PRIUS_OM_OM47F01U_(U)
4956-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■To prevent paint deterioration an d 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 pai nt 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.
■ To prevent damage to the windshield wiper arms
When lifting the wiper arms away from the windshield pull the driver side
wiper arm upward first, and repeat for the passenger’s side. When returning
the wipers to their original position, do so from the passenger ’s side first.
■ Cleaning the exterior lights
● Wash carefully. Do not use organic substances or scrub with a h ard brush.
This may damage the surfaces of the lights.
● Do not apply wax to the surfaces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the lenses.
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PRIUS_OM_OM47F01U_(U)
6-1. Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■Handling the decorative resin parts (for vehicles equipped with 17-
inch wheels)
●Make sure to observe the following when handling wheels equippe d
with decorative resin parts. Failure to observe these precautions may
result in damage to the decora tive resin parts or wheels.
• Do not remove the dec orative resin parts
When decorative resin parts removal is necessary, contact your Toyota
dealer.
●
If there is rattling in the decorative resin parts, or strange sounds from
the wheel area when driving, have your wheels inspected at your Toy-
ota dealer.
■ When using an automatic car wash (vehicles with rain-sensing wi nd-
shield wipers)
Set the wiper switch to the off position.
If the wiper switch is in the position, the wipers may operate and the
wiper blades may be damaged.
• Do not hold the tire by the decora-
tive resin parts to lift up or carry the
tire.
PRIUS_OM_OM47F01U_(U)
5056-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• The accelerator pedal should move smoothly(without uneven pedal effort or catching).
Hybrid transmission
“Park” mechanism• When parked on a slope and the shift positionis in P, is the vehicle securely stopped?
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have appropriate clear-
ance from the floor? ( P. 667)
• Does the brake pedal have the correct amount of free play? ( P. 667)
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to one side when
the 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• Do the head restraints move smoothly andlock securely?
Indicators/buzzers• Do the indicators and buzzers function prop-erly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake pedal movesmoothly?
• 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.
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6-2. Maintenance
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 inflati on 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.
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6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and transmitters to detect low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise.
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the dri ver is
warned by a warning light. ( P. 591)
The compact spare tire is not equipped with a tire pressure warning
valve and transmitter.
◆Installing tire pressure warn ing valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves an d
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 pressure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter I D
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( P. 531)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized when the
tire inflation pressu re is changed such a s when changing trav-
elling speed or load weight.
When the tire pressure warning sy stem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
Tire pressure warning system
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6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■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 t o
expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage.
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or c annot 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 press ure warning valve and transmitt er is not reg-
istered, the tire pressure warni ng system will not work properly. A f t e r d r i v -
ing for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blink s for 1
minute and stays on to indi cate a system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified techni cian even
if it has seldom or never been u sed or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make sure to chec k tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of t he replacement tire is greater than 1/2
of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axl e or the
rear axle, whichever is greater.
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. 6 7 4 )
BTO62EP049
PRIUS_OM_OM47F01U_(U)
5336-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Si nce summer tires do not have th e 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 sno w and to
be adequate for driving in most winter conditions as well as fo r use
year-round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate tra ction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Al so, all
season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performanc e com-
pared with summer tires in highway driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend us ing
snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same si ze, con-
struction and load capacity as t he originally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construct ion. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations for possible restrictions. Sno w tires
should be install ed on all wheels. ( P. 425)
■If the tread on snow tires wea rs down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost.
■Low profile tires (vehicl es with 215/45R17 tires)
Generally, low profile tires will wear more rapidly and tire gr ip 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 approp riate for road and weather conditions.
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6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not oper-
ate properly
●In the following cases, the tire pressure warning system may no t operate
properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are used.
• When a replacement tire is used, the system may not operate cor-
rectly due to the structure of the replacement tire.
• A tire has been replac ed with a tire that is not of the specif ied size.
• Tire chains etc . are equipped.
• An auxiliary-supported ru n-flat tire is equipped.
• If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is instal led.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the
wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is extremely higher than the sp ecified
level.
• If wheel without the tire pressure warning valve and transmitt er is
used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmi tters is
not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio stat ion, large
display, airport or other facilit y that generates strong radio waves or
electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or
other wireless communication device
●When the vehicle is parked, the time taken for the warning to s tart or go
off could be extended.
●When tire inflation pressure declines rapidly for example when a tire has
burst, the warning may not function.
■The initialization operation
●Make sure to carry out initializ ation after adjusting the tire inflation pres-
sure.
Also, make sure the tires are co ld before carrying out initialization or tire
inflation pressure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the power switch off during ini tialization,
it is not necessary to press the reset swit ch again as initialization will
restart automatically when the power switch has been turned to ON
mode for the next time.
●If you accidentally press the reset switch when initialization is not neces-
sary, adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified level when the
tires are cold, and cond uct initialization again.