52
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow any passengers to sit on
top of a folded down seatback, or
in the luggage compartment or car-
go area. Persons not properly
seated and/or not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow any
passengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Otherwise,
severe injuries can occur in the
event of emergency braking or a
collision.
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with
considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if
the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration “NHTSA” advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag
is the first 50 75 mm (2 3 in.) of
inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your diver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of safety.
This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your
breastbone. If you sit less than 250
mm (10 in.) away now, you can
change your driving position in sever-
al ways:
Move your seat to the rear as far
as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Slightly recline the back of the
seat. Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the 250
mm (10 in.) distance, even with the
driver seat all the way forward, sim-
ply by reclining the back of the
seat somewhat. If reclining the back
of your seat makes it hard to see
the road, raise yourself by using a
firm, non slippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
If your steering wheel is adjustable,
tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of
your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as rec-
ommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot
pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.
Seats Front seats—
—Front seat precautions
70
22p022c
Do not put anything or any part of
your body on or in front of the
dashboard or steering wheel pad
that houses the front airbag sys-
tem. They might restrict inflation or
cause death or serious injury as
they are projected rearward by the
force of the deploying airbags. Like-
wise, the driver and front passenger
should not hold objects in their
arms or on their knees.
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components, such as
the steering wheel pad, steering
wheel, column cover, dashboard
near the front passenger airbag,
front passenger airbag cover, front
passenger airbag or airbag sensor
assembly. Doing so may prevent the
front airbag system from activating
correctly, cause sudden front air-
bags activation of the system or
disable the system, which could re-
sult in death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
Consult your Toyota dealer about any
repair and modification.NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can in-
terfere with proper operation of the
SRS front airbag system in some
cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
Modification of the front end struc-
ture
Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure, con-
sole, steering column, steering
wheel or dashboard near the front
passenger airbag
96
22p058e
To change the steering wheel angle,
hold the steering wheel, push down the
lock release lever, tilt the steering
wheel to the desired angle and push
the lever up to lock the steering wheel
in position.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so may cause the driver to mishan-
dle the vehicle and an accident may
occur resulting in death or serious
injuries.
After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down to make
sure it is locked in position.
22p059a
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger ’s side
because it is a convex mirror. Any object
seen in a convex mirror will look smaller
and farther away than when seen in a flat
mirror.
When you touch the rear window defogger
switch, the heater panels in the outside
rear view mirrors will quickly clear the
mirror surface. (See “Rear window and
outside rear view mirror defoggers” on
page 110.)
Tilt steering wheelOutside rear view mirrors—
236
You may hear a motor sound in the en-
gine compartment when the brake pedal is
depressed with the hybrid system off.
When the hybrid system is started or
stopped, you may hear a sound coming
from the hybrid vehicle battery in the lug-
gage compartment. However, this does not
indicate any trouble.
If there is a problem somewhere in the
hybrid system, the hybrid system malfunc-
tion warning light will come on in place of
the “READY” light. If this happens, contact
your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
Never start the hybrid system from
outside the vehicle, or an accident
may occur. Be sure to sit on the driv-
er seat, then start the system when
driving.
NOTICE
The hybrid system cannot be
started when the shift position is
“N”. Be sure to put it in “P” and
then start the system.
If any warning light comes on (See
page 117 for details.) or the auxilia-
ry battery is disconnected, the hy-
brid system may not start by push-
ing the “POWER” switch. In that
case, push it once again. If the
“READY” light does not come on,
contact your Toyota dealer.
When you start the hybrid system
at a lowered outside temperature, it
may take longer before the blinking
“READY” light changes to stay on.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharp −edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage such
as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy road. Other-
wise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and put the hybrid
transaxle “P”. If necessary, block the
wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
Tips for driving in various
conditions
247
6. After the coolant temperature hascooled to normal, again check the cool-
ant level in the reservoir. If necessary,
bring it up to half full again. Serious
coolant loss indicates a leak in the
system. You s hould have it checked as
soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping a straight line. Move cau-
tiously off the road to a safe place
well away from the traffic. Avoid
stopping on the center divider of
a highway. Park on a level spot
with firm ground.
2. Stop the hybrid system and turn on your emergency flashers.
3. Firmly set the parking brake.
4. Have everyone get out of the ve- hicle on the side away from traffic.
5. Read the following instructions thoroughly.CAUTION
When jacking, be sure to observe
the following to reduce the possi-
bility of personal injury:
Follow jacking instructions.
Do not put any part of your
body under a vehicle sup-
ported by a jack. Personal inju-
ry may occu r.
Do not start or run the hybrid
system while your vehicle is
supported by the j ack.
Stop the vehicle at a level firm
ground, firmly set the parking
brake. Block the wheel diago-
nally opposite to the one being
changed if necessary.
If you have a flat tire—
248
Make sure to set the jack prop-
erly in the jack point. Raising
the vehicle with jack improper-
ly positioned will damage the
vehicle or may allow the ve-
hicle to fall off the jack and
cause personal injury.
Never get under the vehicle
when the vehicle is supported
by the jack alone.
Use the jack only for lifting
your vehicle during wheel
changing.
Do not raise the vehicle with
someone in the vehicle.
When raising the vehicle, do
not place any objects on top
of or underneath the jack.
Raise the vehicle only high
enough to remove and change
the tire.NOTICE
Do not continue driving with a
deflated tire. Driving even a
short distance 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 wording “TEM-
PORARY USE ONLY” molded into the
side wall of the tire.
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.
253
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