In the video that came with my new Prius it says if you have a pacemaker (the wife has one) not to stand near "the Smart Key Antenna". Is there an antenna in the smart key unit?? I assume they mean if you have a pacemaker don't stand between the Smart Key and the line of sight of the car as the signal may interfere with the pacemaker when you open or lock the doors. They throw this out there as a warning but were not very clear.
The Smart Key System uses RF and low frequency oscillator coils. Since they radiate energy, they could, in theory, interfere with the proper operation of a pacemaker. The warning in the manual is a standard legal disclaimer. No modern pacemaker is going to be bothered in the slightest, but Toyota's lawyers aren't taking any chances. Just today, at the hospital, I loaded my 88 year old mother with her brand new pacemaker into my Prius and didn't give it another thought. Tom
For the last four years, I have had an implanted pacemaker/defibrillator. I work with electronic devices (mostly Internet routers, switches, bridges, modems, and telephony equipment) all day long. I use a cell phone with bluetooth for hours at a time. I drive a 2008 Prius. My doctor can communicate with the implanted device using an inductively-coupled interface to a lap-top computer. He places a toroidal inductor on my chest and can upload "event records" and diagnostic codes from the device, and can adjust its operating parameters -- all without surgery, and at no great inconvenience to the patient. I have discussed the potential interference issues with my electrophysiologist and with the patient-support folks at the St. Jude Medical, the manufacturer of the implanted device. Their advice is that the device is not sensitive to RF energy, but is sensitive to magnetic fields. They recommend holding power tools at least 12 inches from the device, and avoiding similarly close encounters with large electric motors, arc-welders, and transformers. The magnetic fields produced by the electric motors in the Prius, or the starter and alternator in conventional automobiles, are so weak -- at the distance to any occupant of the vehicle -- as not to be a risk to the implanted device. They suggested that I should not attempt work under the hood while the HSD is operating.
To echo what was said above, my Dad had an implanted ICD, a pacemaker/defribrillator. He carried and used smart keys for two separate cars for years and had absolutely no problems...
