Toyota Prius traction control override

From another thread:

Is there a way to override the traction control in a (2005) Toyota Prius?

My Insight has a button to turn off traction control. So did my previous car, a non-hybrid Saturn.

A cursory googling seems to indicate that you can’t turn it off on a Prius.

http://www.google.com/search?q=prius+"turn+off+traction+control"&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

This page: Can Toyota Prius traction control be turn off? - Answers
claims that you can but, considering the described procedure, I think the poster may be full of crap.

Thanks for the hint, davidm.

I found this (emphasis original):

This doesn’t strictly answer your question, but your understanding of how traction control works isn’t quite right. The TCS doesn’t cut power (for one thing, many TCS-equiped vehicles have old-fashioned cable throttles and so can’t cut power), but applies the brake on the one spinning wheel, which will prevent all the power from being sent to that wheel by the differential. So it sort of acts like a limited-slip differential.

Now, this is the stuff of rampant debate, but generally there’s no reason to turn the TCS off, except maybe to do burnouts or spin doughnuts. The only exception is maybe if you agressive truck-style tires, turning the TCS off and spinning your tires might help you “paddlewheel” out of mud or snow. But for the kinds of tires you’ve got on a Prius, there’s (arguably) really not going to be a situation in which you’ll have no traction with the TCS and some without.

I had a 2004 Prius and now have a 2010. On those two models the power** is** cut for traction control. This does make it difficult to ascend a snow covered or iced slope in some cases. It’s also difficult to rock your self out of a snowy parking place as well.

Apparently I was confusing the power recovery system at the wheels with motors that drive them, based on the animation on the nav screen.

Nevertheless, the car will not move (from a stop) in snow. Whether power is cut to the wheels, or brakes are applied to them, there is no motive force.

I drive and the light comes on and beeps! I lose power and my car slows and it is very dangerous the drive conditions are normal. this started when I had a low tire I changed it to the spare. I immediatly had the spare replaced the car did fine on the way home I parked it then went out for an errand and it started doing the same thing. the tractino control light come on and it beeps and I lose power at first it was only at speeds over 30 miles per hour seems to be the rule.:confused: