prius starts wont go into gear

Elaine and I put on masks and gloves for a robbery shopping expedition this morning and found ourselves with an unusual problem: our Prius wouldn’t go into gear. The electrical system switched on, but the car wouldn’t move. Turning the car off was a problem too, requiring repeated presses of the Power button before anything happened. It took half a dozen false starts before we could back out of the driveway.

I did a search — prius starts wont go into gear — and found a range of explanations, from faulty foot to faulty brake-pedal sensor to failing hybrid battery. While the car was moving, we thought we should take it in to the dealer. So we called, got the okay to bring it in, and soon thereafter had an explanation. An error code in the car’s computer system pointed to a problem with the battery in the key fob. Cost of a new battery: $5.95. But with labor: $62.50.

I share this account so that a Prius owner with this same problem might find a fix that saves time and money.

[When we shopped, we saw many other customers wearing masks. Employees, not so much. And now no one can accept a tip.]