2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

249
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the
jack alone.
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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.
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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

250
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7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts fin-ger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end
inward) and tighten them as much as
you can by hand. Press back on the
tire and see if you can tighten them
more.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. Doing so may lead
to overtightening the nuts and
damaging the bolts. The nuts
may loosen and the wheels may
fall off, which could cause a seri-
ous accident. If there is oil or
grease on any bolt or nut, clean
it.
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8. Lower the vehicle completely and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclock-
wise to lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench to
tighten the nuts. Do not use other
tools or any additional leverage other
than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the
wrench is securely engaged over the
nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in
the order shown. Repeat the process
until all the nuts are tight.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts —Lowering your vehicle

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

254
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(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck——From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or com-
mercial tow truck service, tow your ve-
hicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in “—Emergency tow-
ing” on page 255.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver. TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front
—Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance for
towing at the opposite end of the
raised vehicle. Otherwise, the under-
body of the towed vehicle will be
damaged during towing.
From rear—Use a towing dolly under the
front wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle from the rear
with the front wheels on the ground,
as this may cause serious damage to
the transmission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
If your vehicle needs to be
towed—

255
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(c) Towing with sling type truck
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This may
cause body damage.
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If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tempo-
rarily towed by a cable or chain se-
cured to emergency towing eyelet in-
side of front bumper. Use extreme
caution when towing vehicles.
NOTICE
 Only use specified towing eyelet;
otherwise your vehicle may be dam-
aged.
 Never tow a vehicle from the rear
with four wheels on the ground.
This may cause serious damage to
the transaxle.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hard− surfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, drive train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
—Emergency towing

256
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing ve-
hicles. Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emergency
towing eyelet and towing cable or
chain. The eyelet and towing cable or
chain may break and cause serious
injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specifically
intended for use in towing vehicles.
Securely fasten the cable or chain to
the towing eyelet provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the hybrid transaxle in “N”. The
hybrid system must be in the “IG−ON”
mode.
In the following cases, as the front wheels
might be locked by means of the parking
lock mechanism, your vehicle cannot be
towed by another vehicle using a rope.
Have your vehicle carried with the front
wheels or all the wheels raised.
If the parking mechanism fails.
If the auxiliary battery is discharged.
CAUTION
If the hybrid system is not running,
the power assist for the brakes and
steering will not work so steering and
braking will be much harder than usu-
al.
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1. Remove the towing eyelet as shown in the illustration.
—Installing towing eyelet