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What is the purpose of....?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 18, 2007.

  1. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    One of the most agitating aspects of the Prius dash is the orange airbag light. Why idoes it have to be the international color for a bad condition? Due to previous jobs, I am trained to react to orange or red warning lights as a serious situation. Now here is this PERMANENT orange light on the dash that I must go to great efforts to ignore. It appears that cars (with the Prius in the lead) are heading to the same situation that aircraft cockpits and nuclear control rooms are experiencing. Namely too many warnings, alarms, and indicators that confuse more than anything else. (There are more beeps codes and stuff for alerting the driver of every possible condition, yet it is still trivially easy to drain the Prius 12V battery with one mistake.) Every year some very strange symbol is added to the dash that requires a secret decoder sheet to figure out what it means (e.g. TMPS). Heaven forbid that the MFD reports the problem in clear English (or whatever language the driver wants.) I think this needs some attention. Am I alone in this?
     
    #1 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 18, 2007
  2. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    This cries out for the Car Talk solution:

    Cover it with black electrical tape.

    Problem solved.
     
    #2 Doc Willie, Aug 18, 2007
  3. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 18 2007, 01:14 PM) [snapback]498361[/snapback]</div>
    To get your attention!
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 18 2007, 01:14 PM) [snapback]498361[/snapback]</div>
    Sorry to sound ignorant, but the 2001 has a permanent airbag light? That's dumb. The 05 has it come on for a few seconds when the car is started. Normal running conditions does not display this.
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 18 2007, 01:14 PM) [snapback]498361[/snapback]</div>
    Oh, how I loath TPMS. What a stupid system.
     
    #3 oly_57mpg, Aug 18, 2007
  4. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oly_57mpg @ Aug 18 2007, 01:23 PM) [snapback]498365[/snapback]</div>
    The 2001 does not have this light. The 2007 does. The "AIGBAG" part of the light is always lit. The "ON" part of the light is what changes. Now why does this need my attention for every second of driving?
     
    #4 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 18, 2007
  5. msirach

    msirach Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 18 2007, 12:14 PM) [snapback]498361[/snapback]</div>
    I have to think about where I'm at in regards to red/green.

    At a stop light, red is stop. Green is go.

    I work at a power plant and red is run, green is stopped for all equipment.
     
    #5 msirach, Aug 18, 2007
  6. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Aug 18 2007, 01:16 PM) [snapback]498363[/snapback]</div>
    I'm looking for a vastly better solution than that.
     
    #6 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 18, 2007
  7. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(msirach @ Aug 18 2007, 01:45 PM) [snapback]498373[/snapback]</div>
    Uh, I really hope it isn't a nuclear plant. What's the reasoning for green means stop, red means a-go?
     
    #7 oly_57mpg, Aug 18, 2007
  8. hoop

    hoop On The South Texas Coast

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oly_57mpg @ Aug 18 2007, 01:05 PM) [snapback]498381[/snapback]</div>
    I work at a nuclear plant, red is for danger, equipment is operating. Green is safe, equipment is not running. :lol: If its glowing and blue, its too late for you and you wont have to worry about it!
     
    #8 hoop, Aug 18, 2007
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well it's amber for a reason

    Red - Immediate Attention Required
    Amber/Orange - Caution

    technically, it's a caution light. I just don't know why we can't have an AIRBAG OFF light only. We don't need a AIRBAG ON one either.
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Aug 18, 2007
  10. echase

    echase New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 18 2007, 10:35 PM) [snapback]498518[/snapback]</div>

    Airbags are dangerous for small people. I believe AIRBAG ON would be something to be more cautious of, AIRBAG OFF should be green, IMHO.
     
    #10 echase, Aug 18, 2007
  11. AussieOwner

    AussieOwner Active Member

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    Could be for some US regulation - same as why US cars don't have factory fitted EV buttons. My Aussie 2007 model only has a air bag warning light, and a symbol rather than the word, that lights up during the system startup check, then goes out after about 6 seconds.
     
    #11 AussieOwner, Aug 18, 2007
  12. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hoop @ Aug 18 2007, 10:10 PM) [snapback]498510[/snapback]</div>
    Ahhh! Right! Run. Not as in running equipment but as in run like hell. When I read the "if it's glowing and blue, it's too late for you" I _almost_ dropped my beer because I was laughing so hard.


    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 18 2007, 10:35 PM) [snapback]498518[/snapback]</div>
    There are several vehicles that do this. The Honda Odyssey lights an amber caution when the airbag is turned off.

    When did Toyota make this change to force the airbag light on all the time? 07?
     
    #12 oly_57mpg, Aug 18, 2007
  13. fo0bar

    fo0bar Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 18 2007, 10:51 AM) [snapback]498376[/snapback]</div>
    Completely disassemble the dash, desolder the orange LED, and solder a white or green LED in its place. It should only take you or I about 20 hours, but it would be "better" than electrical tape. B)
     
    #13 fo0bar, Aug 19, 2007
  14. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Move to Australia, we don't have that light, just one that goes off after a short time.
     
    #14 patsparks, Aug 19, 2007
  15. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 19 2007, 07:52 AM) [snapback]498607[/snapback]</div>
    Now that's a solution I have not thought about.

    The Airbag lights are not Toyota's doing. This is entirely a US self inflicted pain. I can solve the local problem with tape or LED change or any number of other approaches. My worry is that regulations are starting to specify every single light on the dash, adding every possible indication in a certain color, and making car dashes more dangerous than safe. It really confused the new drivers to the car what all this stuff means and what to do......and the manual says to pay the dealer for everything.

    P.S. Operated a nuclear plant at sea. If there was a big problem, we could run........ but not very far.
     
    #15 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 19, 2007
  16. auricchio

    auricchio Member

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    It's almost as annoying as the time they marked the 55mph with a red mark on US cars, because in 1973 (74?) the national speed limit was lowered to 55 to save fuel.

    It was idiotic to specially mark every speedometer of new cars. After all, they don't specially mark every other speed limit!
     
    #16 auricchio, Aug 19, 2007
  17. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL_Prius_Driver @ Aug 19 2007, 11:27 AM) [snapback]498648[/snapback]</div>
    But you did have plenty of cooling water.

    Tom
     
    #17 qbee42, Aug 20, 2007
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