Toyota Prius Owners Manual

Cargo and luggage
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS ANDCONTROLS / Information before driving your Toyota / Cargo and luggage

Stowage precautions

When stowing cargo and luggage inthe vehicle, observe the following:

Put cargo and luggage in the luggagecompartment when at allpossible. Be sure all items are securedin place.

Be careful to keep the vehicle balanced.Locating the weight as farforward as possible helps maintainbalance.

For better fuel economy, do notcarry unneeded weight.

CAUTION

To prevent cargo and luggagefrom sliding forward duringbraking, do not stack anythingin the luggage compartment.Keep cargo and luggage low,as close to the floor as possible.

Never allow anyone to ride inthe luggage compartment. It isnot designed for passengers.They should ride in their seatswith their seat belts properlyfastened. Otherwise, they aremuch more likely to suffer seriousbodily injury, in the eventof sudden braking or a collision.

Do not place anything on theluggage cover. Such items maybe thrown about and possiblyinjure people in the vehicleduring sudden braking or anaccident. Secure all items in asafe place.

Do not drive with objects lefton top of the instrument panel.They may interfere with thedriver’s field of view. Or theymay move during sharp vehicleacceleration or turning, and impairthe driver’s control of thevehicle. In an accident theymay injure the vehicle occupants.

NOTICE

Do not load the vehicle beyond thevehicle capacity weight given in Section9.

Capacity and distribution

Cargo capacity depends on the totalweight of the occupants.

(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capacity)– (Total weight of occupants)

Steps for Determining CorrectLoad Limit—

(1) Locate the statement “The combinedweight of occupants andcargo should never exceed XXXkg or XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’splacard.

(2) Determine the combined weight ofthe driver and passengers that willbe riding in your vehicle.

(3) Subtract the combined weight ofthe driver and passengers fromXXX kg or XXX lbs.

(4) The resulting figure equals theavailable amount of cargo and luggageload capacity. For example,if the “XXX” amount equals 1400lbs. and there will be five 150 lb.passengers in your vehicle, theamount of available cargo and luggageload capacity is 650 lbs.(1400–750 (5x150)=650 lbs.)

(5) Determine the combined weight ofluggage and cargo being loadedon the vehicle. That weight maynot safely exceed the availablecargo and luggage load capacitycalculated in Step 4.

(6) If your vehicle will be towing atrailer, load from your trailer willbe transferred to your vehicle.Consult this manual to determinehow this reduces the available cargoand luggage load capacity ofyour vehicle.

Toyota does not recommend towinga trailer with your vehicle. Your vehicleis not designed for trailer towing.

Toyota Prius: Cargo and luggage. Example on Your Vehicle

Example on Your Vehicle

In case that 2 people with the combinedweight of 166 kg (366 lb.) areriding in your vehicle with the totalload capacity of 365 kg (810 lb.), theavailable amount of cargo and luggageload capacity will be as follows:

365 kg – 166 kg = 199 kg.
(810 lb. – 366 lb. = 444 lb.)

From this condition, if 3 more passengerswith the combined weight of 176kg (388 lb.) get on, the available cargoand luggage load will be reducedas follows:

199 kg – 176 kg = 23 kg.
(444 lb. – 388 lb. = 56 lb.)

As shown in the above example, if thenumber of occupants increases, thecargo and luggage load equaling thecombined weight of occupants whogot on later must be reduced. In otherwords, if the increase in the numberof occupants causes the excess ofthe total load capacity (combinedweight of occupants plus cargo andluggage load), you have to reduce thecargo and luggage on your vehicle.For details about total load capacity,see “Vehicle load limits” on page 344.

CAUTION

Even if the total load of occupant’sweight and the cargo loadis less than the total load capacity,do not apply the load unevenly.That may cause not only damageto the tire but also deteriorationto the steering ability due tounbalance of the vehicle, causingan accident.


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