1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Hard pressing & Holding the brake pedal!..

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by iskoos, Dec 1, 2018.

  1. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2017
    399
    246
    0
    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I found out this by a chance the other day. I was at a stop light holding the brake pedal down. I (was bored I guess) and pressed the brake pedal a little harder than usual and kept it like that for a few seconds and a light came up on the dash. It is the Amber color square light on the top left hand corner.
    I removed my foot from the brake pedal and the car didn't move (normally it should have started crawling). Then the traffic light changed to green and I press the gas pedal and continued driving. The amber light went off.

    I tried it again when I got home and what happened is that when you do this (hard pressing & holding the brake pedal while the transmission is on "D"), it holds the brake after you let off the brake. But it did it only for a second or two and then it went off and the car started moving slowly (me without touching the gas pedal).

    I checked this on the owners manual and did some online research. I couldn't find any info.
    Is this a known behavior or something weird happening to my car?
     
  2. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,251
    15,474
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    It’s the hill start assist feature;).

    Normal behavior (y).
     
    Bay Stater likes this.
  3. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2017
    399
    246
    0
    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    It is good to know. I was a bit cautious to experiment it any further without confirming first.
     
    Bay Stater and Raytheeagle like this.
  4. tankyuong

    tankyuong Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2012
    1,555
    659
    0
    Location:
    Central MO
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,073
    14,982
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Now that you know what it's called, have you checked the Owner's Manual again to figure out how you missed it the first time? Is it just in a different section than you expected?
     
    Maarten28 likes this.
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,480
    38,107
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,795
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Ah the ol' Hill Keep Assist.
    If you aren't aware of it's existence, then it can scare you.
    But it's totally normal behavior if you have either consciously or unwittingly activated it.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,480
    38,107
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    We'd had the Prius about a week, someone didn't notice us, tried to merge into us, I tried to lay on the horn, managed to hit the bluetooth phone buttons, started it talking to me. All I needed...
     
    The Electric Me likes this.
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,073
    14,982
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Rented a car with 4 other undergrad guys to drive from Minneapolis to NYC for spring break. This was back in an age when cars were simpler than today, at least the ones we were used to.

    Alternator flakes out around midnight, somewhere on the Indiana toll road. Car keeps going, with lights dimmer and dimmer, until it doesn't. End up waiting a while in a highway department facility next to a giant salt pile, then getting a lift to a Holiday Inn in Niles, Mich., after the car rental company promises to pick up the tab. Hotel night staff takes our word for it and checks us in to a room. So we get to sleep around, hmm, 5 am, 5:30.

    Phone in the room rings about ten till 7, wakes us all up. Day manager has come in and found out the night staff checked in five college guys with a story about a car rental company going to pay for the room. So we're all marched down to the counter blinking in the light, getting all our IDs photocopied, half expecting to get fingerprinted next, when the phone behind the desk rings. It's the car rental company, saying, hey, if you've got five college guys there from last night, we're paying for the room.

    So we all get handed our IDs back and the hotel gives us a lift to the nearest rental office, twenty minutes back in the wrong direction, and we get shown to our replacement car, some Chrysler thing if I remember right. It's been a weird night, we're on almost 2 hours of sleep, and still wanting to get to NYC, so we pull the car out of the parking space, get mostly across the parking lot and out to the street when this robot voice from nowhere says "ALL MONITORED SYSTEMS ARE FUNCTIONING".

    Just about all jumped out of our seats....

    -Chap

    Edit: "your DOOR is AJAR" wasn't what it said, more of a generic thing to remember cars of that era saying. Thinking more about the story, what it really said came back to me, along with why it was even more surprising, because it wasn't a warning of anything, so it really wasn't even necessary for some robot voice to yell at us about it....
     
    #9 ChapmanF, Dec 1, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2018
  10. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2017
    399
    246
    0
    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    You do Not need to if you have Mendel by your side:ROFLMAO:
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  11. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2017
    399
    246
    0
    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    When was this? Just wondering
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  12. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2017
    399
    246
    0
    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  13. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,073
    14,982
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Well, it must have been, right about, then.

    -Chap
     
    Mendel Leisk and Raytheeagle like this.
  14. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,251
    15,474
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Was it a Chrysler LeBaron and did it have a cell phone in it:whistle:?
     
  15. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2012
    127
    41
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I've had my '15 Plug-in for 3 years now. I still can't think of a reason to use the hill-start assist. Living in the a flat coastal area (Houston, Texas), I haven't had occasion to use it. Would anyone mind walking me through how it might be useful? Mind you, I use two pedal driving, so that may obviate the helpfulness of something like hill start assist. . .
     
  16. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,103
    4,032
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    you mistakenly made a left turn and now youre in San Francisco. You’re stopped at a red light intersection with car nose pointed up in the air (on a steep grade hill) and there’s a car stopped behind you really close. You have 3 other people in the car and if let go the brake pedal on green, you could roll back into the car behind you if you don’t smash on the accelerator quick enough.
     
    Mendel Leisk and Fubar1764 like this.
  17. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,669
    6,485
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I never seem to have any problem with that...... :D
     
  18. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2017
    6,103
    4,032
    1
    Location:
    Wilkes Land
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    come to sf to experience the steeper grades, you’ll appreciate the hill start
     
  19. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,669
    6,485
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Nope.
    I have a brother that's doing 20-to life in the Davis area.

    Hard Pass!
     
  20. Fubar1764

    Fubar1764 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2012
    127
    41
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    @Grit
    So, I think this assist wouldn't help me since I do two foot driving. But your explanation makes good sense. Thanks!