Purpose of switch? below steering column?

[Ct. Ken V]

Hello all,

I posted this question over at PriusOnLine on Oct 23rd & so far haven't gotten any real answer from anybody there. But to be fair, there is not a lot of activity there any more due to the past history of numerous spam posts. Those spam bombardments are a thing of the past though, so you are all welcome to go back & revisit the site to see for yourselves. And hopefully you'll come back there & be productive posters again. Anyway, I'm going to just cut & paste that question here for you folks & your consideration. Original post follows now.

I was in getting my 85,000 mile service done this morning (only $49.16) & the dealer had a 2010 Prius in the showroom. It was my first chance to really get up close to an open one to get a feel for the inside of it. I have one question for any of you new 3G owners that the salesman couldn't answer for me.

There appears to be a switch hidden deep within the dash below the steering column. It looks like a black plastic push button on a bare shiny metal surface in there. If I insert my hand into the opening between the lower dash panel & the bottom of the steering shaft shroud I can almost reach it. I don't know if you come up from below that lower dash panel if it's any more accessible. I wonder what use such a switch is (if it is indeed a switch), being so hard to find & get at. Does anybody know what it really is & what it's for?
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Ken (in Bolton,Ct) 2005 Pkg #4 (AM)

[rachaelseven]

There's a black plastic pushbutton in that general vicinity for resetting the tire pressure sensors... is that the one you mean?

[Ct. Ken V]

Hi, rachaelseven,

I'm not sure. I have no familiarity with the new 2010 model. This was my first up-close look. That switch (at least it looks like a switch) is visible through the gap between the bottom of the steering column shroud & the lower dash panel (& is set back about 4 inches deeper than that panel), but is unreachable unless with a pencil with an eraser tip or if the steering column is tilt-able upward, then there may be enough clearance to get your fingers further/deeper in there (I didn't try to tilt/move the steering column & I didn't try coming up from underneath the lower edge of that panel & I wasn't there long enough to read the 2010 owner's manual).

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

[rachaelseven]

Sounds like just one of the bolts or retainers. The TPMS reset is a black pushbutton on the panel near the bottom of the steering column, but it is easily enough reached once you know where it is and you certainly don't need to stick a pencil inbetween anything - it's right there for the fingertip with no special procedures. So if you have found a button in there, it is a real easteregg and I have no idea what it might do.

[Indyking]

That's the eject switch if you have solar...

[Ct. Ken V]

Hi again, rachaelseven,

It sure looks like a switch to me. It's shiny silver metal with what appears to be a rectangular black pushbutton about a half inch long & 1/8 inch wide protruding out from the shiny metal, but again it was too deep in for my fingers to reach it & I didn't want to stick my metal ball point pen inside there to possibly slip & short something out on a car I don't own. Take a quick look at your car & see if you can see what I'm talking about.

Ken (in Bolton, Ct)

[TonyPSchaefer]

Can anyone provide a picture of the area under the steering column?