how can I remove the pedestrian warning sound speaker on Prius prime 2022

2 things:

First, the Pedestrian Warning Speaker (PWS) is safety equipment required by law. If you are in an accident, especially one with a pedestrian, lawyers will have a field day with you.

Second, there are threads on how to do exactly this on this forum. A number of people have done this using different methods.

Update: I have not been able to locate the old thread. Not sure if I was using the wrong terms, or if it is gone.
Regardless of what you do, I would suggest contacting your Represenatives and let them know what you think of their law requiring this.

 

iput 'pedestrian' in search, and a bunch of threads came up. no help there?

 

I am not against the pedestrian warning sound but to me it is way too loud and annoying, It was not as loud prior to 2020 or older models. For some reason Toyota made it much louder, you can clear hear that even inside.

 

Check those threads:
Disabling the prius prime noise maker. | PriusChat
"Artificial Engine" sound on prime | PriusChat

Just curious, does the same law exist in Canada? The OP is not from the US.

What I read was that the law went into effect in 2020 or around that time. Before that, it was voluntarily not mandated yet.

 

Excellent point! I missed that, thank you for pointing it out
My understanding is Canada does have that law, but it doesn’t take affect until next year.

I believe Europe also has said law and its law is currently in effect.


Many people, including the OP, have mentioned how loud the noise is. I would be curious to compare it to another make (or measure the actual Decibel level to legal requirements).
If it is louder than necessary, enough people complaining to Toyota corporate may get it changed to a more reasonable level??

 

Having driven 2017, 2020, and now 2021 PPs, I know that the VPNS (Vehicle Proximity Notification System) sound has increased the loudness since 2017. In the 2017 PP, it was hardly noticeable even if someone is standing outside of the car close to it. In the 2020 PP, the sound was louder but the level of loudness was still owner customizable by using the OBDII adaptor. In the 2021 PP and presumably, for 2022 as well, the VPNS is no longer customizable, and in reverse, the sound got even louder than ever before. It does not bother me much, but if I am driving crowded city street at a low speed, it does attract attention from pedestrians and other drivers wondering what the sound is. So, I guess it is doing the job intended. The only thing is, does that really help prevent accidents?

 

If it were me, I'd check with my lawyer and insurance company first. If they say it's ok, then I'm good.

 

I doubt it very much.
However, that is not my reason for my dislike of the law(s).
The US version (and possibly others) are specific towards PHEVs & BEVs.
If this is truly a safety issue, the law should be that ALL vehicles are required to make a minimum amount of sound.

This would cover future different types of vehicles that aren’t EVs but are still silent. It would also be far simpler of a law.

 

Agreed. Especially on PP, the engine sound is probably quieter than the VPNS noise it makes in the EV mode.

 

using carista i made it very quiet on my '19. didn't completely get rid of it i guess, but I can't hear it. ymmv

 

I believe some of the better non-hybrid ICE cars are already quieter than the minimum required of EVs.

 

I’d be surprised if some weren’t. That is why I argue this law is wasteful, discriminatory and doesn’t even succeed in the stated reason for the law.

 

I just brought home my 2022 le awd. The vpns in reverse is so loud that two of my neighbors have asked me if there's something wrong with the car. I have contacted my congressional Representatives and complained but I know it will do no good. I'm not very good at do it yourself stuff now that I'm a senior citizen but I'm going to do my best to disable this stupid thing.

 

Your Reps can do nothing about the volume used, that is Toyota. You might get more traction contacting them.
The law is poorly worded and is, frankly, an embarrassment and should be changed. But I have no idea why Toyota cranked up the volume so much above what the law requires.

 

Yeah, that worked on pre-2019 PP. Post-2020 PP has non-owner customizable VPNS even with a Carista or Techstream.

 

I have recently acquired 2020 Prius. How can I tell if the sounds I am hearing are bad problems or the Ped Warning Sound?

 

hold your phone out the window while moving slowly and post the recording here

 

In your Owners Manual it is called the Vehicle Proximity Notification System. If you look it up the manual will give you the information you need to answer your question (and it is a lot easier than waving your phone out the window). Basically it sounds like a cheap sci-fi device.