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Can't shift into gear

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by HolyPriust, Mar 29, 2019.

  1. HolyPriust

    HolyPriust New Member

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    Prius gods and magicians... help! My 2012 Prius Plug In Advanced has been mine for just over a week. I have charged it twice and have put nearly 2,200 miles on it already (now has 65,680). I got it detailed today and when I picked it up an hour later, it will not start. Accessories are on as normal (including Nav radio, AC, etc) but will not allow me to shift into reverse or drive. I can shift into Neutral. The messages I am getting are as follows:

    "Check hybrid system Stop vehicle in a safe place"
    "Check PCS system"
    "Charge Result: Charge stopped due to system malfunction"

    I have one recall out that I have not addressed yet....the Electric Vehicle (EV) Fuse. Is this the culprit?

    Any other tips or tricks I can do to further diagnose or determine the issue? A local mech who does not seem to know much about the Plug In was asking me if I knew what the IG System was. He says the vehicle appears to be in safe mode. Can we get it out of safe mode so I can drife it to a dealer?

    Thanks in advance!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #1 HolyPriust, Mar 29, 2019
  2. HolyPriust

    HolyPriust New Member

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    #2 HolyPriust, Mar 29, 2019
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats and welcome!

    start by testing the 12v health. if that is okay, disconnect the neg cable for an hour to reset everything.
     
    #3 bisco, Mar 29, 2019
    Mendel Leisk, SlidingBike and Raytheeagle like this.
  4. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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    While you're waiting for better answers, consider the possibility that the detailer guys ran down your 12v battery by playing the radio while they were working. Even if they didn't touch anything, a 7 year old battery is just hanging on by a thread. Borrow a 15 amp extension cord if you need to, do whatever it takes to plug in for a while. The plug-in charger charges the 12v battery also.With any luck you'll be on your way in a couple hours.
     
    #4 Pluggo, Mar 29, 2019
  5. SlidingBike

    SlidingBike Active Member

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    Did you try jump starting the car? While the basic electronics(like dash, some lights etc may work, 12V needs to be real healthy to START the vehicle).
     
    #5 SlidingBike, Mar 30, 2019
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Could be a run-down battery; check that first. Check the voltage with a digital multimeter and post the reading.

    There was another issue posted here once, after someone got tint installed if I recall correctly: the installers might have shorted something out, using sprays.
     
    #6 Mendel Leisk, Mar 30, 2019
  7. Deoc

    Deoc Member

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    Chances are they may have damaged something in the car, or let the 12v battery go to low in voltage, i would check the 12v first, if that doesnt work i would check around the car, maybe water got into charger port and damaged something.
     
    #7 Deoc, Mar 30, 2019
  8. HolyPriust

    HolyPriust New Member

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    Well folks, here's how the story wrapped up...

    We tried jumping it a few times without success. The local mechanic nearby kept getting strange codes that he had not seen in other Priuses. The 12v battery output looked good.

    I had a tow truck driver stop by and he tried jumping a third time without success, got in and out of the vehicle 4-5 times, kept turning the alarm on and off... all the meanwhile I'm thinking that we've already tried all of that. Then BAM! She started. WHAT!? The only thing I could think of is the 12v battery (while fine) was not in top top shape. The ladies cleaning the vehicle may have pressed the start button while wiping down the dash. I know the weren't playing music or anything because I was basically sitting next to the vehicle.

    Anyway, so the vehicle is on but still says to check Hybrid System and I then had a check engine light on....but it was driving. I drove straight to the local dealership and checked her in. The next day when I pick it up, they said their technicians were stumped. They said it WAS in safe mode but didn't know why. One came out to talk to me saying out of his 20+ years of working with Toyota, he had never seen a Prius do that. He thought that maybe when the ladies were wiping the dash down they could have hit several buttons to essentially overload the system and lock it down. It required a system reboot. $65 and I was done.

    Thanks to everyone for the great advice! This situation was odd but a great way to learn my Prius. Trial by fire led to an effective crash course!

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #8 HolyPriust, Mar 31, 2019
    bisco and Mendel Leisk like this.
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm still suspecting water spray. Someone getting tint installed had problems, and that requires water spray.
     
    #9 Mendel Leisk, Mar 31, 2019
  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I'm glad it's working now. I just came across this and when I read your original post, I thought maybe it was the fuse. But I guess not. With all that cleaning going on, it does seem possible that something wet got where it wasn't supposed to be and just took a while to dry out. I do recommend getting that recall done as soon as it's reasonably convenient, though. There have been very few failures, afaik, but if it did fail, that would be even more inconvenient. ;)
     
    #10 jerrymildred, Apr 1, 2019
  11. trentofdestiny

    trentofdestiny Master Finagler

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    I would've guessed some kind of liquid got down into the shifter or the "P" park switch...
     
    #11 trentofdestiny, Apr 1, 2019
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