I have a 2011 Prius and it's started ignoring me when I try to put it into gear. It doesn't happen all of the time, and when I took it to a dealer, they couldn't duplicate the problem. Has anyone had a similar problem? Any ideas?
I don't know what you mean by "ready" mode. When I push the button, there is no white outline around the "P" and it doesn't go into drive or reverse unless I turn it on and off several times. The mechanic at the dealer said it was "lost communication with combination meter" but it behaved perfectly while there so they couldn't duplicate. It didn't stop them from GUESSING and quoting me over $1000 to "fix".
Brake pedal needs to be pressed for car to go from off to Ready, and from Park to any other gear. If brake pedal sensor/switch is intermittently not working, it can cause problems, but the intermittent nature makes it difficult to diagnose.
I push the brake down when I want to engage the car, so it makes sense. Any ideas on how to fix it? Somehow I think $1000 is a bit much...
Component #11 in the diagram: TOYOTA ABS COMPONENTS. If, it's the cause of your problems, it's a lot less than 1K.
Check the switch by watching the brake lamps when pressing the brake pedal. The car can be off for this. The brake lights should come on without pressing hard on the pedal. If you have to press hard on the pedal, it's out of alignment (the switch, which is under the dash, actuated by the brake pedal arm). It is pretty easy to align. If it can be duplicated intermittent the switch is fairly inexpensive and labour should be less than an hour. It's pretty easy to replace. I'd guess less than $200 total, and probably less than $100. And of course someone had to post the -actual- ripoff price for the switch. Interesting there are two of them listed and one is about $10 less than the other. I wonder how you choose?
Boy, you sound like you know your stuff!! The dealership thought they saw me coming... I'll try everything you suggested. Thank you SO much!! I was getting down just thinking about $1000 garage bill.
One other thing to check. I see your car is a 2011. It's about time for the 12V battery to fail. If low, it's possible it could cause this. Unlikely but possible.
Brake light switches are also adjustable at the brake pedal location so it's possible it is simply out of spec and not broken/faulty. A few twists in the mount will have the switch come on sooner or later during pedal application depending on the direction of the twists. The most common issue I've seen across numerous hybrid forums is operator error; rushing the starting process and the car turns on but is in accessory mode not ready mode. In acc. mode, my CMax will still shift gears which really confuses new owners.
