2006 TOYOTA PRIUS shift release

15

As the vehicle runs with both the gaso-
line engine and electric motor, you may
hear a motor sound coming from the
engine compartment.
When the hybrid system is started or
stopped, you may hear a sound coming
from the hybrid battery in the luggage
compartment. However, this does not
indicate any trouble.
If the “READY” light is on, you can
start even though the gasoline engine
may be off.
When you shift the shift lever to “B”
and release it to its original position
and your foot from the accelerator ped-
al, engine braking will be applied. How-
ever, during high speed driving you
may feel that deceleration by engine
braking is less than that of ordinary
vehicle.
Be sure to put the hybrid transaxle in
“P” when parking.
In “N”, the hybrid battery assembly is not
charged, even if the gasoline engine is
operating. You cannot run your vehicle if
the hybrid transaxle is left in “N” for a
long time because the hybrid battery as-
sembly will be discharged. When you leave your vehicle, apply the
parking brake to put the hybrid trans-
axle in “P” and be sure to carry the
key with you and lock all the doors.
If you leave the hybrid system in “ACC”
or “IG
−ON”, the hybrid system may not
start because the 12 volt battery will be
discharged.
If the vehicle is parked for a long time,
the hybrid battery will discharge gradually.
To keep the hybrid battery in good condi-
tion, drive the vehicle at least once every
several months for at least 30 minutes or
ten miles. If the hybrid battery becomes
fully discharged and the vehicle will not
start even with a jump −start to the 12 volt
battery, contact your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
When you leave your vehicle, be
sure to shut off the hybrid system.
Be sure to put the hybrid transaxle
in “P” because the vehicle can start
with the “READY” light on and the
engine stopped (no engine sound
and vibration). When the “READY”
light is on, if you leave your ve-
hicle in shift position other than
“P” and “N”, the vehicle will creep
and start abruptly with the accelera-
tor pedal being depressed by mis-
take. This may cause death or seri-
ous injury.

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”.

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.

157
Cruise control
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of hybrid
system performance, although a slight
speed change may occur when driving up
or down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow
–covered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then shift the shift
lever to “B” position to use engine
braking to slow down.
25p006a
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate the cruise control, push the
“ON·OFF” switch. This turns the system
on. The indicator light in the instrument
panel shows that you can now set the
vehicle at a desired cruising speed. Anoth-
er push on the switch will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the “ON·OFF” switch
off when not using the cruise control.
25p007a
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
The transaxle must be in “D” before you
set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the “– SET” direc-
tion and release it. This sets the vehicle
at that speed.
If the speed is not satisfactory, tap the
lever up for a faster speed, or tap it down
for a slower speed. Each tap changes the
set speed by 1.6 km/h (1.0 mph). You can
now take your foot off the accelerator
pedal.

351
CAUTION
Before driving off, make sure the
parking brake is fully released and
the parking brake reminder light is
off.
Do not leave your vehicle unat-
tended with the “READY” light on.
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. It can cause
dangerous overheating, needless
wear, and poor fuel economy.
To drive down a long or steep hill,
reduce your speed and downshift.
Remember, if you ride the brakes
excessively, they may overheat and
not work properly.
Be careful when accelerating or
braking on a slippery surface. Sud-
den acceleration or engine braking,
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin.
Do not drive in excess of the speed
limit. Even if the legal speed limit
permits it, do not drive over 140
km/h (85 mph) unless your vehicle
has highspeed capability tires.
Driving over 140 km/h (85 mph)
may result in tire failure, loss of
control and possible injury. Be sure
to consult a tire dealer to determine
whether the tires on your vehicle
are highspeed capability tires or
not before driving at such speeds.
Do not continue normal driving
when the brakes are wet. If they are
wet, your vehicle will require a lon-
ger stopping distance, and it may
pull to one side when the brakes
are applied. Also, the parking brake
will not hold the vehicle securely.
Make sure you have a proper freeze
protection for engine coolant.
Only use “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant”
or similar high quality ethylene glycol
based non−silicate, non −amine, non− nitrite,
and non− borate coolant with long −life
hybrid organic acid technology. (Coolant
with long −life hybrid organic acid
technology is a combination of low
phosphates and organic acids.)
See “Checking the coolant level” on page
402 for details of coolant type selection.
For the U.S.A.—“Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” is a mixture of 50% coolant and
50% deionized water. This coolant pro-
vides protection down to about −35 C
( − 31 F).
For Canada—“Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” is a mixture of 55% coolant and
45% deionized water. This coolant pro-
vides protection down to about −42 C
( − 44 F).
NOTICE
Do not use plain water alone.
Winter driving tips