I test drove a new 2012 Prius Three today and heard an odd whining sound coming from the car. Seemed to be from the front area, but I'm not sure. The salesman said it was "sonar," which was added to the latest models so that pedestrians, particularly those who are hard of hearing will know you are coming. Has anyone heard of this? It's not a feature on our 2004 Prius. Thanks in advance for any insights you all can offer!
There is a noise maker, a speaker in the back bumper I think, for the intention of warning pedestrians. It sounds kind of like a Jetson's vehicle, if that rings a bell. I believe it was introduced in 2012; our 2010 doesn't have it. There are times I wish it did: rolling through a parking lot it seems a little overkill to get someone's attention with the horn, and a little silly to be hanging out the window and saying "excuse me", LOL. I think the salesman's confused though: there is another feature, "sonar". I'm not sure but think it's some sort of back up warning system. You can google it. There's also a whining sound you might notice when decelerating: it's the transaxle changed from electric motor mode to generator mode, charging the battery.
Thanks, Mendel, for the info. Your use of the term "noisemaker" helped me find an exhaustive thread on the subject. (Couldn't find the thread without the term.) Very helpful thread, alleviates the concern I had.
Yes it is the noisemaker and new in 2012 in the US. Earlier in the EU. I would disable it because I want my silent vehicle to be silent, but that is your call. There is no "sonar" per-say, but the ATP (Advanced Technology Package) has features like DRCC (Dynamic Range Cruise Control) that use multiple ultrasonic transducers to know the distance between your car and the car infront.
2012 Prius Vehicle Proximity Notification System (VPNS) - Video | PriusChat - was added on all Toyota-branded EVs and hybrids AFAIK starting from model year 2012.
Yes you can unplug the speaker. It's located behind the front bumper on the drivers side of the car. However, I would be more interested in changing it to a different sound, maybe a train, or a dog barking
The "Dynamic Cruise Control" uses -RADAR-. I believe it's 18 GHz. I -like- the "noisemaker". It's fairly quiet but a cool sound. To me it sounds like the car is about to hover.
This thread make me feel stupid, since I bought my Prius (a month ago) I always thought that funny sound was the battery charging sound and I even told that to a couple of people that asked me about that weird UFO sound... 2 nights ago I unplugged the speaker (following the instructions I found on a couple of threads) and you will not believe how stupid I felt when the sound was gone Thank you!
How about replacing the VPNS with the sound of a passionate encounter between lovers. It would attract attention in quiet places and could enhance the Prius image.
There *is* also a sound that the inverter unit makes but it is very high in frequency. I can hear it bounce off of nearby objects if I'm driving slowly and the windows are open.
I mostly get whining from the right seat on shopping excursions. Once she gets out, the whining stops. Odd
Check out the movie "The Forbidden Planet", circa 1950s with Leslie Nielsen. A family member tells me the noise the spaceship makes is the same as any Prius.
