2023 TOYOTA VENZA HYBRID Owners Manual

2094-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
■Restraining sudden start (Drive-
Start Control)
 P.194
While the power switch
is in ON and the brake pedal
depressed
*, shift the shift lever
while pushing the shift release
button on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever while
pushing the shift release button
on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever nor-
mally.
When shifting the shift lever
between P and D, make sure that
the vehicle is completely stopped
and the brake pedal is depressed.
*: For the vehicle be able to be shifted from P, the brake pedal
must be depressed before the
shift release button is pushed. If
WARNING
■When driving on slippery
road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting and
sudden acceleration, as this could
result in the vehicle skidding to
the side or spinning.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction bat-
tery) charge
If the shift lever is in N, the hybrid
battery (traction battery) will not
be charged even when the engine
is running. Therefore, if the vehi-
cle is left with the shift lever in N
for a long period of time, the
hybrid battery (tr action battery)
will discharge, and this may result
in the vehicle n ot being able to
start.
Shifting the shift lever

2104-2. Driving procedures
the shift release button is pushed
first, the shift lock will not be
released.
■Shift lock system
The shift lock system is a system to
prevent accidental operation of the
shift lever in starting.
The shift lever can be shifted from P
only when the pow er switch is in
ON, the brake pedal is depressed
and the shift release button is
pushed.
■If the shift lever cannot be
shifted from P
First, check whether the brake pedal
is being depressed.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted
even though the brake pedal is
depressed and the shift release but-
ton is pushed, there may be a prob-
lem with the shift lock system. Have
the vehicle insp ected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
The following steps may be used as
an emergency measure to ensure
that the shift lev er can be shifted.
Releasing the shift lock:
1 Pull the parking brake switch to
check that the parking brake is
set. ( P.213)
2 Turn the power switch to OFF.
3 Depress the brake pedal.
4 Pry the cover up with a flathead
screwdriver or equivalent tool.
To prevent damage to the cover,
cover the tip of the screwdriver
with a rag.
5 Press and hold the shift lock
override button and then push the button on the shift knob.
The shift lever can be shifted
while both buttons
are pressed.
P.304
When the shift lever is in the S
position, the shift lever can be
operated as follows:
WARNING
■To prevent an accident when
releasing the shift lock
Before pressing the shift lock
override button, m ake sure to set
the parking brake and depress the
brake pedal.
If the accelerator pedal is acci-
dentally depressed instead of the
brake pedal when the shift lock
override button is pressed and the
shift lever is shifted out of P, the
vehicle may suddenly start, possi-
bly leading to an accident result-
ing in death or serious injury.
Selecting the driving
mode
Changing shift ranges in
S mode

2114-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
1Upshifting
2 Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to
S6, will be displayed on the multi-
information display.
The initial shift range in S mode
is set automatically to S3, S4 or
S5 according to vehicle speed.
■S mode
●You can choose from 6 levels of
accelerating force and engine
braking force.
●A lower shift range will provide
greater accelerating force and
engine braking force than a higher
shift range, and t he engine revolu-
tions will also increase.
●To prevent the e ngine from over-
revving, upshifti ng may automati-
cally occur when the shift range is
4 or lower.
●When the shift range is 4 or lower,
holding the shift lever toward “+”
sets the shift range to 6.
■Downshifting restriction warn-
ing buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving
performance, downshifting opera-
tion may sometimes b e restricted. In
some circumstances, downshifting
may not be possible even when the
shift lever is operated. (A buzzer will
sound twice.)
■If the “S” indi cator does not
come on or the “D” indicator is
displayed even after shifting the
shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunction in
the transmission system. Have the
vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately. (In this situa-
tion, the transmission will operate in
the same manner as when the shift
lever is in D.)

2124-2. Driving procedures
1Right turn
2 Lane change to the right
(move the lever partway and
release it)
The right hand signals will flash 3
times.
3Lane change to the left
(move the lever partway and
release it)
The left hand signals will flash 3
times.
4Left turn
■Turn signals can be operated
when
The power swit ch is in ON.
■If the indicator flashes faster
than usual
Check that all the turn signal lights
are flashing. When all the turn signal lights are
flashing at an abnormally fast
speed, have the vehicle inspected
by your Toyo
ta dealer.
■If the turn signals stop flashing
before a lane change has been
performed
Operate the lever again.
■To discontinue flashing of the
turn signals during a lane
change
Operate the lever in the opposite
direction.
Turn signal lever
Operating instructions

2134-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
■Using the manual mode
The parking brake can be set
and released manually.
Parking brake indicator light
(U.S.A.)
Parking brake indicator light
(Canada)
Parking brake switch indica-
tor
1 Pull the switch to set the parking brake.
The parking brake indicator light
and the parking brake switch indi-
cator will turn on.
Pull and hold the parking brake
switch if an emergency occurs and
it is necessary to
operate the park-
ing brake while driving.
2 Press the switch to release
the parking brake.
• Operate the parking brake switch
while depressing the brake pedal.
• Using the parking brake auto- matic release function, the park-
ing brake can be released by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When using this function, slowly
depress the accelerator pedal.
(  P.214)
Make sure that the parking brake
indicator light and the parking brake
switch indicator turn off.
If the parking brake indicator
light and the parking brake
switch indicator flash, operate
the switch again. ( P.446)
■Turning the automatic
mode on
While the vehicle is stopped,
pull and hold the parking brake
switch until a buzzer sounds and
a message is shown on the
multi-information display.
Parking brake
The parking brake can be
set or released automati-
cally or manually. In auto-
matic mode, the parking
brake can be set or released
automatically according to
shift lever operation.
Also, even in automatic
mode, the parking brake can
be set or released manually.
Operating instructions
A
B
C

2144-2. Driving procedures
When the automatic mode is
turned on, the parking brake
operates as follows.
When the shift lever is shifted
from P, the parking brake will
be released, and the parking
brake indicator light and park-
ing brake switch indicator will
turn off.
 When the shift lever is shifted
to P, the parking brake will be
set, and the parking brake
indicator light and the parking
brake switch indicator will turn
on.
Operate the shift lever with the
vehicle stopped and the brake
pedal depressed.
The auto function may not operate
if the shift lever is moved extremely
quickly or the brake pedal is not
firmly depressed. In this situation,
apply the parking brake manually.
(  P.213)
 When the hybrid system is off,
the parking brake will be set,
and the parking brake indica-
tor light and the parking brake
switch indicator turn on.
■Turning the automatic
mode off
While the vehicle is stopped and
depressing the brake pedal,
press and hold the parking
brake switch until a buzzer
sounds and a message is
shown on the multi-information
display.
■Parking brake operation
●When the power switch is not in
ON, the parking brake cannot be
released using the parking brake
switch.
●When the power switch is not in
ON, automatic mode (automatic
brake setting and releasing) is not
available.
■Parking brake automatic
release function
When all of the fo llowing conditions
are met, the parking brake can be
released by depressing the acceler-
ator pedal.
●The driver’s door is closed
●The driver is wearing the seat belt
●The shift lever is in a forward driv-
ing position or reverse driving
position
●The malfunction in dicator lamp or
brake system warning light is not
illuminated.
When depressing the accelerator
pedal, depress it slowly.

2154-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
If the parking brake is not released
when the accelerator pedal is
depressed, release the parking
brake manually.
When the shift lever is shifted from
P, the parking brake will be released
automatically.
■Parking brake automatic lock
function
The parking brake will be set auto-
matically under the following condi-
tions:
●The brake pedal is not depressed
●The driver’s door is open
●The driver’s seat belt is not fas-
tened
●The shift lever is in a position
other than P or N
●The malfunction indicator lamp
and brake system warning light
are not illuminated
■If “Parking Brake Temporarily
Unavailable” i s displayed on
the multi-information display
If the parking brake is operated
repeatedly over a short period of
time, the system may restrict opera-
tion to prevent overheating. If this
happens, refrain from operating the
parking brake. Nor mal operation will
return after about 1 minute.
■If “Parking Brake Unavailable”
is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display
Operate the parking brake switch. If
the message does not disappear
after operating the switch several
times, the system may be malfunc-
tioning. Have the vehicle inspected
by your Toyota dealer.
■Parking brake operation sound
When the parking brake operates, a
motor sound (whirring sound) may
be heard. This does not indicate a
malfunction.
■Parking brake indicator light
and Parking brake switch indi-
cator
●Depending on the power switch
mode, the parking brake indicator
light and the parking brake switch
indicator will turn on and stay on
as described below:
ON: Comes on until the parking
brake is released.
Not in ON: Stays on for approxi-
mately 15 seconds.
●When the power switch is turned
off with the parking brake set, the
parking brake indicator light and
the parking brake switch indicator
will stay on for abo ut 15 seconds.
This does not indicate a malfunc-
tion.
■When the parking brake switch
malfunctions
Automatic mode (automatic brake
setting and releas ing) will be turned
on automatically.
■Parking the vehicle
 P.188
■Parking brake engaged warning
buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is
driven with the parking brake
engaged. “Parking Brake ON” is dis-
played on the multi-information dis-
play (with the vehicle reaching a
speed of 3 mph [5 km/h]).
■If the brake system warning
light comes on
 P.441
■Usage in winter time
 P.314

2164-2. Driving procedures
WARNING
■When parking the vehicle
Do not leave a child in the vehicle
alone. The parking brake may be
released unintentionally by a child
and there is the danger of the
vehicle moving that may lead to
an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
■Parking brake switch
Do not set any o bjects near the
parking brake switch. Objects
may interfere with the switch and
may lead the parking brake to
unexpectedly operate.
■Parking brake automatic lock
function
Never use the automatic parking
brake engagement function in
place of normal parking brake
operation. This function is
designed to reduc e the risk of a
collision due to the driver forget-
ting to engage the parking brake.
Over-reliance on this function to
park the vehicle safely may lead
to an accident resulting in death
or serious injury.
NOTICE
■When parking the vehicle
Before you leave the vehicle, shift
the shift lever to P, set the parking
brake and make sure that the
vehicle does not move.
■When the system malfunc-
tions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place
and check the warning messages.
■When the vehicle 12-volt bat-
tery is discharged
The parking brake system cannot
be activated. ( P.468)
■When the parking brake can-
not be released due to a mal-
function
Driving the vehicle with the park-
ing brake set will lead to brake
components overheating, which
may affect braking performance
and increase brake wear. Have
the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer immediately if this
occurs.