USB connector

The one thing that really gripes me about my Prius is the placement of the USB port in the center console. I don't know what the %#•* the designers were smoking when they came up with that idea. Hey! Let's remove all the stuff out of the console so we can plug in the iPod.

 

To each his own. I prefer the location for the USB plug because I can hide my iPod in there. I cram a lot of stuff in my center console as well but the other end of the cord that goes in my ipod is easily accessible.

There's really no difference in breakage from what I can see on the Civic versus the Prius. Maybe the Prius would be sticking out a little more precarious. I use a USB extender cable so I don't have put the actual plug go under stress of repeatedly being plugged in.

 

If find once I plug the usb cable into the connector it is extremely hard to pull it out. The connector module is only held in with spring clips and these fail and the whole unit pops out exposing the internal wires. Anyone else had this or is it back to the dealer?

 

The center console is so far to the back that you have to plug in the USB connector using the Braille method. The center console and USB placement is altogether, a bad design.

 

I picked up this item:

right angle USB extender

and it solved my issues nicely. Now I easily plug and unplug things into the end of it, and since it's a right angle plug, it sticks out less than plugging my USB flash drive directly into the port. It's much easier to plug in various things.

By the way, I tried plugging in a USB hub, and it didn't come up on my screen as separate devices.

 

Why don't you just leave the cable plugged in to the car? That's what I do. We've accumulated so many of these cables over the years, we have extras anyway.

 

Am I reading this right? Is the USB/Aux module is only held in with spring clips? Can it be popped out with a screwdriver? Do the wires come off the connector or are they soldered? Can I buy a replacement module, and if so, where?

Lots of questions I have a broken USB stick jammed in my USB port and efforts to take it out have partially damaged the connector.

BTW - mine is not a Prius V. I have a Prius 2011.

 

i dont use the iPod i use pandora from my i phone with blue tooth

 

I bought a cable to leave permanently in the USB socket and that has solved the problem. Oddly it has no trouble being plugged and unplugged; it was just the Apple brand connector that got stuck. The cable has several options so works with my iPhone5 and my partners iPhone 4

 

Yes it is just held in with spring clips. Sounds like it is not Toyota's finest piece of design. You would need to order one from your dealer as they probably are custom made for the car.