399
7Maintenance and care
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)7-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 400
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 403
7-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ................... 406
General maintenance........ 409
Emission inspection and maintenance
(I/M) programs ................ 412
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions ..................... 413
Hood ................................. 416
Positioning a floor jack ...... 418
Engine compartment ......... 419
12-volt battery ................... 428
Tires .................................. 432
Tire inflation pressure ....... 441
Wheels .............................. 444
Air conditioning filter.......... 446
Wireless remote control/ electronic key battery ...... 448
Checking and replacing fuses ............................... 451
Light bulbs......................... 455
400
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
7-1. Maintenance and care
●Working from top to bottom, liber ally apply water to the vehicle
body, wheel wells and underside of the vehicle to remove any dirt
and dust.
● Wash the vehicle body using a sponge or soft cloth, such as a
chamois.
● For hard-to-remove marks, use car wash soap and rinse thoroughly
with water.
● Wipe away any water.
● Wax the vehicle when the wate rproof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle
body is cool.
■Automatic car washes
●Fold the mirrors before washing the vehicle. Start washing from the fron\
t of
the vehicle. Make sure to extend the mirrors before driving.
● Brushes used in automatic car washes may scratch the vehicle surface and
harm your vehicle's paint.
● In certain automatic car washes, the rear spoiler may interfere with machine
operation. This may prevent the vehicle from being cleaned properly or
result in damage to the rear spoiler.
■ High pressure car washes
●Do not allow the nozzles of the car wash to come within close proximity of
the windows.
● Before using the car wash, check that the fuel filler door on your vehicle is
closed properly.
■ When using a car wash (vehicles with a smart key system)
If the door handle becomes wet while the electronic key is within the ef\
fective
range, the door may lock and unlock repeatedly. In that case, follow the fol-
lowing correction procedures to wash the vehicle:
●Place the electronic key in a location 6 ft. (2 m) or more away from the vehi-
cle. (Take care to ensure that the key is not stolen.)
● Set the electronic key to battery-saving mode to disable the smart key sys-
tem. ( →P. 141)
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior
Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in
prime condition:
4017-1. Maintenance and care
7
Maintenance and care
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)■
Aluminum wheels (if equipped)
●Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent. Do not use hard
brushes or abrasive cleaners. Do not use strong or harsh chemical clean-
ers.
Use the same mild detergent and wax as used on the paint.
● Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, for example after
driving for long distance in the hot weather.
● Wash detergent from the wheels immediately after use.
■ Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
WARNING
■When washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may
cause the electrical components etc. to catch fire.
■ Precautions regarding the exhaust pipe
Exhaust gasses cause the exhaust pipe to become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipe until it has
cooled sufficiently, as touching a hot exhaust pipe can cause burns.
NOTICE
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and compo-
nents (aluminum wheels etc.)
● Wash the vehicle immediately in the following cases:
• After driving near the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If coal tar or tree sap is present on the paint surface
• If dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings are present on the
paint surface
• After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust,
iron powder or chemical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled with dust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the paint surface
● If the paint is chipped or scratched, have it repaired immediately.
● To prevent the wheels from corroding, remove any dirt and store in a place
with low humidity when storing the wheels.
4107-2. Maintenance
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to one side whenthe brakes are applied.
• The brakes should work effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get too close to the floor when the brakes are applied.
Head restraints
(Adjustable type)• Do the head restraints move smoothly andlock securely?
Hybrid transmission
“Park” mechanism• When parked on a slope and the parkingbrake is on, is the vehicle securely stopped?
Indicators/buzzers• Do the indicators and buzzers function prop-erly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake lever operate nor-mally?
• When parked on a slope and the parking
brake is on, is the vehicle securely stopped?
Seat belts• Do the seat belts operate smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be damaged.
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the correctamount of free play?
• There should not be any strange sounds com-
ing from the steering wheel.
ItemsCheck points
4117-2. Maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood• Does the engine hood lock system work prop-erly?
Fluid leaks• There should not be any signs of fluid leakageafter the vehicle has been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or exces-sively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to the
maintenance schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wipers/rear
window wiper (if
equipped)
• The wiper blades should not show any signs
of cracking, splitting, wear, contamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield/
rear window without streaking or skipping.
WARNING
■If the hybrid system is operating
Turn the hybrid system off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation
before performing maintenance checks.
4337-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and tr ansmitters to detect low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise.
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a warning light. ( →P. 480)
◆Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pr essure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( →P. 434)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
● When rotating front and rear tires which have different tire infla-
tion pressures
● When changing the tire size
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
■How to initialize the tire pressure warning system
Park the vehicle in a safe place and turn the engine switch (vehi-
cles without a smart key system) or the “POWER” switch (vehi-
cles with a smart key system) off.
Initialization cannot be performed while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified cold tire inflation
pressure level. ( →P. 539)
Make sure to adjust the tire pressu re to the specified cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. The tire pressure warning system will operate
based on this pressure level.
Tire pressure warning system
1
2
4357-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)
■When to replace your vehicle's tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to
expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size
or location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not reg-
istered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After driv-
ing for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blinks for 1
minute and stays on to indicate a system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even
if it has seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make su re to check tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Low profile tires (vehicle s with P195/50R16 tires)
Generally, low profile tires will wear mo re rapidly and tire grip perfor-
mance will be reduced on snowy and/ or icy roads when compared to
standard tires. Be sure to use snow tires or tire chains on snowy and/or
icy roads and drive carefully at a speed appropriate for road and weather
conditions.
4367-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
PRIUS c_U (OM52J11U)■
Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the re
placement tire is greater than 1/2
of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the
rear axle, whichever is greater.
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same
traction performance as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy ro ads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When install-
ing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to
be adequate for driving in most winter conditions as well as for use
year-round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also, all
season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performance com-
pared with summer tires in highway driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using
snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same size, con-
struction and load capacity as the or iginally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construction. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations fo r possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels. ( →P. 273)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tire s as snow tires is lost.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label. For the maximum load of the tire,
see the load limit at maximum cold tire
inflation pressure mentioned on the
sidewall of the tire. (
→P. 544)