2006 TOYOTA PRIUS towed

17

Do not wet or put foreign objects over
the air vent. Otherwise, the hybrid bat-
tery may be adversely affected and be
damaged.
You may hear a cooling fan noise from
the air vent.
For vehicle repairs or maintenance, be
sure to consult your Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle is beyond repair because
of accident or something, be sure to
consult your Toyota dealer.
As sealed Nickel −Metal hydride batteries
are used, be sure to consult your Toyota
dealer when disposing of your vehicle.
CAUTION
If you are involved in an accident,
follow these precautions.
Move the vehicle to a safe place
and perform the followings to re-
duce the risk of high voltage elec-
tricity leakage.
 Depress the brake pedal and apply
the parking brake.
 Press the “P” position switch and
stop the hybrid system.
 If the key is inserted into key slot,
remove it.
If your vehicle has experienced ma-
jor damage, you may get an electric
shock. To prevent this, never touch
the high voltage parts (hybrid bat-
tery assembly, etc.) or cables
(orange color) connecting these
parts. If some exposed electric
wires are protruding inside or out-
side of the vehicle, an electric
shock may also occur. Never touch
them.
If the fluid leaks or gets in some
part of the vehicle, never touch it
because it may be electrolyte
(strong alkali) from the hybrid bat-
tery. If it gets on your skin or eyes,
wash off immediately with a large
amount of water, if possible, with
boric acid solution, and get immedi-
ate medical attention in order to
help avoid serious injury.
If a vehicle fire occurs, extinguish
it using a fire extinguisher for the
exclusive use on electric fires. As
a small amount of water may be
dangerous, use a large amount of
water, for example from a fire hy-
drant, or wait for a firefighting
team arrival.
If your vehicle needs to be towed,
do it with the front wheels or all
four wheels raised. If the front
wheels are on the ground when
towing, the electric motor may con-
tinue to generate electricity which
could leak electricity. A fire could
occur depending on the degree of
damage. See “If your vehicle needs
to be towed” on page 372.

352
Check the condition of the 12 volt bat-
tery and cables.
Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any 12 volt battery, so it must be in top
shape to provide enough power for winter
starting. Section 8−3 tells you how to
visually inspect the 12 volt battery. Your
Toyota dealer will be pleased to check the
level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See page 401 for recommended viscosity.
Leaving a heavy summer oil in your ve-
hicle during winter months may cause
harder starting. If you are not sure about
which oil to use, call your Toyota deal-
er—they will be pleased to help.
Keep the door locks from freezing.
Squirt lock de −icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing.
Use a washer fluid containing an anti
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer ’s directions for how
much to mix with water.NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-
age your vehicle’s paint.
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, push the “P” position
switch and block the rear wheels. Do not
use the parking brake, for snow or water
accumulated in and around the parking
brake mechanism may freeze, making it
hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During extreme
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.40p050b
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with four wheels on the
ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to your ve-
hicle.
Dinghy towing

355
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
If your vehicle will not start356
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your hybrid system stalls while driving 360
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If your vehicle overheatss 360
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you have a flat tire 361
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . .
If your vehicle needs to be towed 372
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you lose your keys 375
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
If you cannot operate back door opener 376
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 5

372
50p021a
(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 373.
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—

373
50p022b
(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.
50p035b
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

374
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 12 volt 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.
50p046a
1. Remove the towing eyelet as shown in the illustration.
—Installing towing eyelet

375
50p047a
2. Secure the towing eyelet to the hole onthe bumper by turning it clockwise.
50p048a
3. Tighten the towing eyelet securely bya wheel nut wrench.
CAUTION
When installing the eyelet on the ve-
hicle, be sure to tighten the eyelet
securely. If the eyelet is loose, it may
come off when being towed and re-
sult in death or serious injury.
You can purchase a new key at your
Toyota dealer if you can give them the
key number and master key.
Even if you lose only one key, contact
your Toyota dealer to make a new key. If
you lose all your master keys, you cannot
make new keys; the whole hybrid vehicle
immobilizer system must be replaced.
See the suggestion given in “Keys” on
page 20.
If your keys are locked in the vehicle and
you cannot get a duplicate, many Toyota
dealers can still open the door for you,
using their special tools. If you must
break a window to get in, we suggest
breaking the smallest side window be-
cause it is the least expensive to replace.
Be extremely cautious to avoid cuts from
the glass.
If you lose your keys

451
If an accident occurs
Pull your vehicle off the road,
push the “P” position switch,
stop the hybrid system and if
the key is inserted into key
slot, remove it.
In order to avoid personal in-
juries, do not touch any high
voltage wirings and their con-
nectors, and high voltage
parts (inverter unit, hybrid
battery, etc.).
If some exposed electric
wires are protruding inside or
outside of your vehicle, an
electric shock may occur.
Never touch the electric
wires.
If fluid leaks or gets in some
parts of the vehicle, never
touch it because it may be
electrolyte (strong alkali) from
the hybrid battery. If it gets
into your skin or eyes, wash
off immediately with a large
amount of water, if possible,
boric acid solution, and get
immediate medical attention
in order to help avoid serious
injury.
If a vehicle fire occurs, extin-
guish it using a fire extin-
guisher for the exclusive use
on electric fires. Or, use a
large amount of water to pre-
vent flammable gas from be-
ing generated from the batter-
ies.
If your vehicle needs to be
towed, do it with the front
wheels raised. For details on
towing, see “If your vehicle
needs to be towed” on page
372 in Section 5.