salimshah

This keeps happening to me [I keep doing it, would be more appropriate]. It is clearly a Hybrid thing as an ICE based start, I would always wait for the engine to smoothly run after start... typically 2 secs or so.

I push the brake pedal and hit the start key and when I put the gear in reverse, the RX does not move. I survey the display and it shows "Brake" but not "Drive". I put it back in Park, hold the brake pedal and push "start" again and watch the "Ready" come up and then shift into "reverse" and let go of the brake pedal and about this time the ICE kicks in.

Leading me to think
a) I am not slowing down enough between "start" and gear selection.

OR

b) My brake switch is a bit slow in responding. Since it has never failed on the second attempt, I think the brake switch is not totally broken.

Do you guys wait 3 secs or so?

Salim

Droid13

I would substitute option b) to say "fob battery is weak", rather than blame the brake light switch. I have noticed sometimes it can take the green light an extra second or so to light up, especially when my fob battery is weak or the fob happens to be near my phone (in same pocket, often I don't get any light). I have also on rare occasion been victim of shifting out of park before the ready light comes on.

takeshi74

I don't wait 3 seconds and I haven't run into this. Closest thing would be the few times where I have not hit the brake pedal and it doesn't register in my head until after I have hit the start button.

ukrkoz

I actually know what you referring to.
this is why I learned to press and hold Start button, for maybe few seconds, till ready light comes up. I had 2 hybrids, both were same way - very easy to tap the button, without actually starting the system up, resulting in above frustration.
Basically, until you SEE ready light - do not engage gear shifter.
It's not just you and me. We had several owners at toyotanation experience same.

tempestv8

This behaviour of the RX 450h drives me nuts. I am constantly getting caught out by the vehicle not being "ready", and my starting behaviour is not different to my other vehicle, a diesel Toyota.

I guess I must be impatient and shifting the lever before the green "ready" light is illuminated. Take deep, calming breaths, start all over again.

salimshah

I will try to reproduce the miss, but I could have sworn that it seemed as if the RX rolled forward (there was an incline), while I expected a backward movement as in my mind I should have been in "R".

At least it is reassuring to know that I am not the only one.

I am going to coin a phrase for this "reload"

Salim

riredale

In our 2010 RX450h I put my foot on the brake, green light on the start button illuminates, then I simply press and release. The "Ready" green light flashes once, goes blank, then comes on steadily after about 1/2 second. After that, you shift. If you shift before that second lamp lighting the system won't boot.

iginoc

I agree with the OP, it is a bit annoying to wait these 2 secs with your foot on the brake pedal for the chime which tells you the car is ready and you can engage Drive or Backup gear.

However, this behaviour is in common with the other Toyota hybrid equipped with a "gear lever" instead than the joystick, Toyota Yaris HSD. I own also a Prius Prime, which has a Joystick instead than the gear lever. The Prime is ready almost instantaneously, the same was with the Gen 3 Prius which I owned before. I believe that the different behaviour is due to the fact that while the joystick stays always in neutral position disregarding the selected gear, the lever position change accordingly to the selected gear, and for safety reasons HSD can be started or shutted down only with the gear lever in P or N position.

mcomer

I have noticed that the Ready light is slower to illuminate if we have:
1) not driven the car in a couple of days or
2) when it is parked outside in very cold weather.
2014 and 2018 ES300h's

Nauticalx

The only time I've found myself not getting the "ready" light is when I jump the gun and shift gears before it illuminates. That will prevent it from appearing.

NillaIce

That's my issue also. I get in too big of a hurry because I can't "hear" the engine start and slap the gear shift into drive and NADA!!! ZIP! ZERO ZILCH! NOTHING! lol. Put back into park and press the start button again.

STVDave

It took me 6 months before I realized there was a "ready" chime. Now I simply wait for it before shifting. I hardly ever waited long enough for the ready light to come on. Don't know the seconds but its relatively longer than I would wish.