Brake light/B-shift

Good question. I've not checked, but you could do it pretty easily. Put the Prius into Ready state, put the parking brake on, shift to "B", then get out and look. Or simply park in front of something that will reflect the brake lights, put the car in B, and look in the rear view mirror.

My guess would be "no". It would not be any different than shifting a manual tranmission to a lower gear to slow the car down more quickly. Brake lights don't come on for that.

 

No need to check. The answer is "no." A switch in the brake pedal assembly activates the brake lights.

 

No.

 

Do the brake lights on any car come on when you down-shift? There is your answer.

 

Well they should, and the turn signal should know that I want to turn and automatically indicate for me.

Tom

 

You mean that your's don't? I guess that was a new feature with the 2009 packages.

 

I'm glad he asked as I often use "B" when I need to slow down quickly but not call attention to that fact (ie; avoiding that speeding ticket!). I figured it was no but Toyota does have the reverse beep inside which is foolish....it needs to be outside the car!

 

Why did they install the reverse beep anyway??? If you notice that you are going backwards when you step on the gas it usually means that you are in reverse. Very annoying feature that will need to be fixed soon.

 

Turn it off. You can do that yourself.

Tom

 

The point of the beep is to help you realize that the car is in R, before the car starts moving.

 

I got rid of the beep the 1st week I had the car.

If shifting to B when someone is close behind you, you can always tap the brake pedal to give some warning... I used to do that when driving manual transmission cars.

 

I did that this past weekend and it is sweet silence...

 

Lawyers. That loud beep beep beep is to remind you that YOU put it in reverse, it did not just jump there on it's own. Look at the giant hoopala on this site when one car that was not even a Prius, (or even a hybrid) that had a totally different transmission/engine and had incorrect mats installed incorrectly by the dealer wrecked. You would have thought it was more devastating than the war in Iraq/Afganistan. Why? Lawyers smelled money.

And so your car beeps.