TOYOTA PRIUS 2010 3.G Owners Manual

5
When trouble arises
491
5-1. Essential information
PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Towing with a wheel lift-type truck
From front Release the parking brake.
From rear Use a towing dolly under the
front wheel.
ITO51P104
ITO51P105

492 5-1. Essential information
PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Using a flat bed truckIf you use chains or cables to tie
down your vehicle, the angles
shaded in black must be 45°.
Do not overly tighten the tie
downs or the vehicle may be
damaged.
NOTICE
■To prevent causing serious damage to the transmission
Never tow this vehicle from the rear with the front wheels on the ground.
■ To prevent damaging the vehicle
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.
ITO51P106

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5-1. Essential information
PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
If you think something is wrong
If you notice any of the following symptoms, your vehicle probably
needs adjustment or repair. Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
■ Visible symptoms
●Fluid leaks under the vehicle 
(Water dripping from the air cond itioning after use is normal.)
● Flat-looking tires or uneven tire wear
■ Audible symptoms
●Changes in exhaust sound
● Excessive tire squeal when cornering
● Strange noises related to the suspension system
● Pinging or other noises related to the hybrid system
■ Operational symptoms
●Engine missing, stumbling or running rough
● 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, s pongy feeling, pedal almost
touches the floor

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5-1. Essential information
PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Event data recorder
In a crash or a near car crash eventThe SRS airbag sensor assembly contains the EDR. In a crash or a
near car crash event, this device may record some or all of the follow-
ing information:
● Gasoline engine speed
● Whether the brake pedal was applied or not
● Vehicle speed
● To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed
● Position of the transmission shift lever
● Whether the driver and front passenger wore seat belts or not
● Driver’s seat position
● SRS airbag deployment data
● SRS airbag system diagnostic data
● Front passenger’s occupant classification
The information above is intended to be used for the purpose of
improving vehicle safety performan ce. Unlike general data recorders,
the EDR does not record sound data such as conversation between
passengers.
Your vehicle has computers that monitor and control certain aspects
of your vehicle. These computers assi st in driving and maintaining
optimal vehicle performance.
Besides storing data useful for troubleshooting, there is an event
data recorder (EDR) that records data in a crash or a near car crash
event.

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5-1. Essential information
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Disclosure of the data
Toyota will not disclose the data re corded in an EDR to a third party
except when:
● An agreement from the vehicle’s ow ner (or the leasing company for
a leased vehicle) is obtained
● Officially requested by the police or other authorities
● Used as a defense for Toyota in a law suit
● Ordered by a court
However, if necessary Toyota will:
● Use the data for research on Toyota vehicle safety performance
● Disclose the data to a third party for research purposes without dis-
closing details of the vehicle ow ner, and only when it is deemed
necessary
● Disclose summarized data cleared of vehicle identification informa-
tion to a non-Toyota organization for research purposes

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PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If a war ning light turns on or a warning buzzer sounds...
Stop the vehicle immediately. Continuing to drive the vehicle
may be dangerous.The following warning indicates a possible problem in the brake sys-
tem. Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
*: Parking brake engaged warning buzzer: 
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven at a speed of approximately 3 mph
(5 km/h) or more.
Warning lightWarning light/Details

(U.S.A.)

(Canada)
Brake system warning light and warning buzzer* (red
indicator)
• Low brake fluid
• Malfunction in the brake system This light also comes on when the parking brake is not
released. If the light turns off after the parking brake is
fully released, the system is operating normally.
Calmly perform the following actions if any of the warning lights turn
on or flash. If a light turns on or flashes, but then turns off, this does
not necessarily indicate a malfunction in the system.

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5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Stop the vehicle immediately.
The following warning indicates the possibility of damage to the vehi-
cle that may lead to an accident. Immediately stop the vehicle in a
safe place and contact your Toyota dealer.
Have the vehicle inspected immediately.Failing to investigate the cause of the following warnings may lead to
the system operating abnormally and possibly cause an accident.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
Charging system warning light
Indicates a malfunction in the vehicle’s charging system.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
(U.S.A.)
(Canada) Malfunction indicator lamp
Malfunction in:
• The emission control system;
• The electronic engine control system;
• The electronic hybrid system control system; or
• The electronic throttle control system.
SRS warning light Malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• Front passenger occupant classification system; or
• The seat belt pretensioner system.

498 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
Automatic headlight leveling system warning light (if
equipped)
Indicates a malfunction in the automatic headlight level-
ing system.

(U.S.A.)

(Canada)
ABS warning lightMalfunction in:
• The ABS; or
• The brake assist system.
Brake system warning light (yellow indicator) Malfunction in the electronically controlled brake sys-
tem.
Electric power steering system warning light Malfunction in the EPS (Electric Power Steering).
Pre-collision system warn ing light (if equipped)
Indicates a malfunction in the pre-collision system.

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PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Follow the correction procedures.
After taking the specified steps to correct the suspected problem,
check that the warning light turns off.
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure
Open door warning light 
(warning buzzer)
*1
A door or a back door is
not fully closed.
Check that all
doors and the back
door are closed.
Low fuel level warning
light Remaining fuel
(Approximately 1.6 gal.
[6.0 L, 1.3 Imp.gal.] or
less) Refuel the vehicle.
Driver’s seat belt
reminder light (warning
buzzer)
*2
Warns the driver to fasten
his/her seat belt. Fasten the seat
belt.
(On the instrument panel)
Front passenger’s seat
belt reminder light
(warning buzzer)
*2
Warns the front passen-
ger to fasten his/her seat
belt.Fasten the seat
belt.

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PRIUS_U (OM47668U) U.S.A.
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure
Tire pressure warning
light
When the light comes on:
Low tire inflation pres-
sure. Adjust the tire
inflation pressure.
When the light comes on
after blinking for 1 minute:
Malfunction in the tire
pressure warning system. Have the system
checked by your
Toyota dealer.
High coolant tempera-
ture warning light
Indicates high engine
coolant temperature P. 5 4 8
Master warning light A buzzer sounds and the
warning light comes on
and flashes to indicate
that the master warning
system has detected a
malfunction. P. 5 0 8