Federal authorities are considering removing any option of running in stealth mode in your electric and hybrid vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently setting a timetable on a bill passed by the Obama Administration that bans car manufacturers from producing vehicles with the option to shut off the noise makers installed in electric cars and hybrids.

Case in point, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (pictured above) had been slated to hit dealerships late last year but the new regulation left Hyundai scrambling to yank all of the on\off switches for the noise maker.

Unfortunately for car manufacturers, the NHTSA isn’t in any hurry to deliver it’s timetable on the synthetic audio requirements and have given themselves three years to come up with it.

While the NHTSA drags its feet on establishing the noise maker law details, people who drive electric cars like the Nissan Leaf, which have the switch will enjoy their option. Or possibly not. Based on feedback from electric car drivers, the noise maker is apparently barely noticeable. This may in the end be very much a non-issue to those who originally balked at the idea.

Have you ever been about to cross the street when you realized several tons of hybrid or electric car was about to cream you? It’s an occurrence that is apparently happening more and more often.

That’s why Toyota is offering a $149 noise maker for its Toyota Prius starting next week. Initially only to be available in Japan, the hybrid noise maker will be a speaker that’s installed under the hood. The noise will be selected by the manufacturer and will be designed to “alert but not annoy.”

While the Prius noise maker is only going to be available in Japan for now, plans are in place to see it brought to the U.S, market. It will be interesting to see if the American versions will allow for sound customization. Will it be like a whole new ringtone? Will Prius drivers be given the option to blast Lady Gaga at innocent passersby? Only time will tell.