Just bought a 2015 Prius C - odd interior light behavior

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by CasertaSD, Jan 29, 2025.

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  1. CasertaSD

    CasertaSD New Member

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    I just purchased a 2015 Prius C base model, and there is something unusual going on with the interior lights.

    They work fine when the key is in the ignition and the car is on (open any door and interior lights turn on, close doors and lights turn off).

    However, the lights show no signs of life when the vehicle is first unlocked and the door opened. Evidently, all door switches and interior light switch work, otherwise they wouldn't respond when the key is in, so I'm looking for a setting somewhere to enable this...thoughts? Or is this a "feature"?

    I've had no luck searching for this as most issues lie with the interior light switch not being in "door" mode.
     
    #1 CasertaSD, Jan 29, 2025
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    That's odd. My first instinct was whether the Prius c has illuminated entry and apparently it does (at least the US brochure mentions it. The Canadian one does not). So either the Canadian models don't have illuminated entry or maybe there's a blown fuse specifically related to that (unlikely.. seems an odd feature to have a single fuse).
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Jan 30, 2025
  3. vvillovv

    vvillovv Senior Member

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    If your C has one of these, there is usually a switch that controls the interior lights, located on the Dome light, or in the Prius the main interior light in the middle above the windshield. That switch usually allows to have the interior lights stay off when the doors are opened or come on when the doors are open. It also allows that light to be switched on manually in its third position.
    I'm not use if that switches position might have anything to do with the lights behavior you're describing above, but I thought it would be a shame not to mention it, just in case all it needs is to be moved to new position to get the behavior you're looking for.
     
    #3 vvillovv, Jan 31, 2025
  4. CasertaSD

    CasertaSD New Member

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    Thank you both for your replies! Mystery solved...

    I brought it in to the Toyota dealer for a more comprehensive check (I was worried about some weird DIY mods), but it turns out that the base model does not illuminate entry unless the key is in ACC. They confirmed by pulling up the wiring diagram for my model.

    My suspicion is that this base model was an afterthought after the full fledged tech package was designed, and that one has proximity sensors, so they had to make some cost-saving decisions about a separate firmware image for that model...or something along those lines.
     
    #4 CasertaSD, Jan 31, 2025
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  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah the base model was designed to squeak under the US$20,000 mark. (It was priced at $20,950 MSRP in Canada when new for 2012, $20,955 in 2015) so that's why it has an integrated headrest for the front seats and a single-piece full folding rear seat rather than 60/40 split-folding and no cruise control (among other cost cuts). 2015 was the first refresh so at least you got bi-LED headlamps vs. the old halogen setup.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Feb 1, 2025
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