1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER ignition

34
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection to the driver and
front passenger when added to the pri-
mary protection provided by the seatbelts.
In response to a severe frontal impact, the
SRS airbags work together with the seatbelt to prevent or reduce injury by inflat- ing, in order to decrease the likelihood of
the driver's or front passenger's head or
chest directly hitting the steering wheel or dashboard. The passenger airbag is acti- vated even with no passenger in the frontseat.This indicator comes on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position. It goes off after about 6
seconds. This means the SRS airbags
are operating properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system
monitors the airbag sensor assembly, in-
flators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources.The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area be-
tween the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severity
of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 20 km/h (14 mph) collision when im-
pacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbags
may not deploy.
SRS airbags

38
Do not put objects on or in front of
the dashboard or steering wheel
pad that houses the airbag sys-
tem. They might restrict inflation
or cause personal injury as they
are projected rearward.
Do not modify, remove or open
any component or wiring, such as
the steering wheel, column cover,
front passenger airbag cover,
front passenger airbag, airbag
sensor assembly. Doing any of
these may cause sudden SRS air-
bag inflation or disable the sys-
tem, which could result in person-
al injury.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in severe injuries.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can interfere with proper operation ofthe SRS airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic itemssuch as a mobile two-way radio,
cassette tape player or compactdisc player
Modification of the suspension
system
Modification of the front endstructure
Attachment of a grille guard (bullbar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow-
plow, winches or any other equip-
ment to the front end
Repairs made on or near the front end structure, console, steeringcolumn, steering wheel or dash-board near the front passenger
airbag
This SRS airbag system has a service re-
minder indicator to inf orm the driver of op-
erating problems. If either of the following
conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your To-
yota dealer as soon as possible to service
the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.

Part 1Headlights and turn signals
51
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-4
Lights, Wipers and Defogger
Headlights and turn signals
Emergency flashers
Instrument panel light control
Interior light
Personal lights
Luggage compartment light
Ignition switch light
Windshield wipers and washer
Back window wiper and washer
Back window defogger
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob. Position 1ÐParking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights Position 2ÐHeadlights and all of the above If you turn the ignition switch to the
LOCKº position with the headlights left
on, a buzzer reminds you to turn the lights
off when you open the driver's door.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when theengine is not running.
Daytime running light system (Canada only)
The headlights turn on when the parking brake is released with the engine started,
even with the light switch in the OFFº
position. They will not go off until the igni-
tion switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and in-
strument panel lights, twist the knob to the
position 1.
Under the daytime running light system,
the headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty. Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.

54
To turn on the personal light, push the
switch. To turn the lights off, push the
switch once again.To turn on the luggage compartment
light, slide the switch.
The luggage compartment light switch has the following positions: ONºÐ Keeps the light on all the time.
OFFºÐ Turns the light off.
DOORºÐ Turns the light on when the
back door is opened. The light goes off
when the back door is closed.For easy access to the ignition switch,
the ignition switch light comes on
when the driver's door is opened.
The light remains on for some time after
the driver's door is closed.
Ignition switch light
Personal lights Luggage compartment light

Part 1Fuel gauge
59
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-5 Gauges, Meters and Service reminderindicators
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Tachometer
Odometer and trip meter
Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers
The gauge works when the ignition
switch is on
and indicates the approxi-
mate quantity of fuel remaining in the tank. Nearly fullÐNeedle at Fº Nearly emptyÐNeedle at Eº
It is a good idea to keep the tank over 1/4 full.
This fuel gauge has a non-return type
needle wh ich remains at the last indicated
position when the ignition switch is turned
off.
If the fuel level approaches Eº or the low fuel level warning light comes on, fill the fuel tank as soon as possible. If the fuel tank is completely empty, themalfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer assoon as possible.

60
The gauge indicates the engine cool-
ant temperature when the ignition
switch is on. The engine operating
temperature will vary with changes inweather and engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone, your engine is too hot. If your vehicle over-
heats, stop your vehicle and allow the en-
gine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe operating conditions, such as: Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air con-
ditioning on in stop-and-go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within the specified operating range.
Do not continue driving with anoverheated engine. See If yourvehicle overheatsº in Part 4.
The tachometer indicates engine
speed in thousands of rpm (revolu-
tions per minute). Use it while driving
to select correct shift points and to
prevent engine lugging and overrev-ving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
Tachometer
Engine coolant temperature gauge

62
(a) Brake System Warning Light This light has the following functions: Parking brake reminder
If this light is on, make sure the parking
brake is fully released. The light should go
off.
Low brake fluid level warning
If this light comes on and stays on while
you are driving, slow down and pull off the
road. Then stop the vehicle carefully.There may be a problem somewhere in
the brake system. Check the fluid level of
the see-through reservoir.
To make sure the parking brake has not
caused the warning light to come on,
check to see that the parking brake is fully
released.
If the brake fluid level is low...
At a safe place, test your brakes by start-
ing and stopping. If you judge that the brakes still work
adequately, drive cautiously to yournearest dealer or shop for repairs.
If the brakes are not working, have the
vehicle towed in for repairs. (For tow- ing information, see Part 4.)
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level
is low. CAUTION
!
If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by
your Toyota dealer.
(b) Seat Belt Reminder Light and Buzz-
er
Once the ignition key is turned to ONº or
STARTº, the reminder light and buzzer
come on if the driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened. Unless the driver fastens the belt, the light stays on and the buzzer sounds for about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, ra dio, etc., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.

63
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(d) Low Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are driv-
ing, pull off the road to a safe place and
stop the engine immediately. Call a Toyota
dealer or qualified repair shop for assis- tance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on brief-
ly after a hard stop. There is no cause for concern if it then goes out when the en-
gine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to indi-cate low oil level, and the oil level must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the warning light onÐeven for one
block. It may ruin the engine.
(e) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty. (See Fuel gaugeº in Chapter 1-5 for in- structions.)
b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See Fuel tank capº in Chapter
1-2 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine or automatic transmission electri- cal system.
If it comes on while you are driving in case
c, have your vehicle checked/repaired by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
(f) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level in
the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up the
tank as soon as possible.
(g) ABSº Warning Light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in your anti-lock brake sys- tem.
If the light comes on while you are driving,
have your vehicle checked by your T oyota
dealer as soon as possible. The light will come on when the ignition key is turned to the ONº position. After
about 3 seconds, the light will go off. When the ABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the brake system
operates conventionally but
without anti-lock function.
(h) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the doors
and back door are completely closed.
(i) SRS Airbag Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ACCº or ONº
position. After about 6 seconds, the
light w ill go off. This means the airbag
system is operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the air-
bag sensor assembly, inflators, warning
light, interconnecting wiring and power sources.
If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.