Add cruise control to Gen III?

is it a model II or III? i did not realize any level came without cc. that's disturbing, i wouldn't have known if i had purchased one. bummer.

 

I think all Prius offered to the general public in the US do include CC. It is possible she has some fleet version not offered generally. That will reduce the number of folks who have needed to make a similar mod. Perhaps Prius owners in other countries may have experience.

 

Gen III model II comes standard with cruise control. The control is on a short lever to the right side of the steering wheel below the right hand stalk that controls the windshield wipers.

If it's a fleet special Model I, then all bets are off.

Edit: Per this
http://www.allaboutprius.com/blog/1...i-equipment-level-not-available-any-time-soon
Model I level cars won't have cruise control.

 

whew!

 

I read somewhere that the Gen 3 Prius I is actually sold as a Fleet Vehicle and that model does not have CC or any other luxury type options. Just your basic Hybrid in the truest sense of the word. This is probably the model OP's wife has...

 

It sounds like you have a Model I which isn't sold the the general public. I haven't noticed anyone else on the forum with a Model I Gen III yet. The loest level Prius the public can but in the US is a Model II which has cruise control standard.

This page shows the switch and a short harness. If you are lucky you are just missing the switch and harness.
http://www.toyotapartszone.com/Page...e=False&componentsID=84-08&componentsIndex=13

 

+1 on the level I not having cruise control. Somehow, MY beloved company (AT&T) got away with buying level II models for their fleet "we really care" vehicles, which is interesting, since AT&T is tighter than bark on a tree with nearly everything else! I must have been accidently been given an assistant VP's ride...
Anyway...the way I see it is that you have 2 rather unattractive options. You could see if (and for how much) Toyota Iron Works can bolt a CC into the gollywog electronics in this car...
Or...you can visit "Joey Bagadoughnuts" down at the import electronics emporium, and see if he can figure out how to install a $200 "generic" unit onto this car (THAT's gotta be fun!)
I'm an Electronics type by trade with a strong minor in engineering, and I know I'd probably not want to have to figure it out.

Look at the bright side...the hypermilers out there will LOVE you for not sullying up the planet by wasting hydrocarbons on something as silly as cruise control!!!

 

ETC(SS), with the drive by wire throttle, speed sensors and computer power of the car, there should be no extra hardware required for cruise control other than a small wiring harness and switch. It would actually be marginally cheaper for Toyota to leave the car ready for cruise control than to completely disable it in the cars computers.

 

Model 1s are so rare that any info you find on differences with other models will generate a lot of interest here.:rockon:

 

You should be able to get this a bit more firm by going to teh dealer parts department...

 

Concur...that's why I listed that as Option # first. Using an OEM bolt-on is always preferable to grafting a generic unit into a car---especially these days.
I'm just not sure that a dealer would pass on this "cost saving" to the consumer.
I'm only a little jaded...and there are some really good dealerships out there.
Unfortunately....like us Prius drivers, there are always 'ambassadors' out there who are working tirelessly to perpetuate some reeeallly unfortunate stereotypes.

My Bet: (FWIW) A dealer won't touch this for less than 500 bucks...if they bother at all.
Hope I'm wrong.

OP: Let us know what you find out, since there are going to be more and more level I's out there. Companies that buy fleet vehicles are buying more hybrids---for varying reasons, and people who are lucky enough to get to drive them will need information on what's available.
Good Luck to you!

 

lieutenantglorp,

I would think that it would be helpful to speak to folks who regularly work
with the internal intricacies of the Prius and its various nested/interlocked
systems -- which wouldn't be me by a very long shot.

Two places come to mind that have excellent reputations here:

Luscious Garage, an independent Prius repair shop in SFran :rockon:

AutoBeYours, a Prius-speific salvage yard and rebuilder in Indiana. :cheer2:

 

Prius model I

Yeah, I'd imagine they're rare. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/69521-prius-i-other-news.html is straight from the horse's mouth and already lists what's omitted on the Gen III Prius I compared to II.

 

I think You should be looking for a 3 pin connector.

In my service manual, it only shows a 3 wire connection to the switch with 2 wires doing the controlling. The different functions on the switch change the resistance across pins 1 and 3 to tell the controller what to do.

Pin 2 is only used on the dynamic radar cruise control..

Looking at the sketchy illustrations, it looks like the connector plugs in someplace behind the center pad on the steering wheel.

I think one of the eBay shop manuals on a CD would be a help for you . I got one for $39.99. The useful pages are about 1631 through 1638 on my CD. I got mine from
2010/2011 Toyota Prius Hybrid Workshop Service Manual - eBay (item 310278005446 end time Dec-12-10 10:50:24 PST)
and received it in 3 days.

 

Actually, you can! It's called "Toyota Information System". Google it. You can get 2 days for $15. Just find the section you need and print it to PDF. At least that's what I did when I did my auto headlights.:mod: