From page 155 of the 2010 Prius owner’s manual:

[AngryAmish]

“Do not under any circumstances shift the shift lever to “R”, “N” or push the “P” position switch while the vehicle is moving. Doing so can cause significant damage to the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.

Do not shift the shift lever to “N” while the vehicle is moving. Doing so may cause the engine brake not to operate properly and lead to an accident.

Do not turn the hybrid system off while driving. The power steering and brake actuator will not operate properly if the hybrid system is not operating.”

[Xipe Totec]

1. Sounds like an Apollo-1 MFU

Hatch door opened to the inside. Could not open hatch in an emergency.

[hlthe2b]

2. Has this been mentioned by any of these "Prius Experts"

as they unhesitatingly say that shifting into neutral is the answer? (Granted if it is the difference between life and death, I'd take the damaged transmission, gladly)

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. The software will protect you from that

and it will really not allow you to go to neutral.

I got a hybrid (from Honda) and that one you switch to the lowest gear possible.

[damyank913]

3. Aw c'mon now!!! Now we have to read the manual!!

This is Japan's payback for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No wait-that's Karaoke.

[Romulox]

4. Wow. Hard to believe this is the first we're hearing of this. Thanks! nt

[Owl]

5. My old jalopy is looking better every day.

[malaise]

7. Wow!!

Unbelievable - thanks for this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. They are highly computerized vehicles

I love my Civic to death... but shall we say they operate in an emergency very different than the truck or the ancient BMW.

I used the Emergency Break and neutral trick on my dad's 22 year old Bimie... when I lost the front driver's side tire... the car survived, we survived, even the rim survived. I did that on the Honda... I don't want to think about it.

Why the damage? The "gear box" in a hybrid does not have well gears. They are rings mounted on a tube that goes up and down. Neutral is a position on it, as well as reverse, a notch. And the transmission goes up and down, not a change in physical gears.

Oh and incidentally how the "box" is designed if you do that, you will lose control.

[TexasObserver]

8. "Do not shift the shift lever to “N” while vehicle is moving."

Didn't the police officer tell him to put it into Neutral and he wouldn't do it, because he said he was afraid of losing control of the car?

[slackmaster]

9. The owner's manual for a car has more than 100 pages?!?!?

:wtf:

[YOY]

11. Bought one recently? Mine sure does.

n.t.

[slackmaster]

14. I haven't bought a new vehicle since 1985

:scared:

[YOY]

16. My Nissan Versa (tiny lil thing) has a manual over 100 pages long.

Most are just illustrations. 95% of the info is non-neccesary. (Like telling you the e/f gauge is the fuel gauge...if you actually needed an explanation.)

[eppur_se_muova]

32. Hell, my phone has a 169-page manual.

Might be 269, my memory is rebelling.

[slackmaster]

36. Yes, but isn't that in six different languages?

:crazy:

[FarCenter]

12. Nobody RTFM

[Holly_Hobby]

13. I do, always have. Every one of them. Every 3 years. :)

[TexasObserver]

15. I've always read mine. When they say "DO NOT SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING ..."

It's not a suggestion.

[Pavulon]

17. Is that under the emergency procedures section?

because if a vehicle is on the run, i am taking steps to stop it.

[frylock]

22. no shoot..

positively mind blowing that people would be referencing the owner's manual in these situations.

[NoGOPZone]

18. It's true that shifting to 'N' would eliminate engine braking

which could lead to an accident, particularly when going down hill.

However, it would also disengage the drive wheels, which I think you'd want when you can't stop the car.

[elocs]

19. From YouTube, stopping a Prius:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N22LLJsChA

Seems to work well if you don't panic.

[Statistical]

20. +1 (Or he could have listen to the 911 operator or the Police Officer).

Then again if you wanted to cause an "unintended acceleration" then listening to them wouldn't be in your best interest.

[Iggo]

21. But what if they just throw it into Neutral and hit the brakes?

What then, huh?

That oughta work, right?

[rcrush]

23. Well if the car is already out of control...

Then why would you give a shit if you may damage the transmission by throwing it in N? What else are you supposed to do to regain control? Just sit there?

[frylock]

25. evidently we've become a society incapable of critical thinking..

always, ALWAYS, refer to and adhere to the owner's manual, regardless of the situation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. There are actually valid reasons not to put a MODERN car in neutral

1.- Software usually prevents you doing that... they instead shift to lowest gear available. I do that manually. This avoids some potentially very dangerous situations.

2.- In the particular case of the Prius (or other hybrids) due to design features, if they did, they might just lock your front tires. I am sure flipping end over end is preferable.

And no I did not mean to miss the sarcasm.

Oh and the foul mouthed guy who's been doing that to his prius. I hate to say it, he can't tell lowest gear from neutral... his software, so far, is doing what it is designed to do.

But I am sure you knew these little factoids.

Now if you have an older vehicle... mostly 1992 and older, by all means, neutral works and they do have an emergency break. That is an old stand bye. I've used it recently, on an old Bemmer, as in 1985 and I also used it on an ambulance where I lost my breaks... pesky hydraulic line broke. It was a 1989 Van.

Oh and the last stop... I used a mild bump on wall. Hey I am here telling the story... and it was GOOD to have lights and sirens

:-)

[rbixby]

37. So wait a minute

If you put the transmission in neutral at a stop and hit the gas, the car will move forward?

[bergie321]

24. Wow

The Corporate-owned media won't report this tidbit. But they have no problem casting aspersions on the driver.

[TexasObserver]

27. That's it! The last thing the media will do is actually study the issue.

No, but they'll pronounce an anonymous leak from Toyota claiming they proved the case a fraud on the basis of one test run by Toyota that proved only the problem didn't occur when they had the test.

[LeftyMom]

26. I'd go hug my manual transmission now, except that I'd get all greasy.

Seriously though, who wants to deal with all that complicated shit when it's entirely preventable by learning how to shift the car yourself?

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. They still make standard?

That said modern Standard trannies also have a lot more software than they used to.

I take it your car is a ten years or older?

[LeftyMom]

30. Nope. I have a Subaru, they still make plenty of manuals.

:shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Goodie, on the bright side

for you going to neutral is still "in the tool box."

[LostInAnomie]

33. So when you are speeding out of control with a brake system that by all accounts is failing...

... you are supposed to passively sit by and cross your fingers that the evidently failing brake system will somehow decide to stop your car?

Sounds idiotic.

Fuck Toyota.

[northernlights]

34. no, no, no,..you're supposed to pull out your owner's manual

and quickly sift through 100 or so pages until you find the instructions on how to re-program the computer :crazy:

I'm sticking to standard and old, used cars for life. Sheehs! Who needs this shit?!

[Orangepeel]

35. Is that in the chapter titled "What to do when your car accelerates by itself and the brakes fail"?

Of course you aren't supposed to shift into neutral while the car is moving. But you aren't supposed to be in the situation where you would need to.

If this is about the guy in California who may or may not have had his Prius go haywire, I don't see the relevance. Is he claiming he didn't shift into neutral because the manual said not to? Would that mean anything in regard to whether or not he faked the problems? Would it mean anything in regard to Toyota trying to cover up the problems?