TOYOTA PRIUS V 2012 Owners Manual (in English)

5
When trouble arises
441
5-1. Essential information
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
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
● High engine coolant temperatur e warning light flashes or
comes on
■ 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 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, s pongy feeling, pedal almost
touches the floor

442
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If a war ning light tur ns on or a war ning 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.
*1: Brake system warning buzzer:
When there is a possible problem that could affect braking performance, the
warning light will come on and a warning buzzer will sound.
*2: 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)
*1, 2
• Low brake fluid
• Malfunction in the brake systemThis 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 actio ns if any of the warning lights
comes on or flashes. If a light comes on or flashes, but then goes
off, this does not necessarily indicate a malfunction in the system.
However, if this continues to o ccur, have the vehicle inspected by
your Toyota dealer.

5
When trouble arises
443
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
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.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
Charging system warning light Indicates a malfunction in the vehicle’s charging system
Low engine oil pressure warning light Indicates that the engine oil pressure is too low
High coolant temper ature warning light
Indicates that the coolant temperature is too high
Changes from a flashing to a solid light when the engine
coolant temperature increases.
Hybrid system warning light (warning buzzer) Indicates a malfunction in the hybrid system

444 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.Failure 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
(U.S.A.)
(Canada) Malfunction indicator lamp
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The hybrid system;
• The electronic engine control system; or
• The electronic throttle control system
SRS warning light Indicates a malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• The front passenger occupant classification system; or
• The seat belt pretensioner system

(U.S.A.)

(Canada)
ABS warning lightIndicates a malfunction in:
• The ABS; or
• The brake assist system
Electric power steering syst em warning light (warn-
ing buzzer) Indicates a malfunction in the EPS system

5
When trouble arises
445
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
Warning lightWarning light/Details
(Flashes)
(If equipped) Pre-collision syst
em warning light
Indicates a malfunction in the pre-collision system
The warning light will operate as follows, even when the
system is not malfunctioning:
• The light will flash quickly when the system is operating. (P. 256)
• The light will turn on when the pre-collision braking is disabled. ( P. 257)
• The light will turn on when the system cannot tempo- rarily be used. ( P. 448)
(Turns on) Slip indicator light
Indicates a malfunction in:
•VSC;
• TRAC; or
• Hill-start assist control
Flashes when the above systems are operating.
(P. 251)
Brake system warning light (yellow indicator)
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The regenerative braking system; or
• The electronically controlled brake system
Parking lock system warnin
g light (warning buzzer)
Indicates a malfunction in the P position control system
• In this situation, there is a possibility that the parking lock mechanism will not work. When parking, park the
vehicle on a flat surface and apply the parking brake
securely.
• The “POWER” switch may not be turned off. If this hap- pens, applying the parking brake will enable the switch
to be turned off.

446 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
Warning lightWarning light/Details

(U.S.A)

(Canada) Parking lock system warn
ing message (warning
buzzer) Indicates a malfunction in the P position control system
when the vehicle is stopped
• In this situation, there is a possibility that the parking lock mechanism will not work. When parking, park the
vehicle on a flat surface and apply the parking brake
securely.
• The “POWER” switch may not be turned off. If this hap- pens, applying the parking brake will enable the switch
to be turned off.

(If equipped) LED headlight warning light
Indicates a malfunction in the LED headlightsThe LED headlights will not normally illuminate when
there is a malfunction, however it may be able to illumi-
nate depending on the nature of the problem.

(If equipped) Automatic headlight leveling system warning light
Indicates a malfunction in the automatic headlight level-
ing system

(If equipped) (yellow) Cruise control indicator
Indicates a malfunction in the cruise control/dynamic
radar cruise control

(If equipped) (yellow) Radar cruise control indicator
Indicates a malfunction in the dynamic radar cruise con-
trol

5
When trouble arises
447
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
Follow the correction procedures.
After taking the specified steps to correct the suspected problem,
check that the warning light goes off.
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure

(Flashes) P position request indicator
light (warning buzzer)
The amount of charge remain-
ing in the hybrid battery (trac-
tion battery) has fallen because
the shift position has been left
in N for a long time Because recharging
is not possible when
the shift position is in
N, shift the shift posi-
tion to P when park-
ing the vehicle for a
long time.
The driver’s door has been
opened while the shift position
is in N, D or B Shift the shift posi-
tion to P.
An attempt has been made to
start the hybrid system while
the shift position is in anything
other than P
Hybrid system overheat warn-
ing light (warning buzzer)
The hybrid system has over-
heated Stop and check.
(
P. 485)

(Only outer
frame flashes) Low hybrid battery (traction
battery) warning light (warning
buzzer)
Hybrid battery (traction battery)
level becomes low because the
shift position is in N for long
time Because recharging
is not possible when
the shift position is in
N, shift the shift posi-
tion to P when park-
ing the vehicle for a
long time.

448 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure

(Turns on)
(If equipped) Pre-collision system warning
light
Indicates that the PCS is not
currently functional because
the grille cover or the radar sen-
sor is dirty, or the system has
overheats. • Clean the grille
cover and the radar
sensor.
• Once the system cools down, the sys-
tem became func-
tional.

(U.S.A.) Maintenance Required
reminder light
Indicates that maintenance is
required according to the driven
distance on the maintenance
schedule.
*1
Illuminates for about 3 seconds
and then flashes for about 15
seconds approximately 4500
miles (7200 km) after the main-
tenance data has been reset. If necessary, perform
maintenance.
Comes on and remains on if the
distance driven exceeds 5000
miles (8000 km) after the main-
tenance data has been reset.
(The indicator will not work
properly unless the mainte-
nance data has been reset.) Perform the neces-
sary maintenance.
Please reset the
maintenance data
after the mainte-
nance is performed.
(
P. 354)
Open door warning light
(warning buzzer)
*2
Indicates that a door is not fully
closed Check that all the
doors are closed.

5
When trouble arises
449
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure
Low fuel level warning light Indicates remaining fuel is
approximately 1.6 gal. (6.0 L,
1.3 Imp.gal.) or less Refuel the vehicle.
Seat belt reminder light (warn-
ing buzzer)
*3
Warns the driver and/or front
passenger to fasten their seat
belts. Fasten the seat belt.
If the front passen-
ger’s seat is occu-
pied, the front
passenger’s seat
belt also needs to
be fastened to
make the reminder
light (warning
buzzer) off.
Tire pressure warning light
When the light comes on:
Low tire inflation pressure
such as
• Natural causes ( P. 451)
• Flat tire ( P. 460) Adjust the tire infla-
tion pressure to the
specified level.
The light will turn
off after a few min-
utes. In case the
light does not turn
off even if the tire
inflation pressure
is adjusted, have
the system
checked by your
Toyota dealer.
When the light comes on after
blinking for 1 minute:
Malfunction in the tire pres-
sure warning system
(  P. 453) Have the system
checked by your
Toyota dealer.

450 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
PRIUS v_U (OM47674U)
*1: Refer to the separate “Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner’s ManualSupplement” for the maintenance interval applicable to your vehicle.
*2: Open door warning buzzer:
The open door warning buzzer sounds to alert one or more of the doors is
not fully closed (with the vehicle having reached a speed of 3 mph [5km/h]).
*3: Seat belt warning buzzer:The seat belt warning buzzer sounds to alert the driver and/or front passen-
ger that their seat belts are not fastened. If the driver’s seat belt is not fas-
tened, the buzzer will sound for 6 seconds once the “POWER” switch is
turned to ON mode. If the vehicle reaches a speed of 12 mph (20 km/h), the
buzzer will sound once. If the seat belt is still unfastened after 30 seconds,
the buzzer will sound intermittently for 10 seconds. Then, if the seat belt is
still unfastened, the buzzer will sound in a different tone for 20 more sec-
onds.
■ SRS warning light
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor assembly, front impact
sensors, side impact sensors (front door), side impact sensors (front), side
impact sensors (rear), driver’s seat position sensor, driver’s seat belt buckle
switch, front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sensors),
“AIR BAG ON” indicator light, “AIR BA G OFF” indicator light, front passen-
ger’s seat belt buckle switch, seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflators,
interconnecting wiring and power sources. ( P. 121)
■ Occupant detection system (ECU and sensors), seat belt reminder and
warning buzzer
● If luggage is placed on the front passenger seat, the occupant detection
system (ECU and sensors) may cause the warning light to flash and the
warning buzzer to sound even if a passenger is not sitting in the seat.
● If a cushion is placed on the seat, the occupant detection system (ECU
and sensors) may not detect a passenger, and the warning light may not
operate properly.