[LittleLamb]

I have 2 questions. Moderator, you can divide them up if you feel it is necessary: One) when I take the emergency brake off, the car always rolls forward a little bit, a couple of feet. This is before I have touched the power button. The car is always in park before I turn the power button off, so I don't understand why it rolls. It seems a little dangerous to me, especially since I am on a flat surface. If I were on an incline would it roll even further?
Two) my phone charger that plugs into the adaptor: when I have the phone charger plugged into to the adaptor AND my phone, and if I am trying to talk on my phone, I hear an audible beep every few seconds while I talk. What I don't understand is that this same charger and this same phone never had that audible beep before except for a single beep when the charger was first plugged into the phone. Does anyone have any explanation for that? Thanks.

 

[DanMan32]

I can answer your first question.

It sounds like you apply the parking brake before you put the transmission in park or hit the power button.

The parking brake locks the rear wheels by applying the brake shoes to the drum mechanically via a cable.
The transmission park engages a pawl, which is like a pin, to the gearing in the transmission, which is connected to the front wheels. There is some play in the gears, so the wheels can move slightly even with the gears locked.

So, if you apply your brakes first, the car cannot move. Then you put the transmission in park, but the gears haven't rested on their maximum play, since you have locked the wheels. When you release the brake, the car can roll until it rests on the max play of the gears and pawl.

Also it can take a little movement for the pawl to fully engage, but rest assured, it does indeed engage and does adequately lock your front wheels, even if it is capable of some movement.

 

[Marco]

I allways have my foot on the normal brake, when I release the parking brake. Like: put my foot on the brake, shift into gear, release parking brake, release brake and drive away.

 

[LittleLamb]

I allways have my foot on the normal brake, when I release the parking brake. Like: put my foot on the brake, shift into gear, release parking brake, release brake and drive away.

Of course that makes sense. I have simply been treating the Prius kind of like my last car, a 1993 automatic Altima. I don't remember having my foot on the brake until I shifted from Park into another gear. So the Park gear acted like a brake. Then again, I may not be remembering everything clearly. I drove the old car for the first time in several weeks a few days ago and it really was weird! Especially when it wouldn't shut off at the stop lights. I always manually stopped that car at RR crossings when certain trains would come by, because I knew I'd be idling for up to 5 minutes. I will try the suggestions posted here, thanks.

 

[DanMan32]

Any car will rock a bit if the gear is not resting on the pawl and then suddenly is allowed to.
Most common observation of this: engaging park when stopped on an uphill slope. Car rocks backwards a bit when you release the brake after putting transmission in park.