Get IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY -> If you have a flat tire Guide for Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

If you have a flat tire—

6. After the coolant temperature has

cooled to normal, again check the cool-

ant level in the reservoir. If necessary,

bring it up to half full again. Serious

1. Reduce your speed gradually, keeping

a straight line. Move cautiously off the

road to a safe place well away from

the traffic. Avoid stopping on the center

divider of a highway. Park on a level

spot with firm ground.

D Stop the vehicle at

a

level firm

ground, firmly set the parking brake

and put the transmission in “P”.

Block the wheel diagonally opposite

to the one being changed if neces-

sary.

coolant loss indicates

a

leak in the

system. You should have it checked as

soon as possible at your Toyota dealer.

2. Stop the hybrid system and turn on

your emergency flashers.

D Make sure to set the jack properly

in the jack point. Raising the ve-

hicle with jack improperly posi-

tioned will damage the vehicle or

may allow the vehicle to fall off the

jack and cause personal injury.

3. Firmly set the parking brake and put

the transmission in “P”.

4. Have everyone get out of the vehicle

on the side away from traffic.

5. Read the following instructions thor-

oughly.

D Never get under the vehicle when

the vehicle is supported by the jack

alone.

CAUTION

D Use the jack only for lifting your

vehicle during wheel changing.

When jacking, be sure to observe the

following to reduce the possibility of

personal injury:

D Do not raise the vehicle with some-

one in the vehicle.

D When raising the vehicle, do not

D Follow jacking instructions.

put an object on or under the jack.

D Do not put any part of your body

D Raise the vehicle only high enough

under

a

vehicle supported by

a

to remove and change the tire.

jack. Personal injury may occur.

D Do not start or run the hybrid sys-

tem while your vehicle is supported

by the jack.

173

The compact spare tire can be used many

times, if necessary. It has tread life of up

to 4800 km (3000 miles) depending on

road conditions and your driving habits.

When tread wear indicators appear on the

tire, replace the tire.

NOTICE

Do not continue driving with a de-

flated tire. Driving even a short dis-

tance can damage a tire and wheel

beyond repair.

See also the tire section on page 215 in

Section 8−2 for details on the tread wear

indicators and other service information.

50p007a

CAUTION

D The compact spare tire was de-

signed especially for your Toyota.

Do not use it on any other vehicle.

Compact spare tire

The compact spare tire is designed for

temporary emergency use only.

D Do not use more than one compact

spare tire at the same time.

The compact spare tire is identified by the

distinctive wheel design and color and

special wording “TEMPORARY USE ONLY”

molded into the side wall of the tire.

D Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph)

when driving with the compact

spare tire.

D Avoid sudden acceleration, sudden

deceleration and sharp turns with

the compact spare tire.

The standard tire should be repaired and

replaced as soon as possible.

The compact spare tire saves space in

your luggage compartment, and its lighter

weight helps to improve fuel economy and

permits easier installation in case of a flat

tire.

174

—Required tools and spare

tire

NOTICE

Your ground clearance is reduced

when the compact spare tire is

installed so avoid driving over ob-

stacles and drive slowly on rough,

unpaved roads and speed bumps.

Also, do not attempt to go through an

automatic car wash as the vehicle

may get caught, resulting in damage.

50p008a

50p009

1. Get the required tools and spare

tire.

Turn the jack joint by hand.

To remove: Turn the joint in direction 1

until the jack is free.

1 Wheel nut wrench

2 Jack handle

3 Towing eyelet (For emergency towing)

4 Jack

5 Spare tire

To store: Turn the joint in direction 2 until

the jack is firmly secured to prevent it

flying forward during a collision or sudden

braking.

To prepare yourself for an emergency, you

should familiarize yourself with the use of

the jack, each of the tools and their stor-

age locations.

175

—Blocking the wheel

—Loosening wheel nuts

50p010d

50p011a

50p013a

To remove the spare tire:

2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite

the flat tire to keep the vehicle from

rolling when it is jacked up.

3. Loosen all the wheel nuts.

Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-

ing the vehicle.

1. Raise the luggage compartment floor.

When chocking the wheel, place a wheel

block from the front for the front wheels

or from the rear for the rear wheels.

2. Loosen the bolt with spacer and re-

move it.

Turn the wheel nuts counterclockwise to

loosen them. To get maximum leverage, fit

the wrench to the nut so that the handle

is on the right side, as shown above.

Grab the wrench near the end of the han-

dle and pull up on the handle. Be careful

that the wrench does not slip off the nut.

Then take the spare tire out of the ve-

hicle.

When storing the spare tire, put it in place

with the outer side of the wheel facing up.

Then secure the tire by repeating the

above removal steps in reverse order to

Do not remove the nuts yet—just unscrew

them about one−half turn.

prevent it from flying forward during

collision or sudden braking.

a

176

—Positioning the jack

—Raising your vehicle

CAUTION

Never get under the vehicle when the

vehicle is supported by the jack

alone.

50p014c

50p015b

4. Position the jack at the jack points

as shown.

5. After making sure no one is in the

vehicle, raise it high enough so that

the spare tire can be installed.

Make sure the jack is positioned on a

level and solid place.

Remember you will need more ground

clearance when putting on the spare tire

than when removing the flat tire.

To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle

into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it

clockwise. As the jack touches the vehicle

and begins to lift, double−check that it is

properly positioned.

177

—Changing wheels

—Reinstalling wheel nuts

50p016

50p017b

50p018b

6. Remove the wheel nuts and change

tires.

Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-

rosion on the mounting surfaces with a

wire brush or such. Installation of wheels

without good metal−to−metal contact at the

mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to

loosen and eventually cause a wheel to

come off while driving. Therefore after the

first 1600 km (1000 miles), check to see

that the wheel nuts are tight.

7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts finger

tight.

Lift the flat tire straight off and put it

aside.

Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-

ward) and tighten them as much as you

can by hand. Press back on the tire and

see if you can tighten them more.

Roll the spare wheel into position and

align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.

Then lift up the wheel and get at least the

top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle

the tire and press it back over the other

bolts.

178

—Lowering your vehicle

—After changing wheels

9. Check the air pressure of the re-

placed tire.

CAUTION

Adjust the air pressure to the specification

designated on page 237 in Section 9. If

the pressure is lower than specified, drive

slowly to the nearest Toyota dealer and fill

to the correct pressure.

When lowering the vehicle, make sure

all portions of your body and all oth-

er persons around will not be injured

as the vehicle is lowered to the

ground.

50p019a

Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation

valve cap as dirt and moisture could get

into the valve core and possibly cause air

leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new

one put on as soon as possible.

10. Restow all the tools, jack and flat

tire securely.

8. Lower the vehicle completely and

tighten the wheel nuts.

As soon as possible after changing

wheels, tighten the wheel nuts to the

torque specified on page 237 in Section

9 with a torque wrench. Have a technician

repair the flat tire and replace the spare

tire with it.

Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to

lower the vehicle.

Use only the wheel nut wrench to tighten

the nuts. Do not use other tools or any

additional leverage other than your hands,

such as

a

hammer, pipe or your foot.

CAUTION

Make sure the wrench is securely en-

gaged over the nut.

Before driving, make sure all the

tools, jack and flat tire are securely

in place in their storage location to

reduce the possibility of personal in-

Tighten each nut a little at a time in the

order shown. Repeat the process until all

the nuts are tight.

jury during

braking.

a

collision or sudden

179

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY -> If you have a flat tire for Your Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY

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