I have not seen this discussed before, and while not actually a problem, it does puzzle me. As I am driving, should the outside temperature reach 37 degrees, the screen in the middle of the dash alerts me to that fact across the top of the screen. Not at 32 degrees or any other temperature, just 37. Can anyone tell me why 37 degrees is apparently so important? Thanks!
I don't have any hard evidence to back this up, but I figure it is just warning you that temperatures are low enough to cause freezing on the road, such as on bridges, in shade areas, etc. Believe it or not, I get that warning sometimes in the early morning, even here in sunny California.
My theory is that it is displaying a notice at 5 degrees above freezing to warn about the possibility of icy roads, although the air temperature usually has to be quite a bit below freezing for ice to form on the roads. It is a little puzzling.
At 37°F your Prius may spontaneously explode. After several tragic incidents, Toyota wisely decided to warn drivers to seek warmer or colder conditions. A side benefit is that 37°F is close to freezing, so drivers should watch out for freezing road surfaces. It's an odd warning, but the intention is clear. Incidentally, if you believe my first paragraph, turn off your computer and sell your Prius. Tom
Maybe that's when ice can begin to freeze on roadways in which air can blow underneath like bridges etc. I do not know, but they did away with the light in 06' and above. I never thought it made much sense myself. I owned an 06' before this but had a had an earlier model there definitely would have been electrical tape over it lol.
You'd really love the 04 and 05's where a little snowflake icon would light up and stay lite up just to rub salt in your wounds that it's getting cold out LOL
Just to be clear to the OP, the snowflake icon is what I was talking about, not the message I know he is referring to which pops down on the MFD real quick. I think even the Gen 1 had one of those dumb snowflake lights too.
I never understood why 37 degrees, but all of my previous cars were set to give a warning at that temp for black ice, or ice on the road that you may not see.
Because of the climate here I've only seen the "snowflake" once in the three years I've had the Prius!
It's at a temp warm enough that you think ice won't be on the road (but it's above freezing!) but can exist in shaded areas and on bridges and it's usually clear (black ice) so it's a warning to be aware.
bridges are exposed to more wind chill and do not receive any warmth from the earth, have you never seen a road sign that says bridges may by icy? its really nothing to fret about as most bridges are straight and relatively level and your prius is equipped with traction and stability control.
We wife and I frequently make a fuss about those signs, especially in the summer: "Oh God! We're gonna die! The bridge may be icy!" Tom
Toyota phoned me some time ago and asked my advice as to setting the temperature for the snowflake to come on. I said "37 sounds about right to me" and they went with it.
Simple math. Roads could be up to five degrees colder than the air. Water freezes at 32 degrees. What's 32 + 5?
Actually it's that one last tempting bit of information to get you to turn around and go back to bed. Sleep till the crack of noon, go back on the road. It should have warmed up enough by then to be safe to finish the last 4 hours of your shift!
Thanks for the answers guys. What I find odd is the warning only shows for a few seconds on the screen, and I do not hear an alarm with it (maybe because I am a little hard of hearing). So I think I frequently miss it. Oh well, I already know it's cold out!
b: On my 2005 -- the little "snowflake" STAYS there until and unless the temp. goes above 37. Just a FWIW.
I guess I am in the minority when I say I really like the icy road ligth. There is a lot of things about the 04-05 Prius that I am going to miss when I take delivery of my PiP.
A good example of that is when the air has recently warmed up to near 37F and the roads are still cold from the previous night.
