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2008 wouldn't start, later was fine

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by amandette, Dec 6, 2008.

  1. amandette

    amandette New Member

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    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Hey, I bet stuff like this gets asked a bunch, but today my 2008 Prius wouldn't start. The instrument panel flashed, and the accessories came on, but no ready light. I double-checked some common problems...
    -I drove it the night before
    -Key was in slot
    -Accessories came on
    -I was pressing on the brake like normal
    -Cold, but not that cold (Portland, OR)
    -Checked the oil, no problems

    I waited about 40 minutes and it started no problem.
    I called the dealership and they suggested perhaps the battery. They said sometimes one of the cells can go bad, and act up, and then be ok for a while. I took it in, and they didn't find anything. So my question is, was this just a fluke, or is it indicative of a larger problem? I would rather not find out 300 miles from home.
     
    #1 amandette, Dec 6, 2008
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

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    Probably a fluke...had the car sat for long between being driven (like a week or more?)
    The display sounds like you were in IG On mode...sometimes the brake switch can be malfunctioning and even if you are depressing the brake pedal the signal isn't getting to the ECU...which is necessary to get into READY mode. It's also possible you just didn't have the brake fully depressed.

    I'd just wait and see if it happens again.
     
    #2 efusco, Dec 6, 2008
  3. amandette

    amandette New Member

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    No, I drive it every day. I'm hoping it was just a fluke.
     
    #3 amandette, Dec 6, 2008
  4. morpheusx

    morpheusx Professor Chaos

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    I think it was just a fluke. My wife swears up and down this happened to her shortly after we first got the car and that her foot was on the brake and that she was doing it right. I have never seen it do this personally and she has never had it happen to her since (we now have over 45,000 miles).
     
    #4 morpheusx, Dec 6, 2008
  5. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    Two
    I notice you live in Oregeon. Perhaps you had big shoes on or boots and possibly part of your foot was touching the side panel or acclerator on the other side and you really didn't have brake pushed down hard enough? I know it's a long shot but happened to me once long ago in the winter when I had boots on.
     
    #5 paprius4030, Dec 6, 2008
  6. brick

    brick Active Member

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    We had a fluke like this one day. My fiancee's Prius was totally dead, and by the time I got there (an hour later) I tried one last time and it went into 'ready.' That was well over a year ago and we haven't had any trouble with it since.
     
    #6 brick, Dec 6, 2008
  7. canesfan

    canesfan Culture shocked...

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    This has happened to me a couple of times, once this summer while stopped for road construction. I had powered off during the lengthy wait, and then when we got the go ahead I think I forgot to press the brake or didn't have it fully engaged. I was in a hurry because the construstion stop had made me late to where I was going. Freaked me out! It happened again not too long ago and that time I realized I really wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.
     
    #7 canesfan, Dec 6, 2008
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