2012 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

97
1-3. Opening, closing and locking the doors
1
Before driving
CAUTION
●
Do not pull on the back door damper stay to close the back door, and do
not hang on the back door damper stay.
Doing so may cause hands to be caught or the back door damper stay to
break, causing an accident.
● If a bicycle carrier or similar heavy object is attached to the back door, it
may fall closed again after being opened, causing someone’s hands, head
or neck to be caught and injured. When installing an accessory part to the
back door, using a genuine Toyota part is recommended.
●When closing the back door, take extra
care to prevent your fingers etc. from
being caught.
● When closing the back door, make sure
to press it lightly on its outer surface. If
the back door handle is used to fully
close the back door, it may result in
hands or arms being caught.

98 1-3. Opening, closing and locking the doors
NOTICE
■Back door damper stays
The back door is equipped with damper stays that hold the back door in
place.
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause damage to the back door damper stay, resulting
in malfunction.
●Do not attach any foreign objects, such
as stickers, plastic sheets, or adhesives
to the damper stay rod.
● Do not touch the damper stay rod with
gloves or other fabric items.
● Do not attach any accessories other
than genuine Toyota parts to the back
door.
● Do not place your hand on the damper
stay or apply lateral forces to it.
Damper stays

99
1
Before driving
1-4. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
Front seats
Manual seat (if equipped)
Seat position adjustment
lever
Seatback angle adjustment
lever
Vertical height adjustment
lever (for driver’s side)

100 1-4. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
Active head restraints
When the occupant’s lower back
presses against the seatback
during a rear-end collision, the
head restraint moves slightly for-
ward and upward to help reduce
the risk of whiplash on the seat
occupant.
Power seat (if equipped for driver’s seat) Seat position adjustment
switch
Seatback angle adjustment
switch
Seat cushion (front) angle
adjustment switch
Vertical height adjustment
switch
Lumbar support adjustment
switch

101
1-4. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
■Active head restraints
Even small forces applied to the seatback may cause the head restraint to
move. Pushing up a locked head restraint forcibly may make the inner struc-
ture of the head restraint appear. This does not indicate a problem.
CAUTION
■Seat adjustment
●To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during a collision, do not
recline the seat more than necessary.
If the seat is too reclined, the lap belt may slide past the hips and apply
restraint forces directly to the abdomen, or your neck may contact the
shoulder belt, increasing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of
an accident.
Adjustments should not be made while driving as the seat may unexpect-
edly move and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
● After adjusting the seat, make sure that the seat is locked in position.
During
rear-end
collision
Inner
structure

102
1-4. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
Rear seats
Before folding down the seatbacksPark the vehicle in a safe place.
Apply the parking brake firmly and shift the shift position to P.
(P. 205)
Adjust the position of the front seat and the angle of the seat-
back. (
P. 99)
Depending on the position of the front seat, if the seatback is folded
backward, it may interfere with the operation of the rear seat.
Stow the buckle of the seat belts.
Lower the head restraint of the rear seat. (
P. 105)
Vehicles with an armrest: Stow the armrest of the rear seat if it
is pulled out. ( P. 371)
This step is not necessary when operating the driver’s side seat only.
The seatbacks can be folded down.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5

103
1-4. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
Folding down the seatbacks
Fold the seatback down while
pushing the lock release button.
To return the rear seatbacks to
their original positions, lift them
up until they lock.
■Remove the seat belt from the guide
■ Returning rear seatbacks
If the seat belt interferes with luggage on
the folded seats, remove the seat belt
from the guide.
Tilt the rear seatback up until it locks,
making sure that you hold the seat belt to
prevent it from getting caught between
the seatback and the inner side of the
vehicle.
If the seat belt is removed from the guide,
make sure the belt pass through the
guide.

104 1-4. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
CAUTION
■When folding the seatbacks down
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
●Do not fold the seatbacks down while driving.
● Stop the vehicle on level ground, set the parking brake and shift the shift
position to P.
● Do not allow anyone to sit on a folded seatback or in the luggage compart-
ment while driving.
● Do not allow children to enter the luggage compartment.
■ After returning the seatback to the upright position
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or
serious injury.
● Check that the seat belts are not twisted or caught in the seatback.
●Make sure that the seatback is securely
locked in position by lightly pushing it
back and forth.
If the seatbacks is not securely locked,
the red marking will be visible on the
seatback lock release button. Make
sure that the red marking is not visible.