Something Went Wrong / I screwd up

Yep, sometimes Park needs a slow/firm push to actually assert. Weird.
.
That whole part is plastic, and I'll bet if you took off enough of
the black plastic covers behind it [inner wheelwell, under engine
cover] you could punch that right back out and then only have to
deal with buffing the scratches and paint cosmetics. It probably
*doesn't* need a whole new part, which would be the *entire*
schnoz all the way across.
.
_H*

 

You still haven't got an answer on the cause.
Can you reproduce what you did in a safe area - one where the car cannot go more than a foot or so before the wheels hit a stop.
Try first sitting in the car but pressure on the seat may change events, but worth a try.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjam @ Aug 21 2006, 06:44 PM) [snapback]307222[/snapback]</div>

Sorry marjam...didn't sound too "judgemental" to me. Advice is good...pointing out, in a constructive and not at all inflammatory way, what to watch out for, how not to repeat a mistake, is also good. It's what most of us try to do with our kids, isn't it? OP got help. OP also WILL get advice around here. This particular bit of advice was not couched in inflammatory terms, as does indeed happen here in paradise. Yeah, you are in charge of several hundred pounds of machinery, so there is a certain responsibilty involved. Yeah, it is EASY to make mistakes. It is NEVER easy to accept responsibilty for your mistakes...but, yeah, that IS part of being a grown-up. Yup, the title of the thread shows some of that responsibility acceptance, but, hey, people gotta learn.

"Something" went wrong? Yup. Sure did. Most likely driver error. We should just pat OP on the head and say, POOR OP, BAD CAR? Yup. OP screwed up. Yup. OP is getting advice on what to do to fix it now. OP should NOT hear how not to do it again? Stating facts and presenting possible outcomes of a similar lack of attention is inflammatory?

PULEEZE. <_<

 

I'd go for recreating the scene.

park it where you had it. Put it in N. Does it roll to the wall?

You say it's not that steep. If you put it in N and it doesn't roll, I'd guess it was still in D.

If it was in D, and it creeped itself into the wall... would it know 'that' somehow and shift itself to N?


If it does shift itself to N, I would find that to be an even more dangerous trait in the programming. Car is left in D, creeps forward, hits something, shifts itself to N, begins to roll unabated backwards into who knows what...

As part of recreating the scene, don't let it smack the wall again.

I'm beginning to wonder if the return to zero joystick thing is going to be ok in this country. You'd think the xbox generation would do fine with it, and so far I'm doing fine with it. But, this is not the first time a prius has been left in gear by someone not quite paying enough attention. Maybe it happens with other shifter styles just as frequently.

 

i can't test this right now, but...

i know you have to press the brake to disengage park, do you have to press it to engage park?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kDB @ Aug 22 2006, 04:22 AM) [snapback]307394[/snapback]</div>

In a word, no. (I usually engage the parking brake first in any case...do not know if you MUST do one or the other...)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Aug 22 2006, 05:52 AM) [snapback]307381[/snapback]</div>

Yes , I agree with the post above. especially the part about "don't let it smack the wall again"


I was thinking how you could accidently get the prius in Neutral.

when I am in a hurry and I am going to jump out of the car for a second to do something, I press the park button before the car has come to a complete stop, as a result the prius ignores me and it stays in drive.
If I don't notice that it didn't go to park and open the door a buzzer goes off, the red triangle lights on the dash and a warning comes up on the MFD. That is alot of stuff to miss but maybe if your radio is blasting , you might not notice this stuff.

Another possibility is that you pressed the start button(instead of the park button) while still moving foward. This would put the prius in neutral. I don't know if you still get the buzzing and warnings when you open the door to get out.
here is a link to someone who has done this
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-2G/message/43244

If you are sure "none of the above" is what happend, I would go to your toyota dealer and claim there is something wrong with the car, make a big stink and get it documented even if they say there is nothing wrong with the car. Then if it happens again... you will have a case.

 

That dent is from a 1 mph, 4 ft roll? Maybe NHTSA needs to re-evaluate Prius bumpers.

 

I have the same question as Jim. The damage inflicted on the bumper does not look like a 4 ft 1 mph roll.

I would avoid any insurance claims as was pointed out previously for obvious reasons. Nonetheless, I would be pissed if that happened to me. Pissed at myself for not being careful.

 

I'm sure the experience is enough to teach AAWADKE not to repeat the mistake, as long as he/she/it can take full responsibility for the mistake in spite of any potential design flaw or difference to other cars.

I for one would like to thank her/him/it for being a lighthouse to the rest of us, even those of us who think we are impervious to stupidity and would never make such a mistake, it makes us reevaluate our safety practices, as rightly we should. So thanks for sharing your painful experience, and keep us posted on the outcome.

And let this be a warning to anyone who thinks it's old fashioned and unnecessary to always apply the emergency brake (or "parking brake" as some might call it... for good reason).

 

the damage is very likely a low speed impact. the area crumpled is beyond the metal reinforcement behind the bumper. its all plastic and aluminum out there.

 

And Dave should know, because he's seen that area inside-out

 

ya unfortunately, i know all too well. in my accident, i just barely clipped the front of a Ford F 150. the truck basically removed about an inch from the entire left side of my car.

the impact was so slight, my half-asleep SO was not aware that we were involved in the accident. she heard it, but did not feel it.

 

i haven't tested this myself, but if you push park when rolling above a certain speed won't it kick you into neutral?

 

Sorry about the boo-boo. One day you'll laugh about it. Ha.

The advice about consulting your insurance agent is sound. Just have a chat and I'm sure they'll steer you in the right direction. It might help to have an estimate so you can discuss the amount and whether or not it's reasonable.

In Tulsa, Karoll Martin is the best paint & body shop. I called them and they recommend Fisher's Body Shop in Norman. The owner is Gary Cooke, their number is 321-1717, and they're located at 530 Highland Parkway just east of Flood Street.

Good luck!

 

$600??? wow... i am VERY surprised its that cheap. great deal i would definitely not tell the insurance company

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Aug 22 2006, 05:52 AM) [snapback]307381[/snapback]</div>

This is a good idea, seeing if the event can be recreated. I would however, go one step further and try to find a similar grade but without the wall... and be ready to jump back in quickly if it goes...since I'm only 5 weeks into ownership, I've trained myself to press park and then engage the emergency brake since the joystick is VERY different than anything I've had before.
Note: putting the emergency brake on before putting it in park can cause some strange lurching, I think dependent on the grade you're on.

 

It cost me about $450 to get the same repair done at an independant body shop. They just have to replace the plastic bumper cover; the actual metal bumper doesn't extend that far out to the corner of the car. I paid the bill myself to keep the insurance company out of it.