2006 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

145
25p121
(a) Shift lever
The shift position is displayed on the in-
strument cluster.
R:Reverse position (buzzer sounds)
N: Neutral position
D: Normal driving position
B: Engine braking position
(shown only while in “D”)
NOTICE
Observe the following instructions.
Otherwise, the lever may cause a mal-
function, resulting in trouble:
Do not remove the knob on the le-
ver.
 Do not use a knob other than the
originally fitted knob.
 Do not hang anything on the lever.
Should you find anything unusual,
contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
(b) “P” position switch
The “P” (parking) position is displayed on
the instrument cluster, and the indicator
on the “P” position switch comes on.
(c) Normal driving 1. Start the hybrid system as instructed in “How to start the hybrid system” on
page 348.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the shift lever to “D”.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting. Doing so can
cause abrupt acceleration.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
When you shift the transaxle to “D”
while backing up, an alarm sounds and
the transaxle is shifted to “N”.

146
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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
battery will not be charged even if the
gasoline engine is running. You can-
not start your vehicle if the transaxle
is left in “N” for a long time because
the hybrid battery 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.

147
(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 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 12 volt battery is discon- nected
Before you disconnect the 12 volt battery,
confirm the shift position is “P” and apply
the parking brake completely.
After you reconnect the 12 volt battery,
shift the shift lever to “N” and confirm the
shift position is in “N” when the “IG −ON”
mode is enabled.

148
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 death or serious injury. Reck-
less driving will result in an unex-
pected accident. 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 407.)
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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
325 for details.
Vehicle stability control
system

149
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
hybrid system is turned on, contact your
Toyota dealer.
25p117
“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.

150
The tire pressure warning system warns
you that the tire inflation pressure is
low.
The tire pressure warning system is not
a substitute for checking normal tire infla-
tion pressure. Check the tire inflation
pressure with a tire pressure gauge regu-
larly.
CAUTION
The warning system may not activate
immediately if bursts or sudden air
leakage should occur.
The tire pressure warning light comes on
when the “POWER” switch is selected in
“IG−ON” mode and goes off after a few
seconds. This means the tire pressure
warning light is operating properly. If the
tire inflation pressure becomes low, the
light comes on again. In this case, adjust-
ing the tire inflation pressure will turn off
the light after a few seconds. If the light
blinks, the tire pressure warning system is
not working properly. Indicator
status
MeaningsDo this
ONTire inflation
pressure is
lowAdjust the
tire inflation
pressure
ON after
blinking for
1 minuteTire pres-
sure warn-
ing system
malfunctionHave the
system
checked at
your Toyota
dealer
CAUTION
If the tire pressure warning light
comes on, be sure to observe the
following precautions. Failure to do
so could cause loss of vehicle control
and result in death or serious injury.
Stop your vehicle in a safe place as
soon as possible. Adjust the tire
inflation pressure immediately.
If the tire pressure warning light
comes on even after tire inflation
pressure adjustment, it is probable
that you have a flat tire. Check the
tires. If the tire is flat, change to
the spare tire and have the flat tire
repaired by the nearest Toyota deal-
er.
Tire pressure warning system

151
Avoid abrupt maneuvering and bra-
king. If the vehicle tires deteriorate,
you could lose control of the steer-
ing wheel or the brakes.
The tire pressure warning light may turn
on due to natural causes such as natural
air leaks or tire inflation pressure changes
caused by temperature. In this case, ad-
justing the tire inflation pressure will turn
off the light.
Pushing the tire pressure warning reset
switch should not turn off the tire pressure
warning light. Adjusting the tire inflation
pressure will turn off the light.
The compact spare tire is not equipped
with the tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter. If a tire goes flat, the warn-
ing light will not turn off even though the
flat tire is replaced with the spare tire.
Replace the spare tire with the repaired
tire and adjust the proper tire inflation
pressure. The tire pressure warning light
will turn off after several minutes.
CAUTION
Each tire, including the spare (if pro-
vided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation
pressure recommended by the vehicle
manufacturer on the vehicle placard
or tire inflation pressure label (tire
and load information label). (If your
vehicle has tires of a different size
than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label
(tire and load information label), you
should determine the proper tire infla-
tion pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your ve-
hicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS–
tire pressure warning system) that il-
luminates a low tire pressure telltale
(tire pressure warning light) when one
or more of your tires is significantly
underinflated. Accordingly, when the
low tire pressure telltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure. Driving on a sig-
nificantly underinflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to
tire failure. Underinflation also re-
duces fuel efficiency and tire tread
life, and may affect the vehicle’s han-
dling and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pres-
sure warning system) is not a substi-
tute for proper tire maintenance, and
it is the driver ’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
underinflation has not reached the
level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale (tire
pressure warning light).

152
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS (tire pressure warning
system) malfunction indicator to indi-
cate when the system is not operat-
ing properly. The TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) malfunction indicator
is combined with the low tire pres-
sure telltale (tire pressure warning
light). When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for
approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated. This
sequence will continue upon subse-
quent vehicle startups as long as
the malfunction exists. When the mal-
function indicator is illuminated, the
system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended.TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation
of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS (tire pressure warning sys-
tem) from functioning properly. Al-
ways check the TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) malfunction telltale
after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that
the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS (tire pressure
warning system) to continue to func-
tion properly.NOTICE
Do not use liquid sealants for a flat
tire as tire pressure warning valve
and transmitter will be damaged.
 When the tires must be repaired or
replaced, have them repaired or re-
placed by the nearest Toyota dealer
or an authorized tire dealer. The
tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters will be affected by the
installation or removal of tires.