2004 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

321
Occupant restraint sys-tems
Toyota encourages you and your
family to take the time to read
Section 2−2 of this Owner’s Manu-
al carefully. In terms of helping
you understand how you can re-
ceive the maximum benefit of the
occupant restraint systems this ve-
hicle provides, Section 2 −2 of this
Owner ’s Manual is the most im-
portant section for you and your
family to read.
Section 2 −2 describes the function
and operation concerning seats,
seat belts, SRS airbags and child
restraint systems of this vehicle
and some potential hazards you
should be aware of. These sys-
tems work together along with the
overall structure of this vehicle in
order to provide occupant restraint
in the event of a crash. The effect
of each system is enhanced when
it is used properly and together
with other systems. No single oc-
cupant restraint system can, by it-
self, provide you or your family
with the equal level of restraint
which these systems can provide
when used together. That is why it
is important for you and your fam-
ily to understand the purpose and
proper use of each of these sys-
tems and how they relate to each
other.
The purpose of all occupant re-
straint systems is to help reduce
the possibility of death or serious
injury in the event of a collision.
None of these systems, either in-
dividually or together, can ensure
that there is no injury in the event
of collision. However, the more
you know about these systems
and how to use them properly, the
greater your chances become of
surviving an accident without death
or serious injury.
Seat belts provide the primary re-
straint to all occupants of the ve-
hicle, and every occupant of the
vehicle should wear seat belts
properly at all times. Children
should always be secured in child
restraint systems that are ap-
propriate for their age and size.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are, as their names
imply, designed to work with, and
be supplemental to, seat belts and
are not substitutes for them. SRS
airbags can be very effective in
reducing the risk of head and
chest injuries by preventing con-
tact of the head and chest with
interior portions of the vehicle.

322

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In order to be effective, the SRS
airbags must deploy with tremen-
dous speed. The rapid deployment
of the SRS airbags makes the
SRS airbags themselves potential
sources of serious injury if an oc-
cupant is too close to an airbag,
or if an object or some part of his
or her body has been placed be-
tween the occupant and the airbag
at the time of deployment. This is
just one example of how the in-
structions in Section 2−2 of this
Owner ’s Manual will help ensure
proper use of the occupant re-
straint systems, and increase the
safety they can provide to you
and your family in the event of an
accident.
Toyota recommends you to read
the provisions in Section 2− 2 care-
fully and refer to them as needed
during your time of ownership of
this vehicle.New vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by
the following Toyota limited war-
ranties:
 New vehicle warranty
 Emission control systems war-
ranty
 Others
For further information, please re-
fer to the “Owner ’s Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manu-
al Supplement”.
Your responsibility for maintenance
It is the owner’s responsibility to
make sure the specified mainte-
nance is performed. Section 7
gives details of these maintenance
requirements. Also included in
Section 7 is general maintenance.
For scheduled maintenance infor-
mation, please refer to the
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or
“Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.

324
Important health andsafety information about your
To y o t a
CAUTION
WARNING: Engine exhaust, some of its constitu-
ents, and a wide variety of automobile compo-
nents contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth de-
fects and other reproductive harm. In addition,
oils, fuels and fluids contained in vehicles as well
as waste produced by component wear contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other repro-
ductive harm.
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories
contain lead and lead compounds. Wash your
hands after handling. Used engine oil contains
chemicals that have caused cancer in laboratory
animals. Always protect your skin by washing
thoroughly with soap and water.

325
Accessories, spareparts and
modification of your To y o t a
A wide variety of non −genuine
spare parts and accessories for
Toyota vehicles are currently avail-
able in the market. You should
know that Toyota does not warrant
these products and is not respon-
sible for their performance, repair,
or replacement, or for any damage
they may cause to, or adverse ef-
fect they may have on, your Toyo-
ta vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modi-
fied with non −genuine Toyota
products. Modification with non −
genuine Toyota products could af-
fect its performance, safety or du-
rability, and may even violate gov-
ernmental regulations. In addition,
damage or performance problems
resulting from the modification may
not be covered under warranty.

326
Spark ignition system ofyour Toyota
The spark ignition system in your
Toyota meets all requirements of
the Canadian Interference −Causing
Equipment Standard.
Installation of a mobile twoway radio system
As the installation of a mobile
two −way radio system in your ve-
hicle could affect electronic sys-
tems such as multiport fuel injec-
tion system / sequential multiport
fuel injection system, cruise con-
trol system, anti −lock brake sys-
tem, vehicle stability control sys-
tem, SRS airbag system, seat belt
pretensioner system and Toyota
hybrid system, be sure to check
with your Toyota dealer for pre-
cautionary measures or special
instructions regarding installation.
Tires and loading on your Toyota
Underinflated or overinflated
tire inflation pr essure and the
excess load may result in the
deterioration of steering ability
and braking ability, leading to
an accident. Check the tire
inflation pressure periodically
and be sure to keep the load
limits given in this Owner ’s
Manual. For details about tire
inflation pressure and load lim-
its, see page 289 and pages
224.

327
Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pre-
tensioner devices in your Toyota
contain explosive chemicals. If the
vehicle is scrapped with the airbags
and pretensioners left as they are,
this may cause an accident such as
fire. Be sure to have the systems
of the SRS airbag and seat belt
pretensioner removed and disposed
of by the qualified service shop or
by your Toyota dealer before you
dispose of your vehicle.
CAUTION
When your vehicle or bat-
tery needs to be disposed
of, be sure to consult your
Toyota dealer. Hybrid ve-
hicle batteries must be
collected through Toyota
dealers. If your vehicle is
disposed of without dis-
mantling, someone could
receive an electric shock
by touching the high volt-
age parts of the hybrid ve-
hicle battery. If the battery
is not disposed of proper-
ly, its contents can cause
death or serious injury.
Hybrid vehicle battery
The hybrid vehicle battery has a
limited service life. Call your Toyo-
ta dealer for information about re-
cycling or disposal of hybrid ve-
hicle battery and your vehicle.

328
CAUTION