469
8
When trouble arises
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
8-2. Steps to take in an emergency
The following may indicate a problem with your transmission. Contact
your Toyota dealer or commercial towing service before towing.
● A warning message for the hybrid system is shown on the multi-
information display and the vehicle does not move.
● The vehicle makes an abnormal sound.
If your vehicle needs to be towed
If towing is necessary, we re commend having your vehicle
towed by your Toyota dealer or commercial towing service,
using a wheel-lift type truck or flatbed truck.
Use a safety chain system for all towing, and abide by all state/
provincial and local laws.
Situations when it is necessary to contact dealers before towing
4748-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
■ While towing
● When towing using cables or chains, avoid sudden starts, etc. which place
excessive stress on the towing eyelets, cables or chains. The towing eye-
lets, cables or chains may become damaged, broken debris may hit peo-
ple, and cause serious damage.
● Do not turn the engine switch to the “LOCK” position (vehicles without a
smart key system) or the “POWER” switch off (vehicles with a smart key
system).
There is a possibility that the steering wheel is locked and cannot be oper-
ated.
■ Installing towing eyelets to the vehicle
Make sure that towing eyelets are installed securely.
If not securely installed, towing eyelets may come loose during towing.
Be sure to transport the vehicle with the
front wheels raised or with all four wheels
raised off the ground. If the vehicle is
towed with the front wheels contacting
the ground, the drivetrain and related
parts may be damaged or electricity gen-
erated by the operation of the motor may
cause a fire to occur depending on the
nature of the damage or malfunction.
4778-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
If a warning light turns on or a warning
buzzer sounds
Calmly perform the following actions if any of the warning lights
comes on or flashes. If a light comes on or flashes, but then
goes off, this does not necessarily indicate a malfunction in the
system. However, if this continues to occur, have the vehicle
inspected by your Toyota dealer.
Warning light and warning buzzer list
Warning lightWarning light/Details/Actions
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
Brake system warning light in red (warning buzzer)*1
• Low brake fluid
• Malfunction in the brake system
→ Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and con-
tact your Toyota dealer. Continuing to drive the vehi-
cle may be dangerous.
Brake system warning light in yellow
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The regenerative brake system; or
• The electronically controlled brake system
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
4788-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
Warning lightWarning light/Details/Actions
Charging system warning lightIndicates a malfunction in the vehicle's charging system
→ Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and con-
tact your Toyota dealer.
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
Malfunction indicator lamp Indicates a malfunction in:
• The hybrid system;
• The electronic engine control system; or
• The electronic throttle control system
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
SRS warning light
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• The front passenger occupant classification system; or
• The seat belt pretensioner system
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
ABS warning light Indicates a malfunction in:
• The ABS; or
• The brake assist system
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Electric power steering system warning light (warning
buzzer)
Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steer-
ing) system
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)Parking brake warning light (warning buzzer)*2
Indicates that the parking brake is engaged
→ Release the parking brake.
4798-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
Slip indicator lightIndicates a malfunction in:
• The VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) system;
• The TRAC (Traction Control) system; or
• The hill-start assist control system
The light will flash when the VSC, the TRAC or the ABS
system is operating.
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Low fuel level warning light
Remaining fuel is low
When the remaining fuel is approximately 1.3 gal. (5.0 L,
1.1 Imp. gal.) or less, a buzzer sounds and comes on
→ Refuel the vehicle.
Seat belt reminder light (warning buzzer)*3
Warns the driver and/or front passenger to fasten their
seat belts
→ Fasten the seat belt.
If the front passenger’s seat is occupied, the front
passenger’s seat belt also needs to be fastened to
make the reminder light (warning buzzer) go off.
Master warning light
A buzzer sounds and the warning light comes on and
flashes to indicate that the master warning system has
detected a malfunction.
→ P. 486
Warning lightWarning light/Details/Actions
4808-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
*1: Brake system warning buzzer: When there is a possible problem that could affect braking performance,
the warning light will come on and a warning buzzer will sound.
*2: Parking brake engaged warning buzzer →P. 203
(If equipped)
PCS warning light When the warning light flashes (and a buzzer sounds):
Indicates a malfunction in the PCS (Pre-Collision system)
→ Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
When the warning light flashes (and a buzzer does not
sound):
Indicates that the PCS (Pre-Collision system) is temporar-
ily unavailable, possibly due to either of the following:
• The part of the windshield around the front sensor being dirty, fogged up or covered with condensation, ice, stick-
ers, etc.
→ Clear the dirt, fog, conden sation, ice, stickers, etc.
( →P. 225)
• Front sensor temperature being outside of its opera-
tional range
→ Wait for a while until the area around the front sensor
has cooled down sufficiently.
When the warning light is illuminated:
Either the VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) system or PCS
(Pre-Collision system) is disabled or both are disabled.
→ To enable the PCS, enable both the VSC system and
PCS. ( →P. 230, 265)
Tire pressure warning light
When the light comes on:
Low tire inflation pressure such as
• Natural causes ( →P. 482)
• Flat tire ( →P. 501)
→ Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified
level.
The light will turn off af ter a few minutes. In case
the light does not turn off even if the tire inflation
pressure is adjusted, have the system checked by
your Toyota dealer.
When the light comes on after blinking for 1 minute:
Malfunction in the tire pressure warning system
( → P. 483)
→ Have the system checked by your Toyota dealer.
Warning lightWarning light/Details/Actions
4828-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
■SRS warning light
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor assembly, front impact
sensors, side impact sensors (front door), side impact sensors (front), side
impact sensors (rear), driver’s seat belt buckle switch, front passenger occu-
pant classification system, “AIR BAG ON” indicator light, “AIR BAG OFF” indi-
cator light, front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch, seat belt pretensioners
(front), airbags, interconnecting wiring and power sources. ( →P. 41)
■ Front passenger detection sensor, passenger seat belt reminder and
warning buzzer
● If luggage is placed on the front passenger seat, the front passenger de\
tec-
tion sensor may cause the warning light to flash and the warning buzzer to
sound even if a passenger is not sitting in the seat.
● If a cushion is placed on the seat, the sensor may not detect a passenger,
and the warning light may not operate properly.
■ Electric power steering system warning light (warning buzzer)
When the 12-volt battery charge becomes insufficient or the voltage tempo-
rarily drops, the electric power steer ing system warning light may come on
and the warning buzzer may sound.
■ If the malfunction indicator la mp comes on while driving
First check the following:
● Is the fuel tank empty?
If it is, fill the fuel tank immediately.
● Is the fuel tank cap loose?
If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after several driving trips.
If the light does not go off even after several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
■
When the tire pressure warning light comes on
Check the tire inflation pressure and adjust to the appropriate level. Push-
ing the tire pressure warning reset switch will not turn off the tire pressure
warning light.
■The tire pressure warning light may come on due to natural causes
The tire pressure warning light may come on due to natural causes such
as natural air leaks and tire inflat ion pressure changes caused by tem-
perature. In this case, adjusting the ti re inflation pressure will turn off the
warning light (afte r a few minutes).
■When a tire is replaced with a spare tire
The compact spare tire is not equipped with a tire pressure warning valve
and transmitter. If a tire goes flat, the tire pressure warning light will not
turn off even though the flat tire ha s been replaced with the spare tire.
Replace the spare tire with the repair ed tire and adjust the tire inflation
pressure. The tire pressu re warning light will go off after a few minutes.
4838-2. Steps to take in an emergency
8
When trouble arises
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)■
If the tire pressure warning system is not functioning
→P. 437
■
If the tire pressure warning light frequently comes on after blinking
for 1 minute
If the tire pressure warning light frequently comes on after blinking for 1
minute when the engine switch is turned to the “ON” position (vehicles
without a smart key system) or the “POWER” switch is turned to ON
mode (vehicles with a smart key system ), have it checked by your Toyota
dealer.
■ Customization that can be co nfigured at Toyota dealer
The vehicle speed linked seat belt reminder buzzer can be disabled. (Cus-
tomizable features →P. 556) However, Toyota recommends that the seat belt
reminder buzzer be operational to alert the driver and front passenger when
seat belts are not fastened.
■ Warning buzzer
In some cases, the buzzer may not be heard because of noisy place or an
audio sound.
WARNING
■When the electric power steerin g system warning light comes on
The steering wheel may become extremely heavy.
When steering wheel operations are heavier than usual, grip the steering
wheel firmly and operate it using more force than usual.
■
If the tire pressure warning light comes on
Be sure to observe the following precautions. Failure to do so could
cause a loss of vehicle control and result in death or serious injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe place as soon as possible. Adjust the tire
inflation pressure immediately.
●If the tire pressure warning light co mes on even after tire inflation pres-
sure adjustment, it is probable that you have a flat tire. Check the tires.
If a tire is flat, change it with the spare tire and have the flat tire
repaired by the nearest Toyota dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and braking. If the vehicle tires deteriorate,
you could lose control of the steering wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air leakage should occur
The tire pressure warning system may not activate immediately.