Importing to the US from Mexico

Most of the laws for bringing cars into US or bringing cars into Mexico are to prevent businesses from evading tariffs and taxes and other restrictions. So if your intention is to do it for personal use, they should have some sort of exemption... But I've never seen this question asked or answered on PriusChat. I suggest looking at some other popular vehicle forums, like Toyota truck owners.

 

Try here:

EPA: Importing Vehicles and Engines
Light-duty Vehicle and Motorcycle Manufacturers’ United States Representatives

Not all manufacturers will issue you the necessary letter, as mentioned in this article for Canadian snowbirds trying to import cars into the U.S.:

How to Permanently Import Your Car to the U.S. from Canada

"More often than not, your Canadian vehicle won’t have a label indicating it is EPA certified. However, in many cases your car will have an emission control system that is identical to an emission control system that has been certified in the United States.

In both situations you can still import your vehicle to the U.S., but you will need to obtain a letter of compliance from the vehicle manufacturer’s U.S. representative stating that the vehicle complies with all U.S. EPA regulations. You can find a list of U.S. Auto Manufacturer’s Representatives here. Note that some manufacturers may refuse to issue a letter. ...

Once again, if you find yourself in this situation you’ll probably find that it just isn’t worth all the added time, expense and hassle to export your car from Canada to the U.S." [emphasis added]

"The Alternative to Importing a Vehicle
If all of the above sounds like a lot of running around (and it is!) then you might want to consider purchasing a new or used vehicle in the U.S. instead to avoid some of steps and potential issues outlined above."


If importing from Canada can be difficult, I wouldn't expect importing from Mexico to be any less problematic.

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Can you find a used Prius that was originally sold in the U.S., then later moved to Mexico? Repatriating a U.S. car should be easier than importing a Mexican-market unit.

 

If that label wasn’t affixed when the car was made, it’s not a U.S. version vehicle and can’t be imported as such. See EPA’s publication Procedures for Importing Vehicles and Engines into the United States (PDF) (EPA-420-B-10-027, July 2010), section 2.1.3, page 19, which states that any vehicle “not manufactured with a U.S. emissions compliance label in the engine compartment that identifies it in the English language as conforming to all EPA requirements” (emphasis added) is a non-U.S. version vehicle.

There is an exemption for temporary imports by nonresidents, but it’s valid only for one year, or until the nonresident leaves the U.S., whichever comes first, after which the vehicle must be re-exported.

I assume that neither this nor any of the other exemptions or exclusions—such as those for repair, display, racing, or use by diplomats—would be viable here, and that it also wouldn’t be cost-effective to have an EPA-recognized independent commercial importer (ICI) repeat the EPA emissions certification testing on the vehicle, if this could even be done without access to Toyota’s proprietary design information.

Perhaps not, because of hardware and software differences between vehicles sold in Mexico and the configurations that Toyota has certified to comply with U.S. and California emissions regulations.

Toyota’s Electronic Parts Catalog gives distinct part numbers labeled “MEXICO SPEC” for the catalytic converter (front exhaust pipe assembly) and engine control computer (ECM). In addition, the instructions for a Toyota service campaign (T-CP-GMB-A510-D, available by subscription to techinfo.toyota.com) that applied only to vehicles sold in Mexico identified a set of calibration IDs (software version numbers) for the ECM that were different from those identified in bulletins (such as T-SB-0013-19) for vehicles built for U.S. sale.

For this reason, I’d be surprised if Toyota would be willing to certify that any such vehicle conformed to U.S. requirements when it was built. (See Procedures, section 2.1.3.2(c), pages 21–22.)

In principle, there would still be the option to have an ICI modify the vehicle to a U.S. configuration, without having to re-test it. (See Procedures, section 2.1.3.3(c), pages 25–26.) The modification instructions are required to have come from Toyota; the ICI can’t just read the parts catalog. In practice, I’d be surprised if Toyota would be willing to cooperate, or that the cost of the ICI’s services, on top of the 2.5% import duty, wouldn’t make it more costly than buying a similar vehicle in the U.S., but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

There are several ways to contact Toyota, but I don’t know what help, if any, they might be willing to provide. If you do receive a reply, favorable or otherwise, please consider sharing it with us here.

Definitely. (See Procedures, section 2.1.1.2(a), page 15.)

 

Fuzzy and Elek above posts are a good lead.
I can add that Lamborghini's OEM Canada imported into USA I have heard cause great paperwork burdens to the owners.
Also USA OEM Corvettes to England, cause great modification burdens to the owners.

Yet.....
OP is saying all an OEM Mexican Prius needs is a Federal Smog sticker?
Noting Calif CARB sticker may cause additional burdens.

OP let us know the end result.
Interesting thread.

 

I think that was the question: if a Prius car sold in Mexico has been certified to comply with U.S. safety standards, it’s fair to ask whether it has also been certified to comply with U.S. emissions standards.

If a vehicle was originally built with a Vehicle Emission Control Information label under the hood that says it meets the U.S. EPA requirements, then it can be imported to the U.S. without further involvement by the manufacturer, as long as it meets the safety, bumper, and other requirements, and the duty is paid.

If there’s no emissions label, adding one wouldn’t help, and indeed would just invite criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 542, entry of goods by means of false statements.

Fourth-generation Prius cars built for sale in the U.S. are certified for sale in all 50 states and the U.S. territories; there isn’t a separate California version. There is only one label to certify compliance with U.S. and California requirements; see a photo kindly posted by @Mark57 in an unrelated thread.