Question about Leaf warning sound

[BetaMark]

It's been stated that the warning sound can be disabled via a button on the dashboard, but will reset at the next ignition cycle. But when I drove the car at the Drive Electric tour, the sound seemed to be permanently disabled, even though I had turned the car's ignition on and off a couple of times.

Were these cars specially hacked in some way for this?

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

It's been stated that the warning sound can be disabled via a button on the dashboard, but will reset at the next ignition cycle. But when I drove the car at the Drive Electric tour, the sound seemed to be permanently disabled, even though I had turned the car's ignition on and off a couple of times.

Were these cars specially hacked in some way for this?

Very observant. Indeed, they were hacked by Nissan -- every one of them, using an undisclosed method to keep the sounds off.

It's a bit of a hot button for me, since I went there specifically to hear the pedestrian sounds, and they would not enable them for anyone -- not even one car. I can only imagine they must be so obnoxious that Nissan had to hide them during the group test drive, right?

To rub salt in it, Nissan on-line reps insist that the pedestrian warning sounds were NOT disabled, and I must be mistaken. Uh, no.

 

[mwalsh]

The forward sound is actually pretty cool...."whoosh", like a turbine engine. From inside the car, you can barely hear it with the windows down, and can't hear it at all with the windows up. Didn't try the reverse "beep", so I can't say on it.

 

[Yodrak]

Thanks for posting this information. It confirms what I've read in every test drive report in the media where the feature has been mentioned, and hopefully will take some of the edge off of the sometimes heated debate about the pros and cons of such a sound.

The forward sound is actually pretty cool...."whoosh", like a turbine engine. From inside the car, you can barely hear it with the windows down, and can't hear it at all with the windows up.

 

[DarkStar]

Were these cars specially hacked in some way for this?

My bet is that the switch was removed and a jumper was placed across the back of it, that way every time the car is turned on the switch is sensed and the sounds are turned off.

Does anybody know if there is a dashboard indicator for the sounds being turned off? If there is and it isn't on for the demos, the speaker is probably just unplugged...

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

I looked, but did not find any indication that the sounds were turned off.

Most of those switches require a momentary push, not a hold, so I don't know if a jumper/shunt/duct tape would do it.

They probably disconnected the sounder. It would have been interesting to see if the alarm still chirps on arm/disarm.

Maybe someone can try that at an upcoming drive event! Hit lock/unlock on the key fob and see if you can hear anything outside the car. Maybe even try the panic alarm. I'd be they're all mute.

 

[BetaMark]

Does anybody know if there is a dashboard indicator for the sounds being turned off?

Yes, there is a switch. It's of a push-push type and is located in a cluster of switches down at the lower left of the steering wheel that I think includes the brightness control for the dash. The switch lights up when on. I vaguely remember playing with it and leaving it in the 'on' position, but still no sound.