Scion iA. Service Manual - part 8

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2-7. Security System

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An armed system can be turned off using any one of the following

methods:
● Pressing the unlock button on the smart key.
● Starting the engine with the push button start.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice.

When the doors are unlocked by pressing the unlock button on the smart key

while the theft deterrent system is turned off, the hazard warning lights will

flash twice to indicate that the system is turned off.

A triggered alarm can be turned off using any one of the following

methods:
● Pressing the unlock button on the smart key.
● Starting the engine with the push button start.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice.

A label indicating that your vehicle

is equipped with a Theft Deterrent

System is in the glove compart-

ment.
Scion recommends that you affix

it to the lower rear corner of a front

door window.

To Turn Off an Armed System

To Stop the Alarm

Theft Deterrent Labels

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2-8. Driving Tips

Break-In Period

No special break-in is necessary, but a few precautions in the first 600
miles (1,000 km) may add to the performance, economy, and life of
the vehicle.
● Do not race the engine.
● Do not maintain one constant speed, either slow or fast, for a long

period of time.

● Do not drive constantly at full-throttle or high engine rpm for

extended periods of time.

● Avoid unnecessary hard stops.
● Avoid full-throttle starts.

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2-8. Driving Tips

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Saving Fuel and Protection of the Environment

How you operate your Scion determines how far it will travel on a tank
of fuel. Use these suggestions to help save fuel and reduce CO2.
● Avoid long warm-ups. Once the engine runs smoothly, begin driv-

ing.

● Avoid fast starts.
● Drive at lower speeds.
● Anticipate when to apply the brakes (avoid sudden braking).
● Follow the maintenance schedule and have your Scion dealer per-

form inspections and servicing.

● Use the air conditioner only when necessary.
● Slow down on rough roads.
● Keep the tires properly inflated.
● Do not carry unnecessary weight.
● Do not rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
● Keep the wheels in correct alignment.
● Keep windows closed at high speeds.
● Slow down when driving in crosswinds and headwinds.

WARNING

■

Never stop the engine when going down a hill
Stopping the engine when going down a hill is dangerous. This causes the
loss of power steering and power brake control, and may cause damage to
the drivetrain. Any loss of steering or braking control could cause an acci-
dent.

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2-8. Driving Tips

Hazardous Driving

When driving on ice or in water, snow, mud, sand, or similar hazards:
● Be cautious and allow extra distance for braking.
● Avoid sudden braking and sudden maneuvering.
● Do not pump the brakes. Continue to press down on the brake

pedal. Refer to Antilock Brake System (ABS) on P. 193.

● If you get stuck, select a lower gear and accelerate slowly. Do not

spin the front wheels.

● For more traction in starting on slippery surfaces such as ice or

packed snow, use sand, rock salt, chains, carpeting, or other non-
slip material under the front wheels.

Use snow chains only on the front wheels.

WARNING

■

Be extremely careful if it is necessary to downshift on slippery sur-
faces
Downshifting into lower gear while driving on slippery surfaces is danger-
ous. The sudden change in tire speed could cause the tires to skid. This
could lead to loss of vehicle control and an accident.

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2-8. Driving Tips

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Floor Mat

When setting a floor mat, position
the floor mat so that its grommets
are inserted over the pointed end
of the retention posts.

WARNING

■

Make sure the floor mats are hooked on the retention pins to prevent
them from bunching up under the foot pedals
Using a floor mat that is not secured is dangerous as it will interfere with the
accelerator and brake pedal operation, which could result in an accident.

■

Do not install two floor mats, one on top of the other, on the driver’s
side
Installing two floor mats, one on top of the other, on the driver’s side is dan-
gerous as the retention pins can only keep one floor mat from sliding for-
ward.

If using a heavy duty floor mat for winter use always remove the original
floor mat.

Loose floor mat(s) will interfere with the foot pedal and could result in an
accident.

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2-8. Driving Tips

Rocking the Vehicle

If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow, sand or mud, depress
the accelerator slightly and slowly move the shift lever from 1 (D) to R.

WARNING

■

Do not spin the wheels at more than 35 mph (56 km/h), and do not
allow anyone to stand behind a wheel when pushing the vehicle
When the vehicle is stuck, spinning the wheels at high speed is dangerous.
The spinning tire could overheat and explode. This could cause serious
injuries.

NOTICE

Too much rocking may cause engine overheating, transaxle failure, and tire
damage.

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2-8. Driving Tips

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Winter Driving

Carry emergency gear, including tire chains, window scraper, flares, a
small shovel, jumper cables, and a small bag of sand or salt.

Ask your Scion dealer to check the following:
● Have the proper ratio of antifreeze in the radiator.

Refer to Engine Coolant on P. 431.

● Inspect the battery and its cables. Cold reduces battery capacity.
● Use an engine oil appropriate for the lowest ambient temperatures

that the vehicle will be driven in (

P. 429).

● Inspect the ignition system for damage and loose connections.
● Use washer fluid made with antifreezebut do not use engine cool-

ant antifreeze for washer fluid (

P. 435).

●

Do not use the parking brake in freezing weather as it may freeze. Instead,
shift to 1 or R with a manual transaxle and to P with an automatic transaxle.
Block the rear wheels.

●

Remove snow before driving. Snow left on the windshield is dangerous as it
could obstruct vision.

●

Do not apply excessive force to a window scraper when removing ice or fro-
zen snow on the mirror glass and windshield.

●

Never use warm or hot water for removing snow or ice from windows and
mirrors as it could result in the glass cracking.

●

Drive slowly. Braking performance can be adversely affected if snow or ice
adheres to the brake components. If this situation occurs, drive the vehicle
slowly, releasing the accelerator pedal and lightly applying the brakes sev-
eral times until the brake performance returns to normal.

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2-8. Driving Tips

■

Use snow tires on all four wheels

Do not go faster than 75 mph (120 km/h) while driving with snow
tires. Inflate snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm

2

, 4.3 psi) more than rec-

ommended on the tire pressure label (driver’s door frame), but
never more than the maximum cold-tire pressure shown on the
tires.

The vehicle is originally equipped with all season radials designed
to be used all year around. In some extreme climates you may find
it necessary to replace them with snow tires during the winter
months to further improve traction on snow and ice covered roads.

Check local regulations before using tire chains.

Install the chains on the front tires only. 
Do not use chains on the rear tires.
Please consult your Scion dealer.

■

Installing the chains

If your vehicle is equipped with wheel covers remove them, oth-
erwise the chain bands will scratch them.

Secure the chains on the front tires as tightly as possible.
Always follow the chain manufacturer’s instructions.

Retighten the chains after driving 1/4—1/2 mile (1/2—1 km).

If your vehicle is equipped with the tire pressure monitoring system, the
system may not function correctly when using tire chains.

Snow Tires

WARNING

■

Use only the same size and type tires (snow, radial, or non-radial)
on all four wheels
Using tires different in size or type is dangerous. Your vehicle’s handling
could be greatly affected and result in an accident.

NOTICE

Check local regulations before using studded tires.

Tire Chains

1

2

3

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2-8. Driving Tips

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WARNING

■

Driving with tire chains

●

Chains may affect handling.

●

Do not go faster than 30 mph (50 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s rec-
ommended limit, whichever is lower.

●

Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, and sharp turns.

●

Avoid locked-wheel braking.

NOTICE

●

Do not use chains on a temporary spare tire; it may result in damage to the
vehicle and to the tire.

●

Do not use chains on roads that are free of snow or ice. The tires and
chains could be damaged.

●

Chains may scratch or chip aluminum wheels.

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2-8. Driving Tips

Driving In Flooded Area

WARNING

■

Dry off brakes that have become wet by driving slowly, releasing the
accelerator pedal and lightly applying the brakes several times until
the brake performance returns to normal
Driving with wet brakes is dangerous. Increased stopping distance or the
vehicle pulling to one side when braking could result in a serious accident.
Light braking will indicate whether the brakes have been affected.

NOTICE

Do not drive the vehicle on flooded roads as it could cause short circuiting
of electrical/electronic parts, or engine damage or stalling from water
absorption. If the vehicle has been immersed in water, consult your Scion
dealer.

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2-8. Driving Tips

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Overloading

WARNING

■

Be careful not to overload your vehicle
The gross axle weight rating (GAWR) and the gross vehicle weight rat-
ing (GVWR) of the vehicle are on the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
Label on the driver’s door frame. Exceeding these ratings can cause an
accident or vehicle damage. You can estimate the weight of the load by
weighing the items (or people) before putting them in the vehicle.

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2-8. Driving Tips

Driving on Uneven Road

Use care not to damage the vehicle’s underbody, bumpers or muf-
fler(s) when driving under the following conditions:
● Ascending or descending a slope with a sharp transition angle
● Ascending or descending a driveway or trailer ramp with a sharp

transition angle

Your vehicle’s suspension and underbody can be damaged if
driven on rough/uneven roads or over speed bumps at exces-
sive speeds. Use care and reduce speed when traveling on
rough/uneven roads or over speed bumps.

NOTICE

This vehicle is equipped with low profile tires allowing class-leading perfor-
mance and handling. As a result, the sidewall of the tires are very thin and
the tires and wheels can be damaged if driven through potholes or on
rough/uneven roads at excessive speeds. Use care and reduce speed
when traveling on rough/uneven roads or through potholes.

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2-9. Towing

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Trailer Towing

Your Scion is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with
your Scion.

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2-9. Towing

Recreational Towing

When doing recreational towing refer to “Towing Description” (

P. 504)

and “Tiedown Hooks” (

P. 505) and carefully follow the instructions.

An example of “recreational towing” is towing your vehicle
behind a motorhome. 

The transaxle is not designed for towing this vehicle on all 4
wheels.

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3

When Driving

3-1. Start/Stop Engine

Ignition Switch ................... 140

Starting the Engine ........... 142

Turning the Engine Off ...... 147

3-2. Combination Meter and 

Display

Meters and Gauges .......... 148

Warning/Indicator 

Lights .............................. 156

3-3. Transaxle

Manual Transaxle 

Operation ........................ 160

Automatic Transaxle 

Controls........................... 164

3-4. Switches and Controls

Lighting Control ................. 175

Fog Lights ......................... 179

Turn and Lane-Change 

Signals ............................ 180

Windshield Wipers 

and Washer..................... 182

Rear Window 

Defogger ......................... 185

Hazard Warning 

Flasher ............................ 186

3-5. Brake

Brake System.................... 187

Hill Launch Assist (HLA) ... 191

3-6. ABS/TCS/DSC

Antilock Brake System 

(ABS) .............................. 193

Traction Control System 

(TCS) .............................. 194

Dynamic Stability Control 

(DSC) .............................. 196

3-7. Fuel Economy Monitor

Fuel Economy Monitor ...... 199

3-8. Drive Selection

Drive Selection 

(Automatic Transaxle)..... 201

3-9. Power Steering

Power Steering ................. 203

3-10. Active Safety System

Active Safety System ........ 204

Smart City Brake Support 

(SCBS)............................ 205

Laser Sensor..................... 211

3-11. Cruise Control

Cruise Control ................... 213

3-12. Tire Pressure Monitoring 

System

Tire Pressure Monitoring 

System ............................ 218

3-13. Rear View Monitor

Rear View Monitor ............ 222

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3-1. Start/Stop Engine

Ignition Switch

The system operates only when the driver is in the vehicle or within
operational range while the key is being carried.

Each time the push button start is
pressed, the ignition switches in
the order of off, ACC, and ON.
Pressing the push button start
again from ON switches the igni-
tion off.

■

Off

The power supply to electrical devices turns off and the push button
start indicator light (amber) also turns off.

In this position the steering wheel is locked.

■

ACC (Accessory)

Some electrical accessories will operate and the indicator light
(amber) illuminates.

■

ON

This is the normal running position after the engine is started. The
indicator light (amber) turns off. (The indicator light (amber) illumi-
nates when the ignition is switched ON and the engine is not run-
ning.)

Some indicator lights/warning lights should be inspected before the
engine is started (

P. 156).

Push Button Start Positions

Push button start

Indicator light