can barely hear turn signal clicker

I like it nice and quiet the way it is.

I had a rental car for a few days between the time I sold my previous car and took delivery of my Prius, and the loud clicking of the turn signals drove me crazy.

 

I'm glad I found this thread. I've been wondering too whether there was just something wrong with the car, or with me. I'm coming from a 1998 camry, and the turn signals there were much louder. I find I have to repeatedly check whether I in fact turned the signals on. But I can see that some of you like the quieter sound.

 

Our short term memory is going....

 

It's not your imagination at all. I have normal hearing, and I can barely hear the clicker with the radio on at an average level. My husband is hard of hearing, and can't hear the clicker at all. I know that I will be constantly reminding him that it's on when he's driving.

 

To me, the quiet directionals say "fine automobile." I love it. For anyone who wants their blinkers to be more audible, go to any auto parts store and buy a cheap replacement flasher and swap them out. You'll hear it! (And send me your nice quiet one while you're at it!)

 

Apparently, it does sound different from the '04. I've had several occasions when it was on and I couldn't hear it.

 

For lane changes, merging, etc., it's easy to know to cancel a turn signal. But we live where there are many intersections where a turn will not cancel the signal. As a person with a (largely corrected) hearing loss, I'd be happy to have an option for a louder signal, to avoid being thought of as a dolt, as I think of others who drive around with signals on.

 

I like it quiet but here's a suggestion to those who have trouble hearing it or tend to forget it's on...how about taking a look at the display once in a while? If your turn signal is on, you'll see the flashing green arrow reminding you to turn it off!

 

<SARCASM>Why have it make a sound at all? Heck, why have two indicator lights, when all you need is one to tell you it's on? You're smart enough to know which way you last turned it. And while we're at it, why have any light at all? You can look at the stalk to see if it's on or not.</SARCASM>

 

Thank goodness. I hate it when turn signals are loud and annoying!

Bryan

 

Doe's anyone else hear the voices? Because I hear the voices. Thousands of whispering voices....

 

With high-frequency hearing loss, I did not even know my 2010 had a tutn-signal clicker.

Yes, I would like to make it lower-frequency, and perhaps louder.
Is the sound generated under the hood by the flasher-timer?

 

The clicking noise is produced by the electromechanical Turn Signal Flasher Relay. It's in the instrument panel junction block, next to the steering column. All you're hearing is the relay's contacts switching over.

This is actually one of the least complicated systems on the car - physical switches, timing based on the resistance of the bulbs (making a swap to LEDs more difficult), relay clicks to make the sound.

I think this is one of those situations where a side-effect of the original implementation technology - a mechanical relay making noises as it makes and breaks contacts - has become part of the expected user interface.

 

Actually, my '85 VW Jetta did have only one signal indicator light... VW DID assume that we were smart enough to know which way you last turned it. I'm sure there are/were other cars like this as well.

 

Has anyone found a solution to make the turn signal louder I leave it on all the time. Love my new 2010 Prius but hate the turn signal set up. QUOTE=IraS;903628]I thought it was just my imagination. I noticed that also - I don't hear the turn signal clicker at all.

My previous car was a 2004 Prius, and I heard the clicker just fine. They must have made this one a lot quieter.[/QUOTE]

 

Yeah surprisingly TMC is still using conventional flasher relays (for both indicators and hazards). A lot of manufacturers are now moving away from flasher relays though. The indicators are controlled instead by the body ECU, instrument cluster ECU or maybe another ECU of somesort. Good example is Mazda - the same noise emitting device that warns when a seat belt is unbuckled or if the headlights are left on, is also the same device used to emulate indicator clicks. And in the new gen 3 even the volume of the indicators can be adjusted (sorry, not trying to plug Mazda, I work for a Toyota AND Mazda dealership).

 

love my new prius 2010 but hate the quiet clicker on my turn signal, does anyone know how to fix it?

 

I agree, the turn signal is too quiet. Yes, I do have a hearing problem, but I've never had a problem hearing the turn signal on any other car.

 

About 6 years ago, I noticed that I couldn't hear the clicker on my '98 Camry. It WAS my hearing. A couple of hearing aids fixed that. The click is at a fairly high frequency, which is the hearing range that most of us will lose first.

 

If you want to hear Turn Signal clickers, trade your 2010 Prius in on a 2010 Chevy Equnox...BOY they're LOUD!!!

David (aka Blind guy)