2914-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
Use fluids that are appropriate
to the prevailing outside tem-
peratures.
• Engine oil
• Engine/power control unit coolant
• Washer fluid
Have a service technician
inspect the condition of the
12-volt battery.
Have the vehicle fitted with
four snow tires.
Ensure that all tires are the same
size and brand.
Perform the following according
to the driving conditions:
Do not try to forcibly open a
window or move a wiper that
is frozen. Pour warm water
over the frozen area to melt
the ice. Wipe away the water
immediately to prevent it from
freezing.
To ensure proper operation of
the climate control system
fan, remove any snow that
has accumulated on the air
inlet vents in front of the wind-
shield.
Check for and remove any
Winter driving tips
Carry out the necessary
preparations and inspec-
tions before driving the
vehicle in winter. Always
drive the vehicle in a man-
ner appropriate to the pre-
vailing weather conditions.
Pre-winter preparations
WARNING
■Driving with snow tires
Observe the following precautions
to reduce the risk of accidents.
Failure to do so m ay result in a
loss of vehicle control and cause
death or serious injury.
●Use tires of the size specified.
●Maintain the recommended
level of air pressure.
●Do not drive in excess of 75
mph (120 km/h), regardless of
the type of snow tires being
used.
●Use snow tires on all, not just
some wheels.
NOTICE
■Driving with tire chains
Do not fit tire chains. Tire chains
may damage the vehicle body
and suspension, and adversely
affect driving performance.
■Repairing or replacing snow
tires
Request repairs or replacement of
snow tires from Toyota dealers or
legitimate tire retailers.
This is because the removal and
attachment of snow tires affects
the operation of the tire pressure
warning valves and transmitters.
Before driving the vehicle
2934-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
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.
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.
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
sideways much more easily
than forward or backward.
2944-6. Driving tips
When driving your vehicle
off-road, please observe the fol-
lowing precautions to ensure
your driving enjoyment and to
help prevent the closure of
areas to off-road vehicles:
Drive your vehicle only in
areas where off-road vehicles
are permitted to travel.
Respect private property. Get
owner’s permission before
entering private property.
Do not enter areas that are
closed. Honor gates, barriers
and signs that restrict travel.
Stay on established roads.
When conditions are wet,
driving techniques should be
changed or travel delayed to
prevent damage to roads.
■Additional information for
off-road driving
For owners in U.S. mainland,
Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information per-
taining to driving your vehicle
off-road, consult the following orga-
nizations.
●State and Local Parks and Recre-
ation Departments
●State Motor Vehicle Bureau
●Recreational Vehicle Clubs
●U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management
Off-road drivingWARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe t he following pre-
cautions to minim ize the risk of
death, serious injury or damage to
your vehicle:
●Drive carefully when off the
road. Do not take unnecessary
risks by driving in dangerous
places.
●Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving off-road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel
and injure your hands. Keep
both hands and especially your
thumbs on the ou tside of the
rim.
●Always check your brakes for
effectiveness immediately after
driving in sand, mud, water or
snow.
●After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc.,
check that there is no grass,
bush, paper, rags, stone, sand,
etc. adhering or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such
matter from the underbody. If
the vehicle is used with these
materials trapped or adhering to
the underbody, a breakdown or
fire could occur.
●When driving off-road or in rug-
ged terrain, do not drive at
excessive speeds, jump, make
sharp turns, strike objects, etc.
This may cause loss of control
or vehicle rollover causing
death or serious injury. You are
also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension
and chassis.
3025-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
■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 a ccumulate in the
air conditioning system. This may
then cause odor to be emitted
from the vents.
●To reduce potential odors from
occurring:
• It is recommended that the air conditioning system be set to out-
side air mode prior to turning the
vehicle off.
• The start timing of the blower may be delayed for a short period of
time immediately after the air con-
ditioning system is started in auto-
matic 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. 3 7 8
■Air conditioning system refrig-
erant
●A label regarding the refrigerant of
the air conditioning system is
attached to the engine compart-
ment at the location shown in the
following illustration.
●The meaning of each symbol on
the label are as follows:
■Customization
Some functions can be customized.
( P.463)
Caution
Air conditioning sys-
tem
Air conditioning sys-
tem lubricant type
Requires registered
technician to service
air conditioning sys-
tem
Flammable refrigerant
WARNING
■To prevent the windshield
from fogging up
Do not use the windshield defog-
ger switch during cool air opera-
tion in extremely humid weather.
The difference between the tem-
perature of the outside air and
that of the windshield can cause
the outer surface of the wind-
shield to fog up, blocking your
vision.
3035-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
1Press the automatic mode
switch.
2 Adjust the temperature set-
ting.
3 To stop the operation, press
the off switch.
If the fan speed setting or air
flow modes are operated, the
automatic mode indicator goes
off. However, automatic mode
for functions other than that
operated is maintained.
■Using automatic mode
Fan speed is adjusted automati-
cally according to the temperature setting and the ambient conditions.
Therefore, the fan may stop for a
while until warm or
cool air is ready
to flow immediately after the auto-
matic mode switch pressed.
This function automatically con-
trols the air conditioning airflow
so that priority is given to the
front seats. Unnecessary air
conditioning is suppressed, con-
tributing to increased fuel effi-
ciency.
Front seat concentrated airflow
mode operates in the following
situations.
No passengers are detected
in the rear seats
The windshield defogger is
not operating
While operating, illumi-
nates.
■Manually turning front seat
concentrated airflow mode
on/off
In front seat concentrated air-
flow mode, directing airflow to
the front seats only and to all
seats can be switched via switch
operation. When the mode has
been switched manually, auto-
matic airflow control stops oper-
ating.
Press on the air condi-
tioning operation panel and
WARNING
■When the outside rear view
mirror defoggers are operat-
ing
Do not touch the outside rear view
mirror surfaces, as they can
become very hot and burn you.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not leave the air conditioning
system on longer than necessary
when the hybrid system is off.
■When repairing/replacing
parts of the air conditioning
system
Have repair/replacement per-
formed by your Toyota dealer.
When a part of the air conditioning
system, such as the evaporator, is
to be replaced, it must be
replaced with a new one.
Using automatic mode
Front seat concentrated
airflow mode (S-FLOW)
3045-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
switch the airflow.
Indicator illuminated: Airflow
to the front seats only
Indicator off: Airflow to all the
seats
■Operation of automatic airflow
control
●In order to maintain a comfortable
interior, airflow may be directed to
seats without passengers immedi-
ately after the hybrid system is
started and at other times depend-
ing on the outside temperature.
●After the hybrid system is started,
if passengers move around inside
or enter/exit the vehicle, the sys-
tem cannot accurately detect the
presence of passengers and auto-
matic airflow cont rol will not oper-
ate.
■Operation of manual airflow
control
Even if the function is manually
switched to directing airflow to only
the front seats, whe n a rear seat is
occupied, it may automatically direct
airflow to all seats.
■To return to automatic airflow
control
1 With the indicator off, turn the
power switch off.
2 After 60 minutes or more elapse,
turn the power switch to ON.
Prevent ice from building up on
the windshield and wiper
blades.
When the windshield wiper de-icer
switch is on, the indicator illumi-
nates on the windshield wiper
de-icer switch.
The windshield wiper de-icer will
automatically turn off after a period
of time.
■Location of air outlets
The air outlets and air volume
changes according to the
selected air flow mode.
Windshield wiper de-icer
(if equipped)
WARNING
■To prevent burns
Do not touch the glass at lower
part of the windshield or to the
side of the front p illars when the
windshield wiper de-icer is on.
Air outlet layout and oper-
ations
3065-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
*: If equipped
WARNING
■To prevent the windshield
defogger from operating
improperly
Do not place anything on the
instrument panel which may cover
the air outlets. Otherwise, air flow
may be obstructed, preventing the
windshield defoggers from defog-
ging.
Heated steering
wheel*/seat heaters*
Heated steering wheel
Warms up the grip of the
steering wheel
Seat heaters
Warm up the seat upholstery
WARNING
■To prevent minor burn inju-
ries
Care should be taken if anyone in
the following categories comes in
contact with the steering wheel or
seats when the heater is on:
●Babies, small children, the
elderly, the sick and the physi-
cally challenged
●Persons with sensitive skin
●Persons who are fatigued
●Persons who have taken alco-
hol or drugs that induce sleep
(sleeping drugs, cold remedies,
etc.)
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the
seat heaters
Do not put heavy objects that
have an uneven surface on the
seat and do not stick sharp
objects (needles, nails, etc.) into
the seat.
■To prevent 12-volt battery dis-
charge
Do not use the functions when the
hybrid system is off.
3075-1. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
■Heated steering wheel
Turns heated steering wheel
on/off
When the heated steering wheel is
on, the indicator illuminates on the
heated steering wheel switch.
■Seat heaters
Turns seat heaters on/off
1 High temperature
2 Low temperature
When the seat hea ter is on, the
indicator illumina tes on the seat
heater switch.
When not in use, put the switch in
the neutral position. The indicator
will turn off.
■The heated steering wheel and
seat heaters can be used when
The power swit ch is in ON.
Operation instructionsWARNING
■To prevent overheating and
minor burn injuries
Observe the following precautions
when using the seat heaters.
●Do not cover the seat with a
blanket or cushion when using
the seat heater.
●Do not use seat heater more
than necessary.