I have a type-III. Do I have heated side mirrors? I've had them in many other cars, but they always had a little symbol etched into them showing they were heated. In my American cars (Ford and Cadillac), they were activated with the rear defrost. In my Japanese cars (Suzuki) there is/was an actual heated mirror switch. So, if I have them, when do they come on? I've RTFM when I got it, but don't recall seeing it, as it was August and I wasn't concerned about it then.
If you have them they come on with the rear defrost. There are no markings to show they are there. Check the Toyota US (toyota.com) website for to see if your model has them.
Page 289 of the Manual...To turn the heated mirrors on, hit the Rear Defog switch and they are activated then... And do a Darn good job I might add!
Well, since they are standard on all models, I guess there would be no reason to put on symbols for every window. What I don't understand is why they are only activated by the rear defogger setting and not the front?
I think tying them to rear is the right choice. For me, once I clear them of ice I rarely have to deal with them again, whereas the front and side windows ice and fog during trips.
Every car I have ever owned with heated mirrors (4 different vehicles) had them tied to the rear defroster. Must be somewhat of an industry standard.
My Subaru Outback (99) had a separate switch for the heaters and they had the symbols on the mirrors.
Thanks for the info on the heated mirrors and the Rear Defroster controls. I have not needed mine yet so had not even looked to see how they are controlled.
An amazing true fact: The FJ Cruiser does NOT have heated side mirrors! One would naturally assume an SUV would have them, as virtually every other vehicle in Toyota's lineup does. A remarkable gaffe. Naturally, most FJ owners assume their vehicle has heated side mirrors
The 2010 doesn't have the mirror image (hahaha get it?) on the rear defroster. jay, typical Toyota cost cutting. I'm compiling a feature/price list for Toyota passenger vehicles and you'll be surprised what you thought was a carryover model actually lost some equipment.
I love how we get this standard but we can't even get fully automatic (on/off) headlights from the factory, even though the wiring & sensors are already installed. What a crock.
Thanks for the answers. I haven't needed them yet, either. So, now I can be ready and not have to worry about scraping the mirrors right away.
I could've swore the ol' 2003 Ford I used to drive around had the side mirrors turn on with the 'front' defroster. Hmm. Guess you learn something every day. Thanks for the info!
I've got the gen 2. This black stripe (heating element ) can be seen on the driver side. Is this correct? Thx,
Not sure how visible the heating element is just by looking, but if you've got a thermal imager you can see it within seconds after turning the rear defogger on.
