About once a week our 2011 Prius will start, but the "Ready" indicator does not come on and the car cannot be shifted into drive. Once this happens it takes several attempts, turning the car on/off, until it finally comes on "Ready." I cannot create the problem, but it may stem from pushing the start button before the brake is fully depressed. Last night it took more than 5 minutes to get it going. I "reset" the car by exiting, locking, and reentering the car. Then it worked, though I have no idea if that procedure caused it to work. Dealer had no ideas when I took it in a month ago. The dealer is far away too, so looking for ideas here.
The next time this happens, see if you can see your brake light reflections when you step on the brake and before you press the Power button. If you cannot see the brake lights then you either are not pressing the brake pedal hard enough or you may have a switch that needs adjustment.
+1 I'm wondering if it's possible that there's something with the brake system that's not indicating that you have the brake pressed in. Which leads me to a more serious potential problem... Have you noticed any difference in the brake during normal operations? (I'm praying it's only a "during startup" thing but it's worth asking)
Yep. OP: Do you have a multimeter/volt-ohm meter w/which to check its voltage after the car has sat overnight?
If it is the brake switch/wiring, the Power button LED would remain red and not green. That is something to check for when it happens again. Does it enter into the ACC mode if it doesn't go to Ready?
Thanks for the replies. Actually, the problem has always been after the car was parked away from home, sometimes just briefly on errands- not after overnight in the garage, so I don't think its the 12v battery. Now it hasn't happened in a couple days...
I've been having the same problem but all the lights on the dash come on. I have to press the Power button several times before it will start. It seems to do better after I have been driving it around so I don't know if it is the 12V battery. I'm a new Prius owner so I don't know if I'm just not doing something right or if there is a problem.
Checking battery voltage is not good practice to know health of the battery.... He needs load test the battery Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Still, checking the battery voltage will give you some insight. FWIW I've got both a multimeter and a Solar BA5 (digital load tester). The multimeter test of voltage, while not as conclusive, is still a good quick-check. To use the Solar I need to dig down to the battery (not as accesible on 3rd gen), and ensure clamps are directly on the posts.
