Category: FAQs Type: FAQs Article Name: Can a Prius be modified to accomodate a person with disabilities? Author: naterprius Description: What is the best way to go about this? Where do I get more information? >>Read Full Article
I am surprised to see this comment. I am a prius owner for 4 years and now need to get hand controls because I have contracted ALS. I have had a bad experience with a licensed company and am frustrated. Toyota subsequently sent me to look for a chat community on the web for techmical advice. Has anyone here actually gotten hand controls successfully installed on a Prius. I would love to hear the details of a succesful installation.
Hi I an a paraplegic and my brother and I installed hand controls in my 2005 Prius three months ago and they work great. We had to design and make them from scratch. The connection to the accelerator was the trickiest bit because it is not like a conventional car that just has a cable through the firewall. So it can be done.
It might even be possible to get an extra accelerator and modify it to mount on the dash or steering column, since it is drive by wire. The brake system should be handled conventionally however, since under brake failsafe emergency situations, you would want to retain manual hydraulic control of your front wheels. Otherwise, it too is brake by wire for the most part.
I'm considering to buy Prius however have limited strength and mobility in legs due to spinal cord injury. I have previously (10 years ago, when I already had the disability) drive an automatic car without any adjustments with no problem but want to be on the safe side as I expect to own the Prius for a long time and worry about what might happen in case of accident. I plan to get a needs assessment to see if I need hand controls but before I actually go and buy new car would like to hear how much it costs to get those hand controls installed for a Prius. It sounds from previous postings that it may be more complicated (and thus potentially more expensive) to install hand controls for a Prius than conventional cars. Is that still the case? I notice it has been a while since the last posting. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Omar, I think Toyota has some sort of program for vehicle modification, you might consult with a dealer and see what they say.
Here is the link: New Japanese Cars - Disability Vehilces - Mobility Vehicles Here is also another link on Standard prius: Prius: car for those with arthritis « Rice Paper Sliding Door
works on Safari 4.03 i'm using, works on Opera 11.50. Right click & open link in New Tab does work on my machine.
You can type to google .com this phrase: New Japanese disability vehicles on my google it's 1st link under the Ads sponsored links ( I see these three sponsored links highlighted in yellow which in this case are not needed.