Could not Shift out of neutral or turn car off

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jackson5, May 11, 2013.

  1. jackson5

    jackson5 Junior Member

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    Hi:
    We love our 04 Prius (190K, still original brakes, etc.). Today we encountered a strange problem. My wife was driving and pulled into a parking lot. She could not turn the car off , remove the box key, or shift out of neutral. No warning lights.
    After about 10 min. the car would drive again. We've now cycled about 5 times (i.e. driven somewhere) and it seems OK. Has anyone seen this problem before? We replaced the 12V battery a couple of years ago and haven't seen any problems in that area.

    Regards,
    Gary
     
    #1 jackson5, May 11, 2013
  2. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Did you notice that the dashboard was working OK when it happened? A common problem is for the Combination Meter (the speedometer, warning lights, etc.) to fail, where the car will not turn off with a short push of the power button. You have to hold the button down for a while to turn it off. This part is subject to an extended warranty replacement by Toyota. Search for "combination meter replacement" for more info.
     
    #2 nh7o, May 11, 2013
  3. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I agree with hn70, it sounds like your combo meter might have been acting up. If the car gives you trouble again, look at the speedometer. If it is not lit up, then the combo meter is definitely failing. Any time the combo meter acts up you have hold the power down for a minimum of three (3) seconds for the Prius to power down.

    Good luck to you.

    Ron
     

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    #3 dorunron, May 13, 2013
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