Re: Toyota says no evidence 'runaway' Prius happened

And that is the bottom line. I would worry that the engine might destroy itself if I shifted a runaway car into neutral, but given that the other option is to smash into someone else at 90+ mph, I take that risk.

So, when they arrive at their destination, they leave their Prius running?

Since the car doe NOT run when stopped (most of the time) yes it has been known to happen...again maybe if you had ever driven one.

Won't the car shut off when you open the door?

Then what's the purpose of having the OFF button? It seems odd that owners would not become acquainted with it on day #1 of owning the car.

drive a prius dude. prius drivers leave those things on all the time - the vehicle makes no noise so it's real easy to forget.

No. I have one. It WILL shift into neutral at any speed. It WILL turn off by pressing the power button without shifting to park. It WILL operate at or below the speed limit and can be operated without having a wreck so I don't have to make up stories about it "running away on its own".

When stopped, at a red light for instance, the gasoline engine will shut down when the battery is above a pre-set level. When the battery level drops the gasoline engine will start automatically, run at idle speed, and recharge the battery. If the light is a long one and the battery draw is high this cycle may repeat.

IMHO almost all runaway cars are caused by a defect in the central processor of the driver. The driver steps on the gas instead of the brake, panics, and presses the gas pedal even harder thinking they are pressing the brake pedal. Then again, I live in Florida, seems like we have a lot of runaway cars of all makes and models. Interestingly high percentage of Cadillacs and Lincolns with VERY senior citizens. Remember now, this is all just MHO.

Nasty wrote in news:4b9f977a$0$4975$ snipped-for-privacy@unlimited.newshosting.com:

I've never driven a Prius. Under what exact conditions does the thing actually run under battery power alone?

The power button actc differently when the vehicle is at reat. If the car is stopped, pushing it once turns off the vehicle (you don't need to hold it for three seconds). You only have to hold if for three seconds if the car is moving.

Ed

So if a person drive into their driveway, presses the brake until they stop, then gets out of the car without shutting the car off (or pressing park), what stops it from 'running away'? If what you say is true and it is still on (and no one is pressing the brake anymore) what keep the car from moving? Are you simply hoping the driveway is flat enough that the car doesn't roll away or does it take a significant amount of gas pedal to provide any forward momentem?

I thought one of the safety features for the Prius was that getting out of the car (opening the door or moving the wireless key away from the vehicle at all) would shut it off. Is that only the 2010 model?

Agreed. Most of this issue is with old people (or other problem drivers). Similiarly, it is silly to expect Prius drivers to know how to avoid an accident even if the car (say the brake system) fails since drivers in pretty much any type of car get into accidents (more often than not) when such a system fails.

Your humble opinion is correct IMHO.

"Obveeus" wrote in news:hnoc3u$8ar$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Don't forget that the Prius is not like a regular car with an automatic tranny that still applies engine power at idle. The Prius has an electric motor that only provides power when the pedal is pushed;no "idle". The Prius gas motor is not even connected to the wheels until a certain speed is reached. The gas motor does not even -run- until the battery is depleted to some setpoint. AIUI.

AFAIK, all fuel injected Toyotas have a rev limiter which cuts fuel when the engine reaches just above redline on the tachometer.

In the Prius, as with any other vehicle, if you stop the vehicle, leave it in drive instead of neutral or park, and take your foot off of the brake, the vehicle will start to creep, whether or not the ICE is running.

As far as getting out of the vehicle with the smart key in your pocket and the engine or drivetrain on, the car starts to beep because the smart key is not detected in the vehicle as a reminder to tell you to shut it off.

It has a system by which it monitors the battery charge level. It will run on the battery only at idle and up to about 25 mph with 'normal' acceleration. When the battery charge is reduced to a pre-set level the gas engine starts up automatically to charge it, or if you do a jack rabbit start from a stop it will start also. The thing apparently doesn't have a traditional starter. The gas motor just starts running when needed almost like an old fashioned jump start from a push and popping the clutch.

It's kinda wild. Ours is an '07 and is exempt, so far anyway, from the problems making the rounds. It still causes me to look when it shuts the gas motor down while, for instance, at a red light. It just goes against all my experience for the motor to suddenly stop. With a strictly gas motor this is a pretty not good thing.

All systems will function normally while on battery only. The thing has a display that shows the status of the system, battery level, gas engine running and charging the battery, gas engine running and delivering drive power, power recovery from the brakes to the battery. It can be distracting because it's fun to watch.

Nothing, just like getting out of any car. If you get out and the car is running and in drive it will go forward.

Can't say. Ours will stay 'on' if you get out without the 'key' once it's sensed the key and started. Haven't tried to drive away without the key though. I'll run a little test and report back on that.

Nothing, just like getting out of any car. If you get out and the car is running and in drive it will go forward.

Can't say. Ours will stay 'on' if you get out with the 'key' in your pocket once it's sensed the key and started. Haven't tried to drive away without the key though. I'll run a little test and report back on that.

The gas motor may not be running when stopped if the battery is charged but the car is still under battery power and if left on and in drive it will walk away from you

To shut the system down. Just like turning the key to off.

That's a bit of an exaggeration of course but it /is/ easy to do. However, if the car is in drive, the instant you take your foot off the brake it will start moving forward and you will be quickly embarrassed and reminded of your lapse. If in park it will sit there and cycle from battery to gas until it runs out of gas and the battery is depleted.

My parent's Camry has another rev limited, it's called my parents.

I don't think that they have ever hit the redline in anything..........