2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

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When trouble arises
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5-1. Essential information
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Towing with a wheel lift-type truck
From front Release the parking brake.
From rear Use a towing dolly under the
front wheel.
ITY51P006
ITY51P007

418 5-1. Essential information
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NOTICE
■To prevent causing serious damage to the transmission
Never tow this vehicle from the rear with the front wheels on the ground.
■ To prevent damaging the vehicle
● Do not tow the vehicle with the “POWER” switch OFF.
The steering lock mechanism is not strong enough to hold the front wheel
straight.
● When raising the vehicle, ensure adequate ground clearance for towing at
the opposite end of the raised vehicle. Without adequate clearance, the
vehicle could be damaged while being towed.

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When trouble arises
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Using a flat bed truck
If you use chains or cables to tie
down your vehicle, the angles
shaded in black must be 45°.
Do not overly tighten the tie
downs or the vehicle may be
damaged.
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If you think something is wrong
If you notice any of the following symptoms, your vehicle probably
needs adjustment or repair. Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
■ Visible symptoms
●Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air cond itioning after use is normal.)
● Flat-looking tires or uneven tire wear
■ Audible symptoms
●Changes in exhaust sound
● Excessive tire squeal when cornering
● Strange noises related to the suspension system
● Pinging or other noises related to the hybrid system
■ Operational symptoms
●Engine missing, stumbling or running rough
● Appreciable loss of power
● Vehicle pulls heavily to one side when braking
● Vehicle pulls heavily to one side when driving on a level road
● Loss of brake effectiveness, s pongy feeling, pedal almost
touches the floor

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5-1. Essential information
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Event data recorder
In a crash or a near car crash eventThe SRS airbag sensor assembly contains the EDR. In a crash or a
near car crash event, this device may record some or all of the follow-
ing information:
● Gasoline engine speed
● Whether the brake pedal was applied or not
● Vehicle speed
● To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed
● Position of the transmission shift lever
● Whether the driver and front passenger wore seat belts or not
● Driver’s seat position
● SRS airbag deployment data
● SRS airbag system diagnostic data
● Front passenger’s occupant classification
The information above is intended to be used for the purpose of
improving vehicle safety performance. Unlike general data recorders,
the EDR does not record sound data such as conversation between
passengers.
Your vehicle has computers that monitor and control certain aspects
of your vehicle. These computers assi st in driving and maintaining
optimal vehicle performance.
Besides storing data useful for tr oubleshooting, there is a system to
record data in a crash or a near car crash event. This is called an
Event Data Recorder (EDR).

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Disclosure of the dataToyota will not disclose the data re corded in an EDR to a third party
except when:
● An agreement from the vehicle’s ow ner (or the leasing company for
a leased vehicle) is obtained
● Officially requested by the police or other authorities
● Used as a defense for Toyota in a law suit
● Ordered by a court
However, if necessary Toyota will:
● Use the data for research on Toyota vehicle safety performance
● Disclose the data to a third party for research purposes without dis-
closing details of the vehicle owner, and only when it is deemed
necessary
● Disclose summarized data cleared of vehicle identification informa-
tion to a non-Toyota organization for research purposes

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5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If a war ning light turns on or a war ning buzzer sounds...
Stop the vehicle immediately. Continuing to drive the vehicle
may be dangerous.The following warning indicates a possible problem in the brake sys-
tem. Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
*:Parking brake engaged warning buzzer:
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven at a speed of approximately 3 mph
(5 km/h) or more.
Warning lightWarning light/Details

(U.S.A.)

(Canada)
Brake system warning ligh t and warning buzzer* (red
indictor)
• Low brake fluid
• Malfunction in the brake system This light also comes on when the parking brake is not
released. If the light turns off after the parking brake is
fully released, the system is operating normally.
Calmly perform the following actions if any of the warning lights turn
on or flash. If a light turns on or flashes, but then turns off, this does
not necessarily indicate a malfunction in the system.

424 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
Stop the vehicle immediately.The following warning indicates the possibility of damage to the vehi-
cle that may lead to an accident. Immediately stop the vehicle in a
safe place and contact your Toyota dealer.
*1: This warning light is di splayed on the touch screen.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
Failing to investigate the cause of the following warnings may lead to
the system operating abnormally and possibly cause an accident.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
Warning lightWarning light/Details

*1Charging system warning light Indicates a malfunction in the vehicle’s charging system.

*1Low engine oil pressure warning light Indicates that the engine oil pressure is too low.

*1Hybrid system warning light Indicates a malfunction in the hybrid system.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
Malfunction indicator lamp Malfunction in:
• The electronic hybrid system control system;
• The electronic throttle control system; or
• The transmission control system.
SRS warning light Malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• Front passenger occupant classification system; or
• The seat belt pretensioner system.