Delay when in reverse and maybe in drive?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by bluecrazymonkey, Nov 20, 2025 at 8:02 PM.

  1. bluecrazymonkey

    bluecrazymonkey New Member

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    I just started noticing this like a couple of weeks ago or maybe a month ago. I think i swear I used to be able to reverse right away after putting in R but now it seems like its delayed 2-3 seconds. Sort of the same with D maybe I am not sure about this.

    My theory is that this seem to have started happening when I started using parking brakes on hills (I'm a delivery driver) I used to not do that until i learned its a good practice to do that so it doesn't mess with your transmission over time. I am pretty sure the delay in reverse started happening because of this since when I look back at the time frame its when this problem started appearing around when I started using parking brakes but again this is just my theory.

    The way I use parking brake from what i hear is to push down the parking brake all the way then press P and let go off the brake.

    Also when going R when looking at the display it takes 1-3 seconds, same for D, I'm just mentioning this part as well in case.

    I have a toyota prius 2008 currently at 119,000 miles. I bought this car at 103,000 miles. I have no issues so far and its been great also would like to mention its a salvage.

    Also i dont know the health of the 12v battery.

    Here are the maintenance i got done so far

    106803 brake fluid flush and bleed
    107779 transmission fluid drain and fill (4 qt)
    110000 oil change
    111955 serpentine belt and idle pulley
    113000 radiator replaced (person before me used a junkyard piece for this)
    115338 spark plugs changed, oil change
    115338 throttle body cleaned, mass air flow sensor cleaned

    edit: checked my 12v battery it shows 14.0v when car engine is on, 12.3v (ACC), 12.0v IG-ON mode
    im assuming maybe my 12v battery could be the culprit?
     
    #1 bluecrazymonkey, Nov 20, 2025 at 8:02 PM
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2025 at 8:56 PM
  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    No, and there is nothing wrong with your battery. It is just showing that it is not new. It wouldn't hurt for you to get into the habit of charging it up to full once every two weeks using an external charger, to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

    For what it's worth, I don't think there is anything new with the delay you mention, just that you are noticing it now when you didn't before. With the change you made to your park brake routine, maybe you move to D/R, then get to the gas pedal sooner than you did in the previous routine.

    With regards to your routine, a better sequence is park brake on; foot off brake pedal - ensure park brake is holding**; Press P - although if your next step is IG-OFF, you can skip that as the shutdown sequence sets P anyway.

    The problem with noticing something is, you can't 'un-notice' it. Think of all the scratches you notice that you never saw before. Once you know they're there, you see them every time.


    ** If it does not hold, press the foot Brake; release and set the park brake one more click than last time; check it holds. If it is still not holding, repeat these steps. It is worth noting that you only want to apply enough park brake clicks to hold the car safely to avoid stretching the park brake cable. You don't want to be in the habit of mashing the park brake pedal 'to the floor'.
     
    #2 dolj, Nov 20, 2025 at 10:04 PM
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM
  3. bluecrazymonkey

    bluecrazymonkey New Member

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    I get what youre saying about when you notice something then its always there however id like to say im about speed and efficiency in my job and i know for sure I used to be able to reverse out immediately after shifting to R but that doesnt seem to be the case. I always did everything the same, nothing has changed in regards to my actions on how i drive my car other than just now using parking brake on hills sometimes.

    Also on a side note I just noticed my vanity light isnt working now

    edit: also I did the battery testing after the car has only been sitting for an hour in my parking lot after using it all afternoon
     
  4. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I'm the same, but I notice that my brain is faster than reality sometimes. I move the selector, but just not quite enough (or hold that split-second long enough) to actually select the gear, then try to go, but no go. I find that being a fraction slower to be more deliberate is faster in the long run. YMMV.
    Coincidence. The bulb has blown. How often do you check this?
     
  5. bluecrazymonkey

    bluecrazymonkey New Member

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    yeah I get what youre saying but I move the selector to the desired gear but it takes 2-3 seconds for the dash reverse cam to show up when it should be instantly.

    I also find it a coincidence that not only 1 bulb but two vanity light bulb went out and I cant remember the last time I checked it maybe like a couple of weeks ago?
     
  6. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Not on my car. It wouldn't be 2-3 seconds, but it is not instant. Have you actually timed the delay interval?
    A bigger coincidence for sure, but if you're not checking them regularly, you have no idea when each blew. You did check that no one switched the switch to OFF unbeknownst to you, and that the shutters are all the way open? You can know the bulbs are okay for sure by checking each bulb for continuity with a multimeter set to Ohms. If both bulbs check out, then check the fuse for that circuit. It appears those are on the DOME circuit from my reading of the electrical wiring diagram, by I could be wrong and am happy for others to correct that.


    [EDIT] Just some further detail on the DOME circuit as it relates to the vanity lights.

    The DOME fuse goes to IB1, then to junction connector J33. Both vanity lights have an individual wire from this connector that separately powers each light. So logically, if both lights went out at the same time and the bulbs check out as good, then it makes sense that there is a bad connector or broken wire that is at J33 or back from it towards the fuse box.

    upload_2025-11-21_16-59-34.png
     
    #6 dolj, Nov 20, 2025 at 10:41 PM
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2025 at 7:55 AM
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    If you put the car in reverse with the emergency brake on it will beep at you to let you know but it won't prevent reverse from working and it won't delay it either.

    However, I can attest that how we perceive reality is rapidly accelerating and we're able to have more thoughts per second than we used to so if you're feeling rushed the gearshift system in the Prius will appear to be working slower, or at least it has for me.

    But to be certain, disconnect your 12volt for a few minutes. If you're having some kind of glitch in the computers that will likely fix it.
     
  8. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    If you disconnect your 12V battery, in addition to any benefit you may get from resetting the computers, to will need to manually reset the driver's window auto up/down, and reset all your radio stations in the station list. You will lose all ECM learned settings (defaults to factory new - this could be a good thing, or not), and both your trip A/B odometers and all your average fuel economy data. There are probably some other things I've forgotten.
     
    #8 dolj, Nov 20, 2025 at 11:34 PM
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2025 at 7:58 AM
    PriusCamper likes this.
  9. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I did some testing in my car when I went out earlier.

    My observations were:
    • It was hard not to engage D or R, as long as the selector travels the max distance up or down and hits the stop in either direction. The D or P square lights up straight away.
    • The rear camera screen takes about 1 to 1.5 seconds to switch from the Energy Monitor screen. There seemed to be a bit of variability in how swift this was, but most times it was quicker than slower. It wasn't instant, though.
     
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    One thing I haven't seen the OP mention (or I've missed it) is how quickly does the box appear around D or R on the dash PRNDB display?