2012 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

25
Event data recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main pur-
pose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist
in understanding how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is designed
to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record such data as:
• How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
• Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fas-tened;
• How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
• How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in
which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situ-
ation occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving condi-
tions and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are
recorded. However, other parties, such as law enforcement, could combine
the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and access
to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer,
other parties, such as law enforcement, that have the special equipment, can
read the information if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR.

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●Disclosure of the EDR data
Toyota will not disclose the data recorded in an EDR to a third party except
when:
• An agreement from the vehicle’s owner (or the lessee for a leased vehicle) is obtained
• In response to official request by the police, a court of law or a govern- ment agency.
• For use by Toyota in a lawsuit
However, if necessary, Toyota may:
• Use the data for research on vehicle safety performance
• Disclose the data to a third party for research purposes without disclosing information about the specific vehicle or vehicle owner
Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner devices in your Toyota contain
explosive chemicals. If the vehicle is scrapped with the airbags and seat belt
pretensioners left as they are, this may cause an accident such as fire. Be
sure to have the systems of the SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner
removed and disposed of by a qualified service shop or by your Toyota
dealer before you scrap your vehicle.
Perchlorate Material
Special handling may apply,
See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Your vehicle has components that may contain perchlorate. These compo-
nents may include airbag, seat belt pretensioners, and wireless remote con-
trol batteries.

27
CAUTION
■General precautions while driving
Driving under the influence: Never drive your vehicle when under the influ-
ence of alcohol or drugs that have impaired your ability to operate your vehi-
cle. Alcohol and certain drugs delay reaction time, impair judgment and
reduce coordination, which could lead to an accident that could result in
death or serious injury.
Defensive driving: Always drive defensively. Anticipate mistakes that other
drivers or pedestrians might make and be ready to avoid accidents.
Driver distraction: Always give your full attention to driving. Anything that dis-
tracts the driver, such as adjusting controls, talking on a cellular phone or
reading can result in a collision with resulting death or serious injury to you,
your occupants or others.
■ General precaution regarding children’s safety
Never leave children unattended in the vehicle, and never allow children to
have or use the key.
Children may be able to start the vehicle or shift the vehicle into neutral.
There is also a danger that children may injure themselves by playing with
the windows, the moon roof, or other features of the vehicle. In addition, heat
build-up or extremely cold temperatures inside the vehicle can be fatal to
children.
■ Disposal of the hybrid battery (traction battery)
If your vehicle is disposed of without the hybrid battery (traction battery) hav-
ing been removed, there is a danger of serious electric shock if high voltage
parts, cables and their connectors are touched. In the event that your vehicle
must be disposed of, the hybrid battery (traction battery) must be disposed
of by your Toyota dealer or a qualified service shop. If the hybrid battery
(traction battery) is not disposed of properly, it may cause electric shock that
can result in death or serious injury.

28
Symbols used throughout this manual
Cautions & Notices
Symbols used in illustrations
CAUTION
This is a warning against something which, if ignored, may cause death or
serious injury to people. You are informed about what you must or must not do
in order to reduce the risk of death or serious injury to yourself and others.
NOTICE
This is a warning against something which, if ignored, may cause damage to
the vehicle or its equipment. You are informed about what you must or must
not do in order to avoid or reduce the risk of damage to your Toyota and its
equipment.
Safety symbol
The symbol of a circle with a slash through it means “Do not”,
“Do not do this”, or “Do not let this happen”.
Arrows indicating operationsIndicates the action (pushing, turn-
ing, etc.) used to operate switches
and other devices.
Indicates the outcome of an opera-
tion (e.g. a lid opens).
ITOPP105

Before driving1
29
1-1. Hybrid systemHybrid system features ...... 30
Hybrid system precautions ...................... 36
Energy monitor/consumption screen .............................. 42
Hybrid vehicle driving tips ................................... 56
1-2. Key information Keys ................................... 58
1-3. Opening, closing and locking the doors
Smart key system (with entry function) ......... 61
Smart key system (without entry function) .... 79
Wireless remote control .............................. 85
Side doors .......................... 87
Back door ........................... 93
1-4. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering
wheel)
Front seats ......................... 99
Rear seats........................ 102
Head restraints................. 105
Seat belts ......................... 109
Steering wheel ................. 117
Inside rear view mirror ..... 118
Outside rear view mirrors............................ 121 1-5. Opening and closing the
windows and moon roof
Power windows ................ 123
Moon roof with Solar Panel.............................. 126
1-6. Refueling Opening the fuel tank cap ................................. 131
1-7. Theft deterrent system Immobilizer system .......... 135
Theft prevention labels (for the U.S.A.) ............... 137
1-8. Safety information Correct driving posture..... 138
SRS airbags ..................... 140
Front passenger occupant classification
system ........................... 154
Child restraint systems..... 160
Installing child restraints ........................ 165

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1-1. Hybrid system
Hybrid system features
Your vehicle is a hybrid vehicle. It has characteristics different from
conventional vehicles. Be sure you are closely familiar with the char-
acteristics of your vehicle, and operate with care.
The hybrid system combines the use of a gasoline engine and an
electric motor (traction motor) according to driving conditions,
improving fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions.
Gasoline engine
Electric motor (traction motor)

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1-1. Hybrid system
1
Before driving
■
When stopped/during start off
The gasoline engine stops
* when the vehicle is stopped. During
start off, the electric motor (tra ction motor) drives the vehicle. At
slow speeds or when traveling down a gentle slope, the engine
is stopped
* and the electric motor (traction motor) is used.
When shift position is in N, the hybrid battery (traction battery)
will not be charged. Thus, shift to P when the vehicle is stopped.
In addition, when driving in heavy traffic, use D or B.
*: However, when the hybrid battery (traction battery) need to be charged or while the engine is being warmed up, the gasoline
engine may not stop automatically. ( P. 33)
■ During normal driving
The gasoline engine is predominantly used. The electric motor
(traction motor) charges the hybr id battery (traction battery) as
necessary.
■ When accelerating sharply
When the accelerator pedal is depressed heavily, the power of
the hybrid battery (traction battery ) is added to that of the gaso-
line engine via the electric motor (traction motor).
■ When braking (regenerative braking)
The electric motor (traction mo tor) charges the hybrid battery
(traction battery).

32 1-1. Hybrid system
Vehicle proximity notification system
When driving with the gasoline engine stopped, a sound, which
changes in accordance with the dr iving speed, will be played in order
to warn people nearby of the vehicle’s approach. The sound will stop
when the vehicle speed exceeds a pproximately 15 mph (25 km/h).
■Regenerative braking
In the following situations, kinetic energy is converted to electric energy and
deceleration force can be obtained in conjunction with the recharging of the
hybrid battery (traction battery).
●The accelerator pedal is released while driving with the shift position in D
or B.
● The brake pedal is depressed while driving with the shift position in D or
B.
■ Hybrid System Indicator
Hybrid System Indicator represents the
hybrid system power output and regener-
ative charging. (
P. 225)