Toyota Prius Prime (2020 year). Owner's manual — part 22

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5-2. Driving procedures

■

For the shift positions

●

When the power switch is off, the shift position cannot be changed.

●

When the power switch is in ON mode (the hybrid system is not operating),
the shift position can only be changed to N. The shift position will be
changed to N even if the shift lever is shifted to D or R and held in that posi-
tion.

●

When the “READY” indicator is on, the shift position can be changed from P
to D, N or R.

●

When the “READY” indicator is flashing, the shift position cannot be
changed from P to another position even if the shift lever is operated. Wait
until the “READY” indicator changes from a flashing to a solid light, and then
operate the shift lever again.

●

The shift position can only be changed to B directly from D.

In addition, if an attempt is made to change the shift position by moving the
shift lever or by pressing the P position switch in any of the following situa-
tions, the buzzer will sound and the shifting operation will be disabled or the
shift position will automatically change to N. When this happens, select an
appropriate shift position.

●

Situations where the shifting operation will be disabled:
• When an attempt is made to change the shift position from P to another

position by moving the shift lever without depressing the brake pedal.

• When an attempt is made to change the shift position from P or N to B by

moving the shift lever.

• When an attempt is made to change the shift position from P to another

position by moving the shift lever while the charging cable is connected to
the vehicle.

●

Situations where the shift position will automatically change to N:
• When the P position switch is pressed while the vehicle is running.

*

1

• When an attempt is made to select the R position by moving the shift

lever when the vehicle is moving forward.

*

2

• When an attempt is made to select the D position by moving the shift

lever when the vehicle is moving in reverse.

*

3

• When an attempt is made to change the shift position from R to B by

moving the shift lever.

*

1

: Shift position may be changed to P when driving at extremely low

speeds.

*

2

: Shift position may be changed to R when driving at low speeds.

*

3

: Shift position may be changed to D when driving at low speeds.

●

If N is selected while driving at a certain speed, even if the shift lever is not
held in the N position, the shift position changes to N. In this situation, the
buzzer sounds and a confirmation message is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display to inform the driver that the shift position has changed to N.

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5-2. Driving procedures

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Reverse warning buzzer
When shifting into R, a buzzer will sound to inform the driver that the shift
position is in R.

■

Restraining sudden start (Drive-Start Control)
P. 320

■

Automatic P position selection function

●

If the power switch is on and the shift position is not already P, completely
stopping the vehicle and pressing the power switch causes the shift position
to automatically switch to P and the power switch to turn off.

*

●

The shift position may also automatically switch to P if one of the following
conditions is detected while the vehicle is stopped by dynamic radar cruise
control with full-speed range.
• Driver’s seat belt is not fastened
• Driver’s door is opened
• Approximately 3 minutes elapse after the vehicle stopped

*

: If the power switch is pressed when driving at very low speeds (for exam-

ple, just before the vehicle stops), the shift position may automatically
switch to P. Press the power switch after completely stopping the vehicle to
prevent unexpected sudden stopping of the vehicle.

■

If the shift position cannot be shifted from P
There is a possibility that the 12-volt battery is discharged. Check the 12-volt
battery in this situation. (

P. 703)

■

About engine braking
When shift position B is selected, releasing the accelerator pedal will apply
engine braking.

●

When the vehicle is driven at high speeds, compared to ordinary gasoline-
fueled vehicles, the engine braking deceleration is felt less than that of other
vehicles.

●

The vehicle can be accelerated even when shift position B is selected.

If the vehicle is driven continuously in the B position, fuel efficiency will
become low. Usually, select the D position.

■

After recharging/reconnecting the 12-volt battery
P. 596

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5-2. Driving procedures

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When a message related to shift operations is displayed on the multi-
information display
When the shift position does not switch due to a mistaken operation, system
conditions, etc., or when the attempted shift operation is invalid, a message
indicating the correct operation or the reason why switching cannot be per-
formed is shown on the multi-information display. In these cases, follow the
instructions and retry the operation.

■

Customization
Settings (e.g. reverse warning buzzer) can be changed.
(Customizable features:

P. 741)

WARNING

■

When driving on slippery road surfaces
Do not accelerate or shift the shift position suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine braking may cause the vehicle to spin or skid,
resulting in an accident.

■

Shift lever and P position switch

●

Do not remove the shift lever knob or use anything but a genuine Toyota
shift lever knob. Also, do not hang anything on the shift lever.
Doing so could prevent the shift lever from returning to position, causing
unexpected accidents to occur when the vehicle is in motion.

●

Do not press the P position switch while the vehicle is moving.
If the P position switch is pressed when driving at very low speeds (for
example, just before the vehicle stops), the vehicle may stop suddenly
when the shift position switches to P, which could lead to an accident.

●

In order to prevent the shift position from accidentally being changed, do
not touch the shift lever or P position switch when not using them.

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5-2. Driving procedures

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NOTICE

■

Hybrid battery (traction battery) charge
If the shift position is in N, the hybrid battery (traction battery) will not be
charged. To help prevent the battery from discharging, avoid leaving the N
position selected for an extended period of time.

■

Situations where shift control system malfunctions are possible
If any of the following situations occurs, shift control system malfunctions
are possible.
Immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place on level ground, apply the park-
ing brake, and then contact your Toyota dealer.

●

When the warning message indicating the shift control system appears on
the multi-information display.

●

The display indicates that no shift position is selected for more than a few
seconds.

■

Notes regarding shift lever and P position switch operation
Avoid repeatedly operating the shift lever and P position switch in quick suc-
cession.
The system protection function may activate and it will not be temporarily
possible to shift the shift position other than P. If this happens, please wait
for approximately 20 seconds before attempting to change the shift position
again.

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5-2. Driving procedures

Turn signal lever

Right turn
Lane change to the right (move
the lever partway and release
it)

The right hand signals will flash 3
times.

Lane change to the left (move
the lever partway and release
it)

The left hand signals will flash 3
times.

Left turn

■

Turn signals can be operated when
The power switch is in ON mode.

■

If the indicator flashes faster than usual
Check that each turn signal light flashes correctly.

■

If the turn signals stop flashing before a lane change has been per-
formed
Operate the lever again.

■

Customization
The number of times the turn signals flash during a lane change can be
changed. (Customizable features:

P. 741)

Operating instructions

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5-2. Driving procedures

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Parking brake

To set the parking brake, fully
depress the parking brake pedal
with your left foot while depress-
ing the brake pedal with your right
foot.
(Depressing the pedal again
releases the parking brake.)

■

Parking the vehicle
P. 319

■

Parking brake engaged warning buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven with the parking brake engaged.
“Release Parking Brake” is displayed on the multi-information display (with
the vehicle reached a speed of 3 mph [5 km/h]).

■

Usage in winter time
P. 496

Operating instructions

(U.S.A.)

(Canada)

NOTICE

■

Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components
overheating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake
wear.

350

5-3. Operating the lights and wipers

Headlight switch

Operating the

switch turns on the lights as follows:



U.S.A. (type A)

The daytime running
lights turn on. (

P. 353)

The side marker, park-
ing, tail, license plate,
instrument panel lights,
and daytime running
lights (

P. 353) turn on.

The headlights and all
the lights listed above
(except daytime running
lights) turn on.
The daytime running
lights turn off.

The headlights can be operated manually or automatically.

Operating instructions

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5-3. Operating the lights and wipers

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

U.S.A. (type B)

The headlights and all the lights listed above (except day-
time running lights) turn on.
The daytime running lights turn off.

The headlights, side
marker, parking, LED
accent (if equipped),
daytime running lights
(

P. 353) and so on

turn on and off automat-
ically (when the power
switch is in ON mode).
The side marker, park-
ing, LED accent (if
equipped), tail, license
plate, instrument panel
lights, and daytime run-
ning lights (

P. 353)

turn on.

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(if equipped)

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5-3. Operating the lights and wipers



Canada

The headlights, side
marker, parking, LED
accent (if equipped),
daytime running lights
(

P. 353) and so on

turn on and off automat-
ically (when the power
switch is in ON mode).
The side marker, park-
ing, LED accent (if
equipped), tail, license
plate, instrument panel
lights, and daytime run-
ning lights (

P. 353)

turn on.
The headlights and all the lights listed above (except day-
time running lights) turn on.
The daytime running lights turn on. (

P. 353)

With the headlights on, push
the lever away from you to turn
on the high beams.

Pull the lever toward you to the
center position to turn the high
beams off.

Pull the lever toward you and
release it to flash the high
beams once.

You can flash the high beams with the headlights on or off.

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Turning on the high beam headlights

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IO53PH019

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Daytime running light system

●

The daytime running lights illuminate using the same lights as the head-
lights, and illuminate dimmer than the headlights.

●

To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers during daytime driving,
the daytime running lights turn on automatically when all of the following
conditions are met. (The daytime running lights are not designed for use at
night.)
• The hybrid system is operating
• The parking brake is released

• The headlight switch is in the

,

,

or

*

position

*

: When the surroundings are bright

The daytime running lights remain on after they illuminate, even if the park-
ing brake is set again.

●

For the U.S.A.: Daytime running lights can be turned off by operating the
switch.

●

Compared to turning on the headlights, the daytime running light system
offers greater durability and consumes less electricity, so it can help improve
fuel economy.

■

Headlight control sensor (if equipped)
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything
that blocks the sensor is affixed to the
windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor
detecting the level of ambient light and
may cause the automatic headlight sys-
tem to malfunction.
Air conditioning operation may also be
interrupted.

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5-3. Operating the lights and wipers

■

Automatic light off system

●

When the headlights come on: The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 sec-
onds after a door is opened and closed if the power switch is turned to
ACCESSORY mode or turned off. (The lights turn off immediately if

on

the key is pressed after all the doors are locked.)

●

When only the tail lights come on: The tail lights turn off automatically if the
power switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode or turned off and the driver’s
door is opened.

To turn the lights on again, turn the power switch to ON mode, or turn the light

switch to the

,

,

or

position once and then back to

the

or

position.

■

12-volt battery-saving function
In order to prevent the 12-volt battery of the vehicle from discharging, if the
headlights and/or tail lights are on when the power switch is turned off, the
12-volt battery saving function will operate and automatically turn off all the
lights after approximately 20 minutes.
When any of the following are performed, the 12-volt battery-saving function
is canceled once and then reactivated. All the lights will turn off automatically
20 minutes after the 12-volt battery-saving function has been reactivated:

●

When the headlight switch is operated

●

When a door is opened or closed

■

If “Headlight System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer” is displayed on the
multi-information display
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Toy-
ota dealer.

■

Customization
Settings (e.g. light sensor sensitivity) can be changed.
(Customizable features:

P. 741)

NOTICE

■

To prevent 12-volt battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than necessary when the hybrid system is
off.

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5-3. Operating the lights and wipers

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Automatic High Beam

Push the lever away from you
with the headlight switch in the

or

position.

Press the Automatic High
Beam switch.

The Automatic High Beam indica-
tor will come on when the head-
lights are turned on automatically
to indicate that the system is
active.

The Automatic High Beam uses an in-vehicle camera sensor to
assess the brightness of streetlights, the lights of vehicles
ahead etc., and automatically turns the high beam on or off as
necessary.

WARNING

■

Limitations of the Automatic High Beam
Do not rely on the Automatic High Beam. Always drive safely, taking care to
observe your surroundings and turning the high beam on or off manually if
necessary.

■

To prevent incorrect operation of the Automatic High Beam system
Do not overload the vehicle.

Activating the Automatic High Beam system

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5-3. Operating the lights and wipers

■

Switching to low beam
Pull the lever to the original
position.

The Automatic High Beam indi-
cator will turn off.
Push the lever away from you to
activate the Automatic High
Beam system again.

■

Switching to high beam
Press the Automatic High
Beam switch.

The Automatic High Beam indi-
cator will turn off and the high
beam indicator will turn on.
Press the switch to activate the
Automatic High Beam system
again.

Turning the high beam on/off manually

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High beam automatic turning on or off conditions

●

When all of the following conditions are fulfilled, the high beam will be auto-
matically turned on (after approximately 1 second):
• Vehicle speed is above approximately 21 mph (34 km/h).
• The area ahead of the vehicle is dark.
• There are no vehicles ahead with headlights or tail lights turned on.
• There are few streetlights on the road ahead.

●

If any of the following conditions are fulfilled, the high beam will be automat-
ically turned off:
• Vehicle speed drops below approximately 17 mph (27 km/h).
• The area ahead of the vehicle is not dark.
• Vehicles ahead have headlights or tail lights turned on.
• There are many streetlights on the road ahead.

■

Camera sensor detection information

●

The high beam may not be automatically turned off in the following situa-
tions:
• When oncoming vehicles suddenly appear from a curve
• When the vehicle is cut in front of by another vehicle
• When vehicles ahead are hidden from sight due to repeated curves, road

dividers or roadside trees

• When vehicles ahead appear from the faraway lane on wide road
• When vehicles ahead vehicles have no lights

●

The high beam may be turned off if a vehicle ahead that is using fog lights
without using the headlights is detected.

●

House lights, street lights, traffic signals, and illuminated billboards or signs
may cause the high beam to switch to the low beams, or the low beams to
remain on.

●

The following factors may affect the amount of time taken to turn the high
beam on or off:
• The brightness of headlights, fog lights, and tail lights of vehicles ahead
• The movement and direction of vehicles ahead
• When a vehicle ahead only has operational lights on one side
• When a vehicle ahead is a two-wheeled vehicle
• The condition of the road (gradient, curve, condition of the road surface

etc.)

• The number of passengers and amount of luggage

●

The high beam may be turned on or off when the driver does not expect it.

●

Bicycles or similar objects may not be detected.

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5-3. Operating the lights and wipers

●

In the situations shown below, the system may not be able to accurately
detect surrounding brightness levels. This may cause the low beams to
remain on or the high beams to cause problems for pedestrians, vehicles
ahead or other parties. In these cases, manually switch between the high
and low beams.
• In bad weather (rain, snow, fog, sandstorms etc.)
• The windshield is obscured by fog, mist, ice, dirt etc.
• The windshield is cracked or damaged.
• The camera sensor is deformed or dirty.
• The camera sensor temperature is extremely high.
• Surrounding brightness levels are equal to those of headlights, tail lights

or fog lights.

• Vehicles ahead have headlights that are either switched off, dirty, are

changing color, or are not aimed properly.

• When driving through an area of intermittently changing brightness and

darkness.

• When frequently and repeatedly driving ascending/descending roads, or

roads with rough, bumpy or uneven surfaces (such as stone-paved
roads, gravel tracks etc.).

• When frequently and repeatedly taking curves or driving on a winding

road.

• There is a highly reflective object ahead of the vehicle, such as a sign or

a mirror.

• The back of a vehicle ahead is highly reflective, such as a container on a

truck.

• The vehicle’s headlights are damaged or dirty.
• The vehicle is listing or tilting, due to a flat tire, a trailer being towed etc.
• The high beam and low beam are repeatedly being switched between in

an abnormal manner.

• The driver believes that the high beam may be causing problems or dis-

tress to other drivers or pedestrians nearby.

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Temporarily lowering sensor sensitivity
The sensitivity of the sensor can be temporarily lowered.

Turn the power switch off while the following conditions are met.

• The headlight switch is in the

or

position.

• The headlight switch lever is in high beam position.
• Automatic High Beam switch is on.
Turn the power switch to ON mode.
Within 60 seconds after step , repeat pulling the headlight switch lever to
the original position then pushing it to the high beam position quickly 10
times, then leave the lever in high beam position.
If the sensitivity is changed, the Automatic High Beam indicator is turn on
and off 3 times.

Automatic High Beam (headlights) may turn on even the vehicle is stopped.

■

If “Headlight System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer” is displayed on the
multi-information display
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Toy-
ota dealer.

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