2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

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(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, shift the shift lever
to “B” position.
During high speed driving, you may feel
that deceleration by engine braking is less
than that of a typical vehicle.
Do not continue normal driving with the
transaxle in “B” for a long time. This may
cause decreased fuel economy. To prevent
this, use “D” for normal driving.
When you shift the transaxle to “B” from
a position other than “D”, an alarm sounds
and the transaxle is automatically shifted
to “N”.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin.
(e) Backing up1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the shift lever to the
“R” position. You will hear beeps while
the transaxle is in “R”.
When you shift the transaxle to “R” while
driving, an alarm sounds and the transaxle
is shifted to “N”.
(f) Parking 1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down, fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, push the “P” position switch.
If you press the “POWER” switch while
stopping, the transaxle is automatically
shifted to the “P” and the hybrid system
is turned off. If the driver ’s door is opened when the
transaxle is in “N”, “D” or “B”, beep
sounds and a warning message appears
on the multi
−information display to warn
you to shift the transaxle to “P”.
If you push the “P” position switch while
driving, an alarm sounds and the transaxle
is automatically shifted to “N”.NOTICE
Be sure to put the hybrid transaxle in
“P” when parking. In “N”, the hybrid
vehicle battery will not be charged
even if the gasoline engine is run-
ning. You cannot start your vehicle if
the transaxle is left in “N” for a long
time because the hybrid vehicle bat-
tery will discharge.
When shifting the transaxle from “P” on
the slope, a large parking lock releasing
noise will be generated. However, this
does not indicate a malfunction.

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(g) Vehicle driving characteristics
Creeping
In order to hold the vehicle properly on an
incline and for better accelerator pedal
operation at starting, your vehicle is de-
signed like a typical automatic transmis-
sion vehicle which tends to move without
depressing the accelerator pedal with the
transaxle in a position other than “P” or
“N”.
With the transaxle in a position other than
“P” or “N”, depress the brake pedal firmly
even when stopped and apply the parking
brake as required.
When moving in a compact area or during
a traffic jam, it is an effective way to
control the speed using only the brake
pedal operation without depressing the ac-
celerator pedal.
Regenerative brake
When the accelerator pedal is released or
the brake pedal is depressed, the electric
motor acts as a generator and converts
kinetic energy to electric energy to provide
deceleration and recover electric energy to
charge the hybrid vehicle battery.
At this time, the electric motor running
noise may increase.The operation is the same as a typical
gasoline powered vehicle.
You may experience the following condi-
tion while braking. As they do not indicate
a malfunction, perform braking as usual:
In the “OFF” mode, pressing the
“POWER” switch once or twice will se-
lect “ACC” or “IG
−ON” only if the brake
pedal is not depressed. In this condi-
tion, the brake pedal may move a little.
Hybrid driving
This vehicle runs in combination with the
gasoline engine and electric motor.
If the “READY” light is on, you can start
your vehicle even with the gasoline engine
stopped. (h) If the system malfunctions
In the following conditions, there is some
problem in the system.
The indicator on the “P” position switch
flashes. However, this does not indi-
cate a malfunction unless a warning
message appears in the multi
−informa-
tion display.
All frames of shift position indicators in
the instrument cluster flash.
The parking system error message ap-
pears on the multi −information display.
The instrument cluster and multi −infor-
mation display does not come on when
the “IG −ON” mode is enabled.
In these cases, stop your vehicle in a
safe and level place, apply the parking
brake securely and contact your Toyota
dealer immediately.
(i) When the auxiliary battery is dis- connected
Before you disconnect the aux iliary bat-
tery, confirm the shift position is “P” and
apply the parking brake completely.
After you reconnect the auxiliary battery,
shift the shift lever to “N” and confirm the
shift position is in “N” when the “IG −ON”
mode is enabled.

139
The vehicle stability control system
helps provide integrated control of the
systems such as antilock brake sys-
tem, brake assist system, hybrid system
control, etc. This system automatically
controls the brakes and hybrid system
to help prevent the vehicle from skid-
ding when cornering on a slippery road
surface or operating steering wheel
abruptly.
This system activates when the vehicle
speed is more than about 15 km/h (9
mph).CAUTION
Do not rely exclusively on the ve-
hicle stability control system. Even
if the vehicle stability control sys-
tem is operating, you must always
drive carefully and attentively to
avoid serious injury. Reckless driv-
ing will result in an unexpected ac-
cident. If the slip indicator light
flashes, sounding an alarm, special
care should be taken while driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacturer, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use tires other than
specified, or mixed types or size,
the vehicle stability control system
may not function correctly. When
replacing the tires or wheels, con-
tact your Toyota dealer. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” on
page 291.)
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Slip indicator light
If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light blinks and an
alarm sounds intermittently. Special care
should be taken while driving.
The slip indicator light blinks in the follow-
ing conditions also.
The vehicle tires are racing. Utmost
care is required when driving.
When the anti−lock brake system is
operating. See “Brake system” on page
209 for details.
Vehicle stability control
system

140
The slip indicator light comes on when the
“IG−ON” mode is enabled and will go off
after the “READY” light comes on. If the
indicator light does not come on when the
ignition is turned on, contact your Toyota
dealer.
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“VSC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the vehicle stability control
system.
The light will come on when the “IG −ON”
mode is enabled and will go off after the
“READY” light comes on.
If the light comes on while driving, the
system does not work. However, because
the conventional braking still operates, you
can drive your vehicle without damaging
it. Contact your Toyota dealer. In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the “IG
−ON” mode is enabled.
The warning light remains on after the
“READY” light comes on.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.

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Vehicles sold in U.S.A.
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Vehicles sold in Canada
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Fully depress the parking brake
pedal. For better holding power, first de-
press the brake pedal and hold it while
setting the parking brake.
To release: Depress the parking brake
pedal while depressing the brake pedal.
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake en-
gaged can reduce braking power.
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.
Cruise control
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of hybrid
system performance, although a slight
speed change may occur when driving up
or down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow
–covered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then shift the shift
lever to “B” position to use engine
braking to slow down.
Parking brake

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TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate the cruise control, push the
“ON·OFF” switch. This turns the system
on. The indicator light in the instrument
panel shows that you can now set the
vehicle at a desired cruising speed. Anoth-
er push on the switch will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the “ON·OFF” switch
off when not using the cruise control.
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SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
The transaxle must be in “D” before you
set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the “– SET” direc-
tion and release it. This sets the vehicle
at that speed.
If the speed is not satisfactory, tap the
lever up for a faster speed, or tap it down
for a slower speed. Each tap changes the
set speed by 1.6 km/h (1.0 mph). You can
now take your foot off the accelerator
pedal.If you need acceleration—for example,
when passing—depress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the control lever in the “CANCEL” direction and releasing it.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40
km/h (25 mph), the preset speed will auto-
matically cancel out.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10
mph) below the preset speed, the preset
speed will also automatically cancel out.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases, have
your vehicle checked by your Toyota deal-
er at the earliest opportunity.

143
RESETTING TO A FASTER SPEED
Push the lever up in the “+ RES” direction
and hold it. Release the lever when the
desired speed is attained. While the lever
is held up, the vehicle will gradually gain
speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to ac-
celerate the vehicle and then push the
control lever down in the “– SET” direc-
tion.
RESETTING TO A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the “– SET” direc-
tion and hold it. Release the lever when
the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held down, the vehicle speed will
gradually decrease.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
control lever down in the “– SET” direc-
tion.RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling
the control lever or by depressing the
brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the
“+ RES” direction will restore the speed
set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls be-
low about 40 km/h (25 mph), the preset
speed will not be resumed.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If the “CRUISE” indicator light in the
instrument cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, press the “ON·OFF” button
to turn the system off and then press it
again to turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then oc-
curs, there is some trouble in the cruise
control system.
The indicator light does not come on.
The indicator light flashes again.
The indicator light goes out after it
comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Toyota
dealer and have your vehicle inspected.

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