Air Conditioning System: Precaution

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2002 Toyota Prius. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Do not handle refrigerant in an enclosed area or near a naked flame .
Always wear eye protection .
Be careful not to get liquid refrigerant in your eyes or on your skin :
If liquid refrigerant gets in your eyes or on your skin
1. Wash the area with lots of cool water.
2. Apply clean petroleum jelly to the skin.
3. Go immediately to a physician or hospital for professional treatment.
Never heat container or expose it to naked flame .
Be careful not to drop container and not to apply physical shocks to it .
Do not operate compressor without enough refrigerant in refrigeration system.
If there is not enough refrigerant in the refrigerant system oil lubrication will be insufficient and compressor burnout may occur, so that care to avoid this, necessary care should be taken.
Do not open pressure manifold valve while compressor is operate .
If the high pressure valve is opened, refrigerant flows in the reverse direction and could cause the charging cylinder to rupture, so open and close the only low pressure valve.

Fig 1: Identifying Charging Side
Courtesy of © TOYOTA, LICENSE AGREEMENT TMS1002
Be careful not to overcharge system with refrigerant .
If refrigerant is overcharged, it causes problems such as insufficient cooling, poor fuel economy, engine overheating etc.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
The PRIUS is equipped with an SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) such as the driver, front passenger and side AIRBAG. Failure to carry out service operation in the correct sequence could cause the SRS to unexpectedly deploy during servicing, possibly leading to a serious accident. Before servicing (including removal or installation of parts, inspection or replacement), be sure to read the precautionary notices in the AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEMS article.