2003 TOYOTA PRIUS weight

60
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. An infant or child who
is too small to use a seat belt
should be properly secured using a
child restraint system. Toyota
strongly recommends that all in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” on page 62 in this
section.
Do not allow a child to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the front door or the area
of the seat from which the side air-
bag deploys even if he/she is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint” on page
62 in this section.
22p028b
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, distributing your weight even-
ly in the seat. Do not apply exces-
sive weight to the outer side of the
front seats on vehicles with side
airbags.
22p029c
Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device or object on or around
the door. When the side airbag in-
flates, the cup holder or any other
device or object will be thrown with
great force or the side airbag may
not activate correctly, resulting in
death or serious injury. Likewise,
the driver and front passenger
should not hold objects in their
arms or on their knees.

96
(b) Driver’s Seat Belt Reminder Lightand Buzzer
This light and buzzer remind you to
buckle up the driver’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to ”ON” or
”START”, the reminder light flashes and
the buzzer sounds if the driver ’s seat belt
is not fastened. Unless the driver fastens
the belt, the light keeps on flashing and
the buzzer sounds 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Front Passenger ’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
This light reminds you to buckle up the
front passenger ’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the front passenger seat
and does not fasten the seat belt. Unless
the front passenger fastens the belt, the
light stays flashing.
If luggage load is placed on the front
passenger seat, depending on its weight
and how it is placed on the seat, builtin
sensors in the seat cushion may detect
the pressure, causing the reminder light to
come on. (d) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the auxiliary battery
is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging
system.
The hybrid system will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the auxiliary battery is
discharged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, etc., and drive directly to
the nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
(e) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on when the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position and
goes off after the engine starts. This
means that the warning light system is
operating properly.
If the lamp remains on or the lamp
comes on while driving, first check the
following:
Empty fuel tank
If the fuel tank is empty, refuel immedi-
ately.
This case is a temporary malfunction. The
malfunction indicator lamp will go off after
taking several driving trips.
If the lamp will not go off even after
several trips, contact your Toyota deal-
er as soon as possible.
There is a problem somewhere in the
hybrid system or warning light system
itself.
Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.

160
30p003
The brake pad wear limit indicators on
your disc brakes give a warning noise
when the brake pads are worn to where
replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. Expensive ro-
tor damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary.When stowing luggage or cargo in the
vehicle, observe the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the trunk when
at all possible. Be sure all items are
secured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far for-
ward as possible helps maintain bal-
ance.
For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded weight.
CAUTION
Do not place anything on the pack-
age tray behind the rear seatback
or luggage cover. Such items may
be thrown about and possibly injure
people in the vehicle during sudden
braking or an accident.
Do not drive with objects left on
top of the instrument panel. They
may interfere with the driver’s field
of view. Or they may move during
sharp vehicle acceleration or turn-
ing, and impair the driver’s control
of the vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occupants.
NOTICE
Do not load the vehicle beyond the
vehicle capacity weight given in Sec-
tion 9.
114.Brake pad wear limit
indicators
115.Luggage stowage
precautions

170
Improving fuel economy is easyjust take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
221 in Section 82 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
slowing down. Stopandgo driving
wastes power.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on brake ped-
al. This causes premature wear, over-
heating and poor fuel economy.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb and
slow down on rough roads. Improper
alignment not only causes faster tire
wear but also puts an extra load on
the engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
Keep the bottom of your vehicle free
from mud, etc. This not only lessens
weight but also helps prevent corro-
sion.
Keep your vehicle tunedup and in
top shape . A dirty air cleaner, improp-
er valve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oil
and grease, brakes not adjusted, etc.
all lower engine performance and con-
tribute to poor fuel economy. For longer
life of all parts and lower operating
costs, keep all maintenance work on
schedule, and if you often drive under
severe conditions, see that your ve-
hicle receives more frequent mainte-
nance.
CAUTION
Never turn off the hybrid system to
coast down hills. Your power steering
and brake booster will not function
without the hybrid system running.
Also, the emission control system op-
erates properly only when the hybrid
system is running.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer,
too127.

178
NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a de-
flated tire. Driving even a short dis-
tance can damage a tire and wheel
beyond repair.
50p007a
Compact spare tire
The compact spare tire is designed for
temporary emergency use only.
The compact spare tire is identified by the
distinctive wheel design and color and
special wording “TEMPORARY USE ONLY”
molded into the side wall of the tire.
The standard tire should be repaired and
replaced as soon as possible.
The compact spare tire saves space in
your luggage compartment, and its lighter
weight helps to improve fuel economy and
permits easier installation in case of a flat
tire.The compact spare tire can be used many
times, if necessary. It has tread life of up
to 4800 km (3000 miles) depending on
road conditions and your driving habits.
When tread wear indicators appear on the
tire, replace the tire.
See also the tire section on page 222 in
Section 82 for details on the tread wear
indicators and other service information.
CAUTION
The compact spare tire was de-
signed especially for your Toyota.
Do not use it on any other vehicle.
Do not use more than one compact
spare tire at the same time.
Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph)
when driving with the compact
spare tire.
Avoid sudden acceleration, sudden
deceleration and sharp turns with
the compact spare tire.

221
82p003
Keep your tire pressures at the proper
level.
The recommended cold tire pressures, tire
size and the vehicle capacity weight are
given on page 243 in Section 9. They are
also on the tire pressure label as shown.
You should check the tire pressures every
two weeks, or at least once a month. And
do not forget the spare!
Incorrect tire pressure may waste fuel,
reduce the comfort of driving, reduce
tire life and make your vehicle less safe
to drive.
If a tire frequently needs refilling, have it
checked by your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
Keep your tire pressure properly.
Otherwise, the following conditions
may occur and cause an accident re-
sulting in death or serious injuries.
Low tire pressure (underinflation)—
Excessive wear
Uneven wear
Poor handling
Possibility of blowouts from over-
heated tire.
Poor sealing of the tire bead
Wheel deformation and/or tire sepa-
ration
High tire pressure (Overinflation)—
Poor handling
Excessive wear at the center of the
tire tread
A greater possibility of tire damage
from road hazards
The following instructions for checking
tire pressure should be observed:
The pressure should be checked
only when the tires are cold. If your
vehicle has been parked for at least 3
hours and has not been driven for
more than 1.5 km or 1 mile since, you
will get an accurate cold tire pressure
reading.
Always use a tire pressure gauge.
The appearance of a tire can be mis-
leading. Besides, tire pressures that
are even just a few pounds off can
degrade ride and handling.
Take special care when adding air to
the compact spare tire. The smaller
tire size can gain pressure very quick-
ly. Add compressed air in small quanti-
ties and check the pressure often until
it reaches the specified pressure.
Do not bleed or reduce tire pressure
after driving. It is normal for the tire
pressure to be higher after driving.
Never exceed the vehicle capacity
weight. The passenger and luggage
weight should be located so that the
vehicle is balanced.
162.Checking tire pressure

226
Replacement with used wheels is not rec-
ommended as they may have been sub-
jected to rough treatment or high mileage
and could fail without warning. Also, bent
wheels which have been straightened may
have structural damage and therefore
should not be used. Never use an inner
tube in a leaking wheel which is designed
for a tubeless tire.When installing aluminum wheels,
check that the wheel nuts are tight
after driving your vehicle the first 1600
km (1000 miles).
If you have rotated, repaired, or
changed your tires, check that the
wheel nuts are still tight after driving
1600 km (1000 miles).
When using tire chains, be careful not
to damage the aluminum wheels.
Use only the Toyota wheel nuts and
wrench designed for your aluminum
wheels.
When balancing your wheels, use only
Toyota balance weights or equivalent
and a plastic or rubber hammer.
As with any wheel, periodically check
your aluminum wheels for damage. If
damaged, replace immediately.
167.Aluminum wheel
precautions

239
174.SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications
Dimensions and weight240
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Electric motor 240
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Enginee 240
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Fuel 241
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Hybrid vehicle battery 241
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Service specifications 241
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Tires 243
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Fuses 244
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SECTION 9