there are a lot of steep hills. Getting to Toyota was a second trip down the steep hill (therefore more battery charging). By the time I got to the dealer, I was able to turn the car off with no problem. When I turned it back on, the recessed dash was lit up. Toyota was not able to determine what the problem was. It is VERY cold here and I've been letting the car warm up in the driveway longer than usual, so I don't know if that is draining the 12V battery or something.

    Just wanted to share my experience today. It's kind of a scary feeling to not be able to turn your car off or see your speed.
     
    CatCar likes this.
  18. bjb1195

    bjb1195 New Member

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    There is another forum that has info on this as well, with a bit more complete info. My 08 Prius is currently at the dealer awaiting a part that should be here this week that will hopefully fix the problem. I have had it happen several times and on Friday it happened again and I was able to get it to the dealership so they could see it happening.
     
  19. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    This is very interesting. What part are they replacing?
     
  20. bjb1195

    bjb1195 New Member

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    The part I am still waiting for is a combination meter.