Front end accident, all airbags went off, car turns on but will not drive or reverse.

There are many variables.
I am no expert on crashed Prius', but some cars have an inertia switch that stops the fuel flow.
I could believe, but don't know, there is also a switch that stops the car if airbags "explode".
If it was my car, I would visually look at all the wiring for something cut/ broken/ damaged with the lead that you hear a clicking impling a short or lack of battery "juice".

I would say to change shops because of their air bag illegal to drive comment.
Sounds like this is not an insurance collision claim.

Maybe not much help to you, but at least a bump for your thread.

Good luck.

 

If your radiator is compromised it will overheat and shut off

 

See the Repair Manual (more info) information for diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P1606, in which Toyota explains, “The power management control ECU receives a signal that indicates a collision from the airbag sensor assembly to detect a collision. After detecting a collision, the power management control ECU shuts off the high voltage systems for safety.”

Without having inspected your car, none of us here can say what other damage might have occurred, nor how such damage might affect its safety or drivability.

A proper inspection would include comparing the car’s dimensions with the reference dimensions in the Collision Repair Manual, and checking for other DTCs, before and after any repairs.

The sensors are supposed to be replaced, not reset. In the Repair Manual, Toyota writes, “When any of the airbags have deployed due to the collision, be sure to replace all sensors in the damaged areas and center airbag sensor assembly.”

 

structural damage, if that’s been had it compromises the car’s ability to protect you in collisions.

 

Travis, Are you trying to salvage a wrecked car for resale? Just curious.

It's considered foolish to drive a car that is designed to crumple without working air bags and seat belts.

 

Reviving this thread because I need an answer and was about to make a post until I found this one.

Its been my experience that every single hybrid Toyota car i seen on the auction after a wreck with airbags deployed are listed as stationary. Its got me thinking if its simply due to the airbags and this is a safety feature. I driven other cars, other hybrids, where even when airbags go off, it still allows you to drive.

Im not trying to salvage a wrecked car for resale, but moreso trying to salvage a wrecked car to be driveable for personal use. Will cutting the wires and splicing them together do the trick, or the opposite? This will be a game changer seeing as stationary vehicles go for a lot less.

 

You bring up an interesting point. It's illegal to SELL a car in the USA that does not have working front airbags for the driver and passenger. As long as the car does not change ownership it's likely to be legal to own. The law was enacted in 1998. In California, the applicable law is Vehicle Code section 27317.

Before you decide that it's perfectly OK to drive your own car without airbags, keep in mind that you may be exposing a passenger to severe head injuries in the event of a crash. I'd recommend replacing the air bags.

My friend bought a used car that had disconnected / used airbags. When he was broadsided by an SUV he sustained severe head injuries when the airbags failed to deploy. It's sad to see an electric engineering major unable to run his own fabrication shop due to inability to concentrate and follow schematics.

 

The Gen 2 has a small ice-cube type relay mounted on the driver side of the inverter (under the hood) that kills the HV battery main relays if air bags deploy. Maybe the Gen 3 has similar?

 

Ill assume they all have it, why would they not? So essentially its in the fuse box?

 

Not exactly. It's physically bolted to the driver side of the inverter on a Gen 2, so it's kind of between the inverter and fuse box.

 

1. the laws will vary by state

2. the California law is about tampering with the airbag system (defeating diagnostics or installing fake parts), not about selling a car with blown airbags.