NOTElWhen moving out of mud, sand or fresh
snow, pressing the accelerator pedal may not
allow the Plug-in Hybrid EV system output to increase. In such situations, switching to
“4WD LOCK” with the 4WD lock switch and temporarily turning off the Active Sta- bility Control (ASC) with the “ASC OFF”
switch will make it easier to move out your vehicle.
Refer to “Operation under adverse driving
conditions: If your vehicle becomes stuck in sand, mud or snow” on page 9-20.
Climbing/descending sharp
grades
Your vehicle may not provide sufficient hill
climbing ability and regenerative brake on steep slope. Avoid driving on steep slopes
even though the vehicle is a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Inspection and maintenance
following rough roadoperation E00606701407
After operating the vehicle in rough road
conditions, be sure to perform the following inspection and maintenance procedures:
l Check that the vehicle has not been dam-
aged by rocks, gravel, etc.
l Carefully wash the vehicle with water.
Drive the vehicle slowly while lightly
depressing the brake pedal in order to dry out the brakes. If the brakes still do
not function properly, we recommend you to have the brakes checked as soon
as possible.
l Remove the insects, dried grass, etc.
clogging the radiator core.
l Check the inside of the vehicle. If water
entry is found, dry the carpet etc.
l Inspect the headlamps. If the headlamp
bulb is flooded with water, we recom-
mend you to have it drained.Cautions on handling of 4-
wheel drive vehicles E00606801844
Tyres and wheels
Since the driving torque can be applied to the
4 wheels, the driving performance of the ve- hicle when operating in 4-wheel drive is
greatly affected by the condition of the tyres.
Pay close attention to the tyres.
l Install only the specified tyres on all
wheels. Refer to “Tyres and wheels” on page 12-08.
l Be sure all 4 tyres and wheels are the
same size and type.
When it is necessary to replace any of
the tyres or wheels, replace all 4 tyres.
l All tyres should be rotated before the
wear difference between the front and
rear tyres is recognizable.
Good vehicle performance cannot be expec- ted if there is a difference in wear between tyres. Refer to “Tyre rotation” on page 11-11.
l Check the tyre inflation pressure regular-
ly.CAUTIONl Always use tyres of the same size, same
type, and same brand, and which have no wear differences. Using tyres of differentsize, type, brands or degree of wear, will in-
crease the differential oil temperature, result-
ing in possible damage to the driving sys-
tem. Further, the drive train will be subjec- ted to excessive loading possibly leading tooil leakage, component seizure, or other seri-
ous faults.
Inspection and maintenance following rough road operation
7-24OGGE18E1Starting and driving7
