Did Toyota delete the mph/kph selection in the speedometer of your US 2016 Prius?

There's been a few threads here, that at least agree with your dealership. What they're saying is: there's info in the Owner's Manual, on how to switch speedometer units from mph to kph. But it's in error; it's not actually possible. I believe emails to corporate Toyota have garnered responses along the lines of "take along a conversion chart".

I'd agree with you 100% btw, this is nuts.

On our 3rd gen:

 

Start the process for the complaint under your Lemon Law. It should attract someone's attention at the dealer & Toyota. You may also want to contact the Consumers Affairs office that handles complaints against dealers and manufacturers since you are claiming at least misrepresentation.

 

Manual as published 12/2015 Download 2016 Toyota Prius - Owner's Manual PDF (800 Pages)

Page 92 "The units used on the display may differ depending on the target region"
Page 97 Setting the clock: 2 graphics showing km/h and MPH. Options not related to the clock.
Page 107 "The units used on the display may differ depending on the target region"
Page 123 Fuel Consumption Record. "every 1 mile (1.6 km)*1 or 1 km (0.6 mile)*2"
*1: When the unit is set to “MPH” *2: When the unit is set to “km/h”
every 1 mile [1.6 km]*2 or 1 km [0.6 mile]*3
*2: When the unit is set to “MPH” *3: When the unit is set to “km/h”
Page 125 When the unit is set to “km/h” Fuel Consumption Record metric display.
Page 126 When the unit is set to “MPH” When the unit is set to “km/h”
Page 140 Settings Table at bottom
“km/h” Switches the speed unit used by the screen
“MPH” display

So the option to switch between km/h and MPH as indicated on pg 140 is missing or greyed out? Have you tried turning off the "Speed Limit" thing (pg 142 bottom)? Do you even have that US only option? *2: If equipped *3: U.S.A. only. I suspect this is why you didn't get metric option. Were all Canadian models changeable dual unit of measure displays? Not having metric is so 1970's stupid. Wonder if it's just one "computer board/box" that needs swapped out and which one it is. If it failed would the new replacement be dual unit of measure? That's what I would try to find out.

 

I think @Tideland Prius mentioned his Canadian 2016 can't be switched from kmh to mph either.

 

I've had the same problem with my Gen 4 Prius 3 Touring. I live virtually just down the road from Canada (virtually because the road is 5 minutes away), and since my hometown is essentially on the border, going to Canada is not an abnormal thing to do to my way of thinking. I've asked Toyota dealerships on both coasts (we took an 8600 mile road trip this summer), and one in Iowa (cracked windshield when a truck kicked a stone up in a construction zone). I've spoken to Toyota (US) on the phone. Everybody thinks it can't be right, and tries to help, but even when the dealership in Cali who did our 5k maintenance hooked the computer up, they couldn't find a way. During a foray into Canada, it didn't automagically flip over into kilometers, which would be ideal IMO. Fortunately, I had an inkling this was going to be a problem, so I'd made a chart I brought along, and whichever of us was the co-pilot at the time would read out the equivalent mph to correspond with speed limit signs in kilometers. It worked, but I don't find it an acceptable alternative to a working speedometer. What if I don't have a co-pilot, the passenger wanted to do something else (like read, knit, or nap), or I didn't have a handy, homemade chart? It's a safety hazard, and I keep telling them that.

I honestly don't understand why they can't fix it. It's software. So write the code, Toyota, and upgrade the software during the next routine maintenance, or when the customer complains, whichever comes first.

 

Good one!

 

It could be that the instrument cluster doesn't support reflashing the firmware.

However, I'd be surprised if the instrument cluster couldn't be replaced. Toyota may not have intended for it to be upgraded, and it may also require a stereo firmware update or replacement to work properly, but...

 

This could be Toyota's solution to the gray market in North America. Now Canadian cars can't be imported into the USA and cars from the USA can't be imported into Canada. Border Crossers could use a ScanGauge or GPS unit to augment their instrumentation.

 

There's more differences to a "metric" car than just the kmh, specifically the fuel economy display is in liters per 100 km. The kmh/mph function (a button on third gen) was provided specifically for cars driving from one country to another.

Toyota screwed up, and I'm guessing the fix for vehicles missing this is costly, they're hoping it'll blow away: just a few early adopters anyway.

 

The early bird gets the shaft.

 

I bought in June and mine won't switch. Cars brought onto the lot two weeks later had the ability to switch. My dealer is trying to get a correction but Toyota isn't cooperating. I have tried to contact Toyota too but they say the manual says "if equipped" and my car is obviously not equipped. There has to be an easy solution out there!!!!! This is a safety issue for me too. PS I had the Gen 3 with the dashboard switch as shown above.

 

So I would have been better off if the dealer hadn't been able to locate a blue Three Touring, and it had to be built for me (after taking months to make the decision)? That's depressing.

However, I think it's just an oversight, and software. Really, it's just a display. It can display what the software they write tells it to.

TY. I was thinking along the lines of complaining to our AG's office, but they don't seem to be all that consumer oriented. Lemon law works for me. AFAIK this is the only car sold (new) in the US since well before I started to drive that didn't have a speedometer which could be read in miles or kilometers. It's a safety issue pure and simple.

Not even a 70s issue. My parents bought a new car in the 50s that had miles and kilometers on the meter.

The "instrument cluster" is digital. It's software controlled.

 

Right, but Toyota may not have made provisions to update that software without removing the cluster from the car and putting it on a test jig, or even breaking out a soldering iron.

 

This is the crazy thing. To paraphrase "Kung Fu" (tv series): with much electronics comes much responsibility, grasshopper.

 

Even if they didn't, that's not how software works.

 

Let's presume that the software is in an EEPROM that is soldered to the board, the board has no JTAG support or anything similar, and the software has no provisions for updating over OBD. How do you propose to update the software?

It's worth noting that I've actually owned a car that had a firmware bug in the engine computer, and that exact scenario happened. The official answer in that case was "what firmware bug? Here, we'll sell you yet another starter and another battery." But, the aftermarket's solution is to remove the ECU from the car, desolder the EEPROMs, solder sockets down, reflash the EEPROMs outside of the ECU, and insert them into the sockets.

As an aside, replacing the starter and battery actually did work around the firmware bug - the bug in question involved the startup fueling map having one corner (low RPM, high coolant temperature) zeroed out. So, on a hot engine at low (but well within normal tolerances) cranking RPM, it'd take 10 seconds of cranking before the computer would even try to inject fuel (after 10 seconds, it would switch to a different map intended for an engine that's not successfully started, and then it'd start right away). Replace the starter and battery, and cranking RPM would be raised above that corner of the map... until internal resistance increased and the starter wore out slightly again. To name the guilty, it's all manual transmission front wheel drive Mk4 Golf-based Volkswagens with any TDI engine before model year 2000.

 

Forgive my ignorance but how do you start a new thread or forum? I can only figure out how to start a new conversation and this is driving me nuts.

 

See this screen shot to start a new thread...