
751-4. Hybrid system
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
1
For safety and security
■Charging the 1 2-volt battery
 P. 5 3 1
■After the 12-volt battery has dis-
charged or when the terminal 
has been removed and installed 
during exchange, etc.
The gasoline engine may not stop 
even if the vehicle is being driven by 
the hybrid battery (traction battery). 
If this continues for a few days, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.
■Sounds and vibrations specific 
to a Hybrid Electric Vehicle
There may be no engine sound or 
vibration even though the vehicle is 
able to move with the “READY” indi-
cator is illuminated. For safety, apply 
the parking brake and make sure to 
shift the shift lever to P when 
parked.
The following sounds or vibrations 
may occur when the hybrid system 
is operating and are not a malfunc-
tion:
●Motor sounds may be heard from 
the engine compartment.
●Sounds may be heard from the 
hybrid battery (traction battery) 
under the rear seats when the 
hybrid system starts or stops.
●Relay operating sounds such as a 
snap or soft clank will be emitted 
from the hybrid battery (traction 
battery), under the rear seats, 
when the hybrid system is started 
or stopped.
●Sounds may be heard from the 
transmission when the gasoline 
engine starts or stops, when driv-
ing at low speeds, or during idling.
●Engine sounds may be heard 
when accelerating sharply.
●Sounds may be  heard due to 
regenerative braking when the 
brake pedal is dep ressed or as 
the accelerator pedal is released.
●Vibration may be felt when the 
gasoline engine starts or stops.
●Cooling fan sounds may be heard 
from the air intake vents on the 
side of the lower  part of the rear 
seat.
■Maintenance, repair, recycling, 
and disposal
Contact your Toyota dealer regard-
ing maintenance, repair, recycling 
and disposal. Do n ot dispose of the 
vehicle yourself.
When the gasoline engine is off 
while driving, a sound is pro-
duced to warn pedestrians, peo-
ple riding bicycles or other 
people and vehicles in the sur-
rounding area that the vehicle is 
approaching. The pitch of the 
sound adjusts according to vehi-
cle speed. When vehicle speed 
is approximately 22 mph (35 
km/h) or more, the warning sys-
tem turns off.
■Acoustic vehicle alerting sys-
tem
In the following cases, the acoustic 
vehicle alerting system sound may 
be difficult for pedestrians, people 
riding bicycles or other people and 
vehicles in the surrounding area to 
hear:
●When there is a lot of noise in the 
vicinity
●When it is raining or during strong 
winds
Acoustic vehicle alerting 
system 

791-4. Hybrid system
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
1
For safety and security
There are an air intake vents 
under the rear seat for the pur-
pose of cooling the hybrid bat-
tery (traction battery). If the 
vents becomes blocked, the 
hybrid battery (traction battery) 
input and output may be 
reduced. When a certain level of impact is 
detected by the impact sensor, 
the emergency shut off system 
blocks the high voltage current 
and stops the fuel pump to mini-
mize the risk of electrocution 
and fuel leakage. If the emer-
gency shut off system activates, 
your vehicle will not restart. To 
restart the hybrid system, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.
A message is automatically dis-
played when a malfunction 
occurs in the hybrid system or 
an improper operation is 
attempted.
If a warning message is shown 
on the multi-information display, 
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) air intake vents
Do not carry large amounts of 
water such as water cooler bottles 
in the vehicle. If water spills onto 
the hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery), the batte ry may be dam-
aged. Have the vehicle inspected 
by your Toyota dealer.
Hybrid battery (traction 
battery) air intake vents
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) air intake vents
●Make sure that the air intake 
vents are not blocked, such as 
by a seat cover, plastic cover, or 
luggage. If the vents are 
blocked, the hybrid battery 
(traction battery) input and out-
put may be restricted, possibly 
leading to a malfunction.
●Clean the air intake vents regu-
larly to prevent the hybrid bat-
tery (traction b attery) from 
overheating.
●Do not get water or foreign 
materials in the air intake vents 
as this may cause a short circuit 
and damage the hybrid battery 
(traction battery).
●A filter is installed to the air 
intake vents. When the filter 
remains noticeably dirty even 
after cleaning the air intake 
vents, filter cleaning or replace-
ment is recommended. Refer to 
P.481 for details on how to 
clean the filters.
Emergency shut off sys-
tem
Hybrid warning message 

3584-5. Using the driving support systems
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_enturn on.
2
Select the driving modes on 
the multi-information display 
while turning the mode select 
switch left and right.
Vehicles without Adaptive 
Variable Suspension system
Multi-information display
• “NORMAL” mode
Provides an optimal balance of fuel 
economy, quietness, and dynamic 
performance. Suitable for city driv-
ing.
•“ECO” mode
Helps the driver a ccelerate in an 
eco-friendly manner and improve 
fuel economy through moderate 
throttle characteri stics and by con- trolling the operation of the air con-
ditioning system (heating/cooling). 
The “ECO” indicator comes on.
• “SPORT” mode
Assists acceleration response by 
controlling the transmission, engine 
and steering. Suitable for when pre-
cise handling is desirable, for 
example when driving on mountain 
roads. The “SPORT” indicator 
comes on.
Vehicles with Adaptive Vari-
able Suspension system
Multi-information display
• “NORMAL” mode
Provides an optimal balance of fuel 
economy, quietness, and dynamic 
performance. Suitable for city driv-
ing.
• “COMFORT” mode
By controlling the  suspension, rid-
ing comfort is further enhanced. 
Suitable for city driving. The “COM-
FORT” indicator comes on.
• “ECO” mode
Helps the driver accelerate in an 
eco-friendly manner and improve  

3594-5. Using the driving support systems
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
4
Driving
fuel economy through moderate 
throttle characteri stics and by con-
trolling the operation of the air con-
ditioning system (heating/cooling). 
The “ECO” indicator comes on.
• “SPORT S” mode
Assists accelerati on response by 
controlling the transmission, engine 
and steering. Suitable for when pre-
cise handling is desirable, for 
example when driving on mountain 
roads. The “SPORT S” indicator 
comes on.
• “SPORT S+” mode
Helps to ensure th e controllability 
and stability of the  vehicle by inte-
grally controlling the steering wheel 
and suspensions as well as the 
transmission and engine, making it 
suitable for sporty driving. The 
“SPORT S+” indicator comes on.
• “CUSTOM” mode
Allows you to drive  with the power 
train, chassis and air conditioning 
system functions set to your pre-
ferred settings. Custom mode set-
tings can only be  changed on the 
drive mode customization display of 
multimedia system. The “CUSTOM” 
indicator comes on.
■The driving mode select switch 
can be operated when
The front-wheel dri ve control switch 
is in “2H” and “4H”.
■Operation of the air condition-
ing system in Eco mode
Eco mode controls the heating/cool-
ing operations and fan speed of the 
air conditioning system to enhance 
fuel efficiency. To improve air condi-
tioning performance, perform the 
following operations:
●Adjust the fan speed ( P.400)
●Turn off Eco drive mode ( P.358)
■Automatic deactivation of driv-
ing modes:
Driving mode is deactivated or the 
driving mode will be  changed to nor-
mal mode in the  following condi-
tions:
●After turning the  power switch off 
and then turning it to on
●When the front-wheel drive control 
switch is in “4L” (4WD models 
only)
●When the Multi-terrain Select is 
turned on (if equipped)
●When the Downhill assist control 
system is turned on (if equipped)
●When the “TOW HAUL” mode or 
“TOW+” mode is turned on (if 
equipped)
■Customization
The Custom mode can be changed. 
(Customizable features:  P.570) 

3894-6. Driving tips
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
4
Driving
4-6.Driving tips
When using Eco drive mode, the 
torque corresponding to the 
accelerator pedal depression 
amount can be generated more 
smoothly than it is in normal 
conditions. In addition, the oper-
ation of the air conditioning sys-
tem (heating/cooling) will be 
minimized, improving the fuel 
economy. ( P.358)
The Eco-friendly driving is pos-
sible by keeping the indicate of 
Hybrid System Indicator within 
Eco area. ( P.97)
Shift the shift lever to D when 
stopped at a traffic light, or driv-
ing in heavy traffic etc. Shift the 
shift lever to P when parking. 
When using the N, there is no 
positive effect on fuel consump-
tion. When using the air condi-
tioning system, etc., the hybrid 
battery (traction battery) power 
is consumed. 
Drive your vehicle smoothly. 
Avoid abrupt acceleration and 
deceleration. Gradual accel-
eration and deceleration will 
make more effective use of 
the electric motor (traction 
motor) without having to use 
gasoline engine power.
 Avoid repeated acceleration. 
Repeated acceleration con-
sumes hybrid battery (trac-
tion battery) power, resulting 
in poor fuel consumption. Bat-
tery power can be restored by 
driving with the accelerator 
pedal slightly released.
Make sure to operate the brakes 
gently and in a timely manner. A 
greater amount of electrical 
energy can be regenerated 
when slowing down.
Repeated acceleration and 
deceleration, as well as long 
waits at traffic lights, will lead to 
bad fuel economy. Check traffic 
reports before leaving and avoid 
delays as much as possible. 
When driving in a traffic jam, 
gently release the brake pedal 
to allow the vehicle to move for-
ward slightly while avoiding 
Hybrid Electric Vehi-
cle driving tips
For economical and ecolog-
ical driving, pay attention to 
the following points:
Using Eco drive mode
Use of Hybrid System 
Indicator
Shift lever operation
Accelerator pedal/brake 
pedal operation
When braking
Delays 

4015-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
5
Interior features
fan speed and downwards to 
decrease the fan speed.
Press the “OFF” switch to turn the 
fan off.
■Change the airflow mode
Operate the air flow mode con-
trol toggle
The airflow mode changes as fol-
lows each time the toggle is oper-
ate.
1 Air flows to the upper body.
2 Air flows to the upper body 
and feet.
3 Air flows to the feet.
4 Air flows to the feet and the 
windshield defogger oper-
ates.
■Switching between outside 
air and recirculated air 
modes
Press the outside/recirculated 
air mode switch.
The mode switches between 
outside air mode and recircu-
lated air mode each time the  switch is operated.
When recirculated air mode is 
selected, the indicator illumi-
nates on the outside/recircu-
lated air mode switch.
■Set cooling and dehumidifi-
cation function
Press the “A/C” switch.
When the function is on, “A/C ON” 
indicator will illumi nate. When the 
function is off, “A/ C OFF” indicator 
will illuminate.
■Defogging the windshield
Defoggers are used to defog the 
windshield and front side win-
dows.
Press the windshield defogger 
switch.
Press the outside air mode switch if 
the recirculated air mode is used. (It 
may switch automatically.)
To defog the windshield and the 
side windows quickly, turn the air 
flow and temperature up.
To return to the previous mode, 
press the windshield defogger 
switch again when the windshield is 
defogged.
When the windshield defogger 
switch is on, the  indicator illumi-
nates on the windshield defogger 
switch.
■Defogging the rear window 
and outside rear view mir-
rors
Defoggers are used to defog the 
rear window and to remove rain-
drops, dew and frost from the  

4025-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
outside rear view mirrors.
Press the rear window and out-
side rear view mirror defoggers 
switch.
The defoggers will automatically 
turn off after 15 minutes.
When the rear window and outside 
rear view mirror defoggers switch is 
on, the indicator  illuminates on the 
rear window and ou tside rear view 
mirror defoggers switch.
■When the outside temperature 
exceeds 75°F (24°C) and the air 
conditioning system is on
●In order to reduce the air condi-
tioning power consumption, the air 
conditioning system may switch to 
recirculated air mode automati-
cally.
This may also reduce fuel con-
sumption.
●Recirculated air mode is selected 
as a default mode when the power 
switch is turned to ON.
It is possible to switch to outside air 
mode at any time by pressing the 
outside air mode switch.
■Fogging up of the windows
●The windows will easily fog up 
when the humidity in the vehicle is 
high. Turning the cooling and 
dehumidification  function on will 
dehumidify the air from the outlets 
and defog the windshield effec-
tively.
●If you turn the cooling and dehu-
midification function off, the win-
dows may fog up more easily.
●The windows may fog up if the 
recirculated air mode is used.
■When driving on dusty roads
Close all windows. If dust thrown up 
by the vehicle is still drawn into the 
vehicle after closing the windows, it 
is recommended that the air intake  mode be set to outside air mode and 
the fan speed to a
ny setting except 
off.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
●Setting to the recirculated air 
mode temporarily is recom-
mended in preventing dirty air 
from entering the vehicle interior 
and helping to c ool the vehicle 
when the outside air temperature 
is high.
●Outside/recirculated air mode may 
automatically switch depending on 
the temperature setting or the 
inside temperature.
■When the outside temperature 
falls to nearly 32°F (0°C)
The dehumidification function may 
not operate even when “A/C” switch 
is pressed.
■Ventilation and air conditioning 
odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air condi-
tioning system to the outside air 
mode.
●During use, various odors from 
inside and outside the vehicle may 
enter into and accumulate in the 
air conditioning system. This may 
then cause odor  to be emitted 
from the vents.
●In order to suppr ess odors that 
occur when the air conditioning 
system starts, the air flow mode 
may change to blow air to the feet 
or air may stop blowing for a short 
period of time immediately after 
the air conditioning system is 
started in automatic mode.
●When parking, the system auto-
matically switches to outside air 
mode to encourage better air cir-
culation throughout the vehicle, 
helping to reduce odors that occur 
when starting the vehicle.
■Air conditioning filter
 P.479 

4305-4. Using the other interior features
Owners Manual_USA_M0C031_en
WARNING
●Do not use devices which pro-
duce steam while the windows 
are closed. Doing so may cause 
the windows to fog up, reducing 
visibility and making it difficult to 
drive safely. Also, the steam 
may damage or negatively 
affect other devices. If the 
device must be used, stop the 
vehicle and open the windows 
before use.
●Do not use damaged electronic 
devices. The power supply 
function may not be able to be 
used.
●Do not disconnect the plug of a 
device while your hands are wet 
or insert a pin or other object 
into the pow er outlet. Also, if a 
liquid or snow is  on the power 
outlet, dry the outlet before 
using it.
●Do not attempt to modify, disas-
semble or repair a power outlet. 
For information on repairs, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.
●Do not let children touch the 
power outlets.
●Keep the power  outlets free of 
dust and foreign matter. Also, 
regularly clean the power outlet.
●If the plug of a device fits 
loosely in a pow er outlet, even 
though it is fully inserted, 
replace the power outlet. For 
information on replacement, 
contact your Toyota dealer.
■Using the power outlets while 
parked or stopped
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so may lead to an 
accident, possibly resulting in 
death or serious injury.
●Do not leave the vehicle unat-
tended while the hybrid system 
is operating and a device is con-
nected to a power outlet.
●Do not place luggage or get 
near the vicinit y of the tailpipe.
●Make sure that the hood is 
closed. Do not put your head or 
hands anywhere inside the 
engine room, as the cooling 
fans may operate suddenly. If 
too close, hands  and clothing 
(especially a tie, scarf, etc.) may 
get caught in a fan.
●Do not stop the  vehicle near 
objects which burn easily.
●Install and use appropriately 
related devices to make air sup-
ply and exhaust ventilation pos-
sible in places where ventilation 
is bad, such as within garages, 
and places where the vehicle is 
surrounded (places where snow 
accumulates).
●Do not use in places where ven-
tilation is bad, such as within 
garages where there are no air 
supply and exhaust ventilation 
devices, and places where the 
vehicle is surrounded (places 
where snow accumulates, etc.).
●Do not use the power outlets if 
the vehicle has a vehicle cover 
installed.
●Do not sleep in the vehicle while 
using devices such as an elec-
tric heater.
■Devices to be connected
●Read the instruction manual 
included with the electronic 
device being used and observe 
the precautions that are stated 
regarding the product.
●Do not use when the power plug 
or electronic device are dam-
aged.