2004 TOYOTA PRIUS flat tire

245
The compact spare tire saves space
in your luggage compartment, and its
lighter weight helps to improve fuel
economy and permits easier installa-
tion 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) de-
pending on road conditions and your
driving habits. When tread wear indi-
cators appear on the tire, replace the
tire.
See also the tire information on page
291 for details on the tread wear indi-
cators and other service information.
CAUTION

The compact spare tire was de-
signed especially for your To-
yota. Do not use it on any other
vehicle.
 Do not use more than one com-
pact spare tire at the same
time.
 Do not exceed 80 km/h (50
mph) when driving with the
compact spare tire.
 Replace the compact spare tire
with the standard tire as soon
as possible.
 Avoid sudden a cceleration,
sudden d eceleration and sharp
turns with the compact spare
tire.
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is re-
duced when the compact spare
tire is installed so avoid driving
over obstacles and drive slowly
on rough, unpaved roads and
speed bumps. Also, do not at-
tempt to go through an auto-
matic car wash as the vehicle
may get caught, resulting in
damage.

247
When installing the jack box, align the
arrows on the jack
box with the ones
on the body.
50p011b
2. Block the wheel diagonally op-
posite the flat tire to keep the
vehicle from rolling when it is
jacked up.
When chocking the wheel, place a
wheel block in front of one of the front
wheels or behind one of the rear
wheels.
50p013d
3. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before
raising the vehicle.
Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise
to loosen them. To get maximum le-
verage, fit the wrench to the nut so
that the handle is on the right side,
as shown above. Grab the wrench
near the end of the handle and pull
up on the handle. Be careful that the
wrench does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yet—just un-
screw them about one −half turn.
—Blocking the wheel —Loosening wheel nuts

248
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. The nuts may loos-
en and the wheels may fall off,
which could cause a serious ac-
cident.
50p014e
4. Position the jack at the jackpoints as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on
a level and solid place.
50p015c
5. After making sure no one is in the vehicle, raise it high enough
so that the spare tire can be
installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare
tire than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicl e, insert the jack
handle into the jack (it is a loose fit)
and turn it clockwise. As the jack
touches the vehicle and begins to lift,
double −check that it is properly posi-
tioned.
—Positioning the jack —Raising your vehicle

249
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the
jack alone.
50p016a
6. Remove the wheel nuts andchange tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the
bolts. Then lift up the wheel and get
at least the top bolt started through
its hole. Wiggle the tire and press it
back over the other bolts.
50p017c
Before putting on wheels, remove any
corrosion on the mounting surfaces
with a wire brush or such. Installation
of wheels without good metal− to−met-
al contact at the mounting surface can
cause wheel nuts to loosen and even-
tually cause a wheel to come off while
driving.
—Changing wheels

251
CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle,
make sure all portions of your
body and all other persons
around will not be injured as
the vehicle is lowered to the
ground.
 Have the wheel nuts tightened
with torque wrench to 103 N·m
(10.5 kgf·m, 76 ft·lbf), as soon
as possible after changing
wheels. Otherwise, the nuts
may loosen and the wheels
may fall off, which could cause
a serious accident.
9. Restow all the tools and jack se-
curely. Then secure the flat tire
in the luggage compartment
with the tire tiedown belts and
tiedown hooks as follows
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in
place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of person-
al injury during a collision or
sudden braking.
1. Before stowing the flat tire, removethe center wheel ornament by
pushing from the reverse side.
Be careful not to lose the wheel orna-
ment.
—Stowing flat tire

252
2. Put the flat tire on the center ofthe luggage storage box lid with
the outer side of the wheel facing
up. Hook one ends of the belts to
the front tie −down hooks.3. Pass the belts through the center
hole of the wheel as shown above.4. Attach the other ends of the beltsto the rear tie −down hooks.
After stowing the flat tire, check that
the tire and belts are secured.

253
CAUTION
Make sure the rear seats are in
their original position.
 When carrying the flat tire, se-
cure it using a tire tiedown
belts. Otherwise, the flat tire
may fly out in case of the sud-
den braking or an accident, re-
sulting in death or serious inju-
ry.
10. Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressu re to the specifi-
cation designated on page 313. If the
pressure is lower than specified, drive
slowly to the nearest Toyota dealer
and fill to the correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire infla-
tion valve cap as dirt and moisture
c ould get int o t he valv e cor e a nd pos-
sibly cause air leakage. If the cap is
missing, have a new one put on as
soon as possible.
As soon as possible after changing
wheels, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 313 with a
torque wrench. Have a technician re-
pair the flat tire.
After repairing the flat tire, change it
with compact spare tire and reinstall
the wheel ornament.CAUTION
Take due care in handling the or-
nament to avoid unexpected per-
sonal injury.
—After changing wheels

270
INSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing periodic
services, cleaning the vehicle, etc.
Lights
Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail
lights, turn signal lights, and other lights
are all working. Check headlight aim.
Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers
Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly.
Steering wheel
Be alert for changes in steering condition,
such as hard steering or strange noise.
Seats
Check that all front seat controls such as
seat adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. op-
erate smoothly and that all latches lock
securely in any position. Check that the
head restraint move up and down smooth-
ly and that the locks hold securely in any
latched position.Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly and smoothly. Make sure the belt
webbing is not cut, frayed, worn or dam-
aged.
Accelerator pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching.
Brake pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance.
Check the brake booster function.
Brakes
In a safe place, check that the brakes do
not pull to one side when applied.
Parking brake
Check that the pedal has the proper travel
and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle
is held securely with only the parking
brake applied.
OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be performed
from time to time, unless otherwise
specified.
Fluid leaks
Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, wa-
ter or other fluid after the vehicle has
been parked for a while. If you smell fuel
fumes or notice any leak, have the cause
found and corrected immediately.
Doors and engine hood
Check that all doors and trunk operate
smoothly and all latches lock securely.
Make sure the engine hood secondary
latch secures the hood from opening when
the primary latch is released.
Tire inflation pressure
Check the pressure with a gauge ev-
ery two weeks, or at least once a
month. See page 289 for additional
information.