Start problems...buzzing when door opens

Could the buzz be the brake preassurization motor? It will come on when the door is opened if it needs to.
When you say that you have to push the start button several times to get the engine to start, does the "ready" light come on after one push of the start button?

 

When the car has sat long enough for the brake accumulator pressure to dissipate, opening the driver door will fire up the pump. This should last about 10 seconds. This should have been happening even on the dealership's lot, you just may not remember it.

30 seconds is much too long.

 

You are holding down the brake pedal while pushing power, right? On the 3rd gens (but not on the 2nd gen), I recall the power button's light either comes on or changes color while you push on the brake. If you push power w/o the holding down the brake pedal, you should cycle between IG-ON (most dash lights on), ACC and OFF modes.

When you say "does not start", what happens? What are you seeing/not seeing? If the READY light comes on, you can go. It doesn't matter if you hear the engine start or not.

As for the buzzing sound, is it the same sound if you repeatedly pump the brakes? You should be able to produce a buzzing motor sound by doing that, regardless of whether or not you're in READY mode.

Have you run the 12 volt totally dead/flat by any chance? If so, perhaps it's now marginal because of that.

 

yes, i think cwerdna has it right. why are you waiting for the engine to start? did you buy this car new?

 

What do you mean by "turns over"? Are you waiting for the engine to start? If so, don't bother. Engine doesn't need to run for the car to move (as you've probably discovered long ago). The transaxle has no reverse gear either. If the READY light is on, you can shift into any "gear" and go.

If the READY light isn't coming on but instead you end up in IG-ON mode w/almost all the warning lights on, press on the brake harder and press power. If that doesn't work, perhaps you have a bad or misadjusted brake light switch.

 

robert, no offense, but you're really confusing us. what does your car do now when you push the start button? does the engine start? does it 'turn over'? or do you just put it in drive and go? and, if so, how does this differ from when it was not 'starting'?

 

^^^
One wild guess (but definitely not the only cause) is a dodgy 12 volt battery. When it's cold (like in the winter), its voltage will drop even further, causing weirdness. If you nav, you can try the steps at Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat. Do it after the car has sat overnight and tell us the values at each step.

If not, do you have voltmeter? If so, measure the voltage at the terminals in the back after the car has sat overnight.

 

How long is long enough? Mine buzzes every time I get in the car. If I forget something in the car, I am electing to use the passenger side door to get it in order to avoid running the pump unnecessarily.

 

thanks robert, that makes more sense. cwerdna may be right about the battery. a lot of '10's had bad ones. also, his idea on the brake switch could also be correct. maybe the cold was affecting it. good luck!

 

I don't recall any discussion of figures for normal vs too long, so we have no guideline yet.

Moments ago mine went only 5 seconds, after sitting overnight. But its last use yesterday was also just a door opening, not a drive, so the accumulator wasn't partially depleted by a brake pedal application.

If it runs too long, I'd also check for a weak battery, which dovetails with other concerns expressed in this thread.

If the car cannot sit a short time without retriggering this pump at the next door opening, then I'd suspect pressure is leaking out faster. But this is very unlikely to be a safety problem while driving because the pump can continually resupply pressure.

One of my previous cars was not just leaking but actually losing power boost, but gradually enough that it remained unnoticed and unconsciously compensated for until the boost has half gone. It hadn't been very long since I last drove a car without power brakes, so the feel wasn't out of my expected norms. Federal regulations demand that power brakes still work even when the power assist completely fails. The pedal just demands a lot more muscle.

 

To isolate a bad brake switch, try this: Press and hold the start button for 15 seconds and see if the car enters Ready Mode. If it does, and you cannot shift out of Park, there may be an issue with the brake switch or circuit.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the brake pump had to work longer due to low battery voltage, nor, if there wasn't enough power left to ready the car while the pump was running. A new battery would be a good start.