Change the audio on the pedestrian noisemaker to something else

not that i recall reading, but i think a lot of people would join you if you could figure it out

 

the easiest thing might be to can the oem, and put a whole new 12v sound speaker in.

 

I took mine out, filled holes with silicone, and then 3 layers of duct tape....silent!!

 

From looking at mine, I believe the annoying UFO sound is hard-wired in the speaker. There's only 2 wires on the connection which seems to mean it's just to turn it off/on. I had a resistor to try but, instead, just insulated it very well with foamy pipe insulation...that way I can just remove it if I ever had a need to trading in the car. (If our Toyota/Lexus is 6-years old or newer, Toyota will "certify" it for resale but only if no major accidents or modifications have been made.)

 

Maybe this?

 

A speaker also needs only two wires. As the Repair Manual (more info) explains, “A waveform synchronized with the sound is output” to the speaker by the vehicle approaching speaker controller or (on 2016–2019 models) by the hybrid vehicle control ECU. There is also an illustration of the waveform (1 V/div., 500 ms/div.):

 

But for FMVSS No. 141, 49 U.S.C. §§ 30112 and 30122, and the amount of tedious disassembly required to get to it (the Repair Manual says you have to remove the rear seats, among other parts), I’d expect a thriving aftermarket in vehicle approaching speaker controllers with customizable sounds.

 

i don't mind breaking federal law. is there an easier-to-access wire i could just disconnect?

 

Mine has a button. But AFAIK the JDM models are the only ones to have the button - all other models do not.

Australian New -


JDM -



Note the extra button. Wonder if it would be possible to use the same method to retrofit the mute button on cars that don't come with one.

 

depends on how you describe easy, but there are threads on how to do it. unfortunately, if you disconnect a wire, you get a trouble code. you have to install a diode, iirc.

 

On early fourth-generation Prius cars built for sale in Japan (and perhaps also Taiwan), the vehicle approaching speaker switch (also called the approach notification pause switch, 接近通報一時停止スイッチ) is wired between the ECU-IG1 NO.4 circuit and terminal F3-22 (SW) on the hybrid vehicle control ECU, such that 12 volts is applied at the ECU when the switch is pressed. I don’t know how the ECU software on versions of the car built without the switch would respond to voltage applied at that terminal.

Later Japanese models don’t have the switch, by the way. The pause feature was allowed under the 2010 guidelines (page in Japanese; see attachment 3, paragraph I.2.(2)) but is prohibited by current Japanese regulations (PDF, in Japanese), in line with UNECE Regulation No. 138, Revision 1 (PDF), paragraph 6.2.6.

The “make inoperative” provision, 49 U.S.C. § 30122, applies only to a “manufacturer, distributor, dealer, rental company, or motor vehicle repair business,” not to owners working on their own cars. See also National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 As Amended: Legislative History, Volume IV (PDF), pages 489–490, quoting portions of the House debate (120 Cong. Rec. 27,807–27,808 (1974) (PDF)) on the Motor Vehicle and Schoolbus Safety Amendments of 1974 (PDF), Pub. L. 93-492, § 103, 88 Stat. 1470, 1477 (1974). This doesn’t provide any relief from state laws or civil liability, however.

A resistor, in place of the speaker, not a diode.

 

exactly

 

Did you figure out where the speaker is located and how to remove it without causing a warning light on the front dash?

 

Where is the speaker located and how did you get into it?