3965-5. Driving tips
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
Specific design characteris-
tics give it a higher center of
gravity than ordinary passen-
ger cars. This vehicle design
feature causes this type of
vehicle to be more likely to
rollover. And, utility vehicles
have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types
of vehicles.
An advantage of the higher
ground clearance is a better
view of the road allowing you
to anticipate problems.
It is not designed for corner-
ing at the same speeds as
ordinary passenger cars any
more than low-slung sports
cars are designed to perform
satisfactorily under off-road
conditions. Therefore, sharp
turns at excessive speeds
may cause the vehicle to roll-
over.
When driving your vehicle off-
Utility vehicle precau-
tions
This vehicle belongs to the
utility vehicle class, which
has higher ground clear-
ance and narrower tread in
relation to the height of its
center of gravity to make it
capable of performing in a
wide variety of off-road
applications.
Utility vehicle feature
WARNING
■Utility vehicle precautions
Always observe t he following pre-
cautions to minim ize the risk of
death, serious injury or damage to
your vehicle:
●In a rollover crash, an unbelted
person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wear-
ing a seat belt. Therefore, the
driver and all passengers
should always fasten their seat
belts.
●Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers, if at all possible.
Failure to operat e this vehicle
correctly may result in loss of
control or vehicle rollover caus-
ing death or serious injury.
●Loading cargo on the roof lug-
gage carrier (if equipped) will
make the center of the vehicle
gravity higher. Avoid high
speeds, sudden starts, sharp
turns, sudden braking or abrupt
maneuvers, otherwise it may
result in loss of control or vehi-
cle rollover du e to failure to
operate this vehicle correctly.
●Always slow down in gusty
crosswinds. Because of its pro-
file and higher ce nter of gravity,
your vehicle is more sensitive to
side winds than an ordinary
passenger car. Slowing down
will allow you to have better
control.
●Do not drive horizontally across
steep slopes. Driving straight up
or straight down is preferred.
Your vehicle (or any similar off-
road vehicle) can tip over side-
ways much more easily than
forward or backward.
Off-road driving
4517-1. Maintenance and care
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
7
Maintenance and care
Remove dirt and dust using a
vacuum cleaner. Wipe dirty
surfaces with a cloth damp-
ened with lukewarm water.
If dirt cannot be removed,
wipe it off with a soft cloth
dampened with neutral deter-
gent diluted to approximately
1%.
Wring out any excess water
from the cloth and thoroughly
wipe off remaining traces of
detergent and water.
■Shampooing the carpets
There are several commercial foam-
ing-type cleaners available. Use a
sponge or brush to apply the foam.
Rub in overlapping circles. Do not
use water. Wipe dirty surfaces and
let them dry. Excellent results are
obtained by keeping the carpet as
dry as possible.
■Handling the seat belts
Clean with mild soap and lukewarm
water using a cloth or sponge. Also
check the belts periodically for
excessive wear, fraying or cuts.
■Front side window s with IR pro-
tective coating
The front side windows have IR pro-
tective coating. To prevent any dam-
NOTICE
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
• Brake parts
●Keep the cleaning nozzle at
least 11.9 in. (30 cm) away from
the vehicle body. Otherwise
resin section, such as moldings
and bumpers, may be deformed
and damaged. Also, do not con-
tinuously hold the nozzle in the
same place.
●Do not spray the lower part of
the windshield continuously. If
water enters the air conditioning
system intake located near the
lower part of the windshield, the
air conditioning system may not
operate correctly.
●Do not wash the underside of
the vehicle usin g a high pres-
sure car washer. If water enters
the traction battery, the EV sys-
tem may malfunction.
●Do not use the washer on the
area around the charging port
lid. Water could get into the
charging inlet and could dam-
age the vehicle.
■Cleaning aluminum parts
When cleaning the hood, do not
push hard or put weight on it.
The aluminum part may be
dented.
Cleaning and protect-
ing the vehicle interior
Perform cleaning in a man-
ner appropriate to each
component and its material.
Protecting the vehicle
interior
4587-2. Maintenance
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operate
smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be
damaged.
Seats
• Do the seat con-trols operate
properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steer-ing wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steer- ing wheel have
the correct
amount of free
play?
• There should not be any strange
sounds coming
from the steer-
ing wheel.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors
• Do the doors operate
smoothly?
Hood
• Does the hood lock system work
properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs of
fluid leakage
after the vehicle
has been parked.
ItemsCheck points
Tires
• Is the tire infla-tion pressure
correct?
• The tires should not be damaged
or excessively
worn.
• Have the tires been rotated
according to the
maintenance
schedule?
• The wheel bolt should not be
loose.
Windshield
wipers
• The wiper blades should not show
any signs of
cracking, split-
ting, wear, con-
tamination or
deformation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield with-
out streaking or
skipping.
ItemsCheck points
4737-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
7
Maintenance and care
Summer tires are high-speed perfor-
mance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Since
summer tires do not have the same
traction performanc e as snow tires,
summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy
roads. 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 pro-
vide better traction in snow and to
be adequate for driving in most win-
ter conditions a s well as for use
year-round. All season tires, how-
ever, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow
tires in heavy or loose snow. Also,
all season tires fall short in accelera-
tion 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
originally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original
equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construction.
Do not install stud ded tires without
first checking local regulations for
possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels.
( P.393)
■If the tread on snow tires wears
down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as
snow tires is lost.
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing
tires
Observe the following precautions
to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause dam-
age to parts of the drive train as
well as dangerous handling char-
acteristics, which may lead to an
accident resulting in death or seri-
ous injury.
●Do not mix tires of different
makes, models or tread pat-
terns.
Also, do not mix tires of remark-
ably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than
those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently con-
structed tires (radial, bias-belted
or bias-ply tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season
and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been
used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not
know how they were used previ-
ously.
NOTICE
■Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving
on roads with loose surfaces or
potholes.
These conditions may cause
losses in tire inflation pressure,
reducing the cushioning ability of
the tires. In addition, driving on
rough roads may cause damage
to the tires themselves, as well as
the vehicle’s wheels and body.
5098-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
8
When trouble arises
When using a flat-bed truck to
transport the vehicle, use tire
strapping belts. Refer to the
owner’s manual of the flat-bed
truck for the tire strapping
method.
In order to suppress vehicle
movement during transporta-
tion, set the parking brake and
turn the power switch off.
If a tow truck is not available in
an emergency, your vehicle may
be temporarily towed using
cables or chains secured to the
emergency towing eyelets. This
should only be attempted on
hard surfaced roads for short
distances at under 18 mph (30
km/h).
A driver must be in the vehicle to
steer and operate the brakes.
The vehicle’s wheels, drive train,
axles, steering and brakes must
be in good condition.
WARNING
AWD models
Be sure to transport the vehicle
with all four wheels raised off the
ground. If the vehicle is towed
with the tires contacting the
ground, the drivetrain or related
parts may be damaged, the vehi-
cle may fly off the truck, or elec-
tricity generated by the operation
of the motor may cause a fire to
occur depending on the nature of
the damage or malfunction.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle when towing using a
wheel-lift type truck
When raising the vehicle, ensure
adequate ground clearance for
towing at the opposite end of the
raised vehicle. Without adequate
clearance, the vehicle could be
damaged while being towed.
■Towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck
to prevent body damage.
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing
5118-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
8
When trouble arises
Fluid leaks under the vehicle
(Water dripping from the air
conditioning after use is nor-
mal.)
Flat-looking tires or uneven
tire wear
Excessive tire squeal when
cornering
Strange noises related to the
suspension system
Other noises related to the EV
system
Stumbling or running roughly
Appreciable loss of power
Vehicle pulls heavily to one
side when braking
Vehicle pulls heavily to one
side when driving on a level
road
Loss of brake effectiveness,
WARNING
■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
eyelets, cables or chains may
become damaged, broken
debris may hit people, and
cause serious damage.
●Do not perform any of the fol-
lowing as doing so may cause
the parking lock mechanism to
engage, locking the front
wheels and possibly leading to
an accident resulting in death or
serious injury:
• Unfasten the driver’s seat belt and open the driver’s door.
• Turn the power switch off.
■Installing towi ng eyelets to
the vehicle
Make sure that towing eyelets are
installed securely. If not securely
installed, towing eyelets may
come loose during towing.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
vehicle during emergency
towing
Do not secure cables or chains to
the suspension components.
If you think something
is wrong
If you notice any of the fol-
lowing symptoms, your
vehicle probably needs
adjustment or repair. Con-
tact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
Visible symptoms
Audible symptoms
Operational symptoms
5148-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
■SRS warning light (warning buzzer)
■ABS warning light
■Inappropriate pedal operation warning light* (warning buzzer)
*: This light illuminates on the mu lti-information display with a message.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates a malfunction in:
The SRS airbag system; or
The seat belt pretensioner system
Have the vehicle inspecte d by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(U.S.A.)
or
(Canada)
Indicates a malfunction in:
The ABS; or
The brake assist system
Have the vehicle inspecte d by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
When a buzzer sounds:
Indicates a malfunction in:
The Brake Override System;
The Drive-Start Control
Have the vehicle inspecte d by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Indicates that the shift position was changed and Drive-
Start Control was operated while depressing the accelerator
pedal.
Momentarily release the accelerator pedal.
When a buzzer does not sound:
Indicates that the accelerator and brake pedals are being
depressed simultaneously, and the Brake Override System
is operating.
Release the accelerator pedal and depress the brake
pedal.
5158-2. Steps to take in an emergency
Owners Manual_USA_M42C01_en
8
When trouble arises
■Electric power steering system warning light (warning
buzzer)
■Traction battery charge warning light
■Driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt reminder light (warn-
ing buzzer*)
*: Driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer:
The driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt warning buzzer sou nds to alert
the driver and front passenger that his or her seat belt is not fastened. If the
seat belt is unfastened, the buz zer sounds intermittently for a certain period
of time after the vehicle reaches a certain speed.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
(Red)
or
(Yellow)
Indicates a malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steer-
ing) system
Have the vehicle inspecte d by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Warning lightDetails/Actions
Indicates that the remaining charge of the traction battery is
low and charging is required
When the outside temperature is low, this light may turn on
earlier than usual to urge the driver to charge the traction
battery early.
Charge the traction battery. ( P.98)
Warning lightDetails/Actions
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 warning light (warning buzzer) turn off.