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Compact spare tire
The compact spare tire is designed for
temporary emergency use only.
The compact spare tire is identified by the
distinctive wheel design and color and
special wording ”TEMPORARY USE ONLY”
molded into the side wall of the tire.
The standard tire should be repaired and
replaced as soon as possible.
To keep the compact spare tire noticeable,
do not hide the wheel by a wheel cover
or such.The compact spare tire saves space in
your trunk or luggage compartment, and
its lighter weight helps to improve fuel
economy and permits easier installation in
case of a flat tire.
The compact spare tire can be used many
times, if necessary. It has tread life of up
to 4800 km (3000 miles) depending on
road conditions and your driving habits.
When tread wear indicators appear on the
tire, replace the tire.
See also the tire section in Chapter 7
−2
for details on the tread wear indicators
and other service information.
CAUTION
The compact spare tire was de-
signed especially for your Toyota.
Do not use it on any other vehicle.
Do not exceed 80 km/h (50 mph)
when driving with the compact
spare tire.
Avoid sudden acceleration, sudden
deceleration and sharp turns with
the compact spare tire.
NOTICE
Your ground clearance is reduced
when the compact spare tire is
installed so avoid driving over ob-
stacles and drive slowly on rough,
unpaved roads and speed bumps.
Also, do not attempt to go through an
automatic car wash as the vehicle
may get caught, resulting in damage.
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—Required tools and spare tire
With a compact spare tire
Without a compact spare tire
1. Get the required tools and sparetire.
1 Jack handle
2Jack
3 Tool bag (Canada)
4 Spare tire
5 Wheel nut wrench (U.S.A.)
To prepare yourself for an emergency, you
should familiarize yourself with the use of
the jack, each of the tools and their stor-
age locations.
Turn the jack joint by hand.
To remove: Turn the joint in the direction
1 until the jack is free.
To store: Turn the joint in the direction 2
until the jack is firmly secured to prevent
it from flying forward during a collision or
sudden braking.
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To remove the spare tire:1. Loosen the nut and remove it.
2. Remove the spare tire cover.
3. Loosen the bolt and remove it.
4. Remove the spacer.
Then take the spare tire out of the ve-
hicle.
When storing the spare tire, put it in place
with the outer side of the wheel facing up.
Then secure the tire by repeating the
above removal steps in reverse order to
prevent it from flying forward during a
collision or s udden braking.
—Blocking the wheel
2. Block the wheel diagonally opposite
the flat tire to keep the vehicle from
rolling when it is j acked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a wheel
block from the front for the front wheels
or from the rear for the rear wheels.3. Remove the wheel ornament.
Pry off the wheel ornament, using the
beveled end of the wheel nut wrench as
shown.
CAUTION
Do not try to pull off the ornament by
hand. Take due care in handling the
ornament to avoid unexpected person-
al injury.
—Removing wheel ornament
(steel wheels only)
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—Loosening wheel nuts
4. Loosen all the wheel nuts.
Always loosen the wheel nuts before rais-
ing the vehicle.
The nuts turn counterclockwise to loosen.
To get maximum leverage, fit the wrench
to the nut so that the handle is on the
right side, as shown above. Grab the
wrench near the end of the handle and
pull up on the handle. Be careful that the
wrench does not slip off the nut.
Do not remove the nuts yet—just unscrew
them about one—half turn.
—Positioning the jack
5. Position the jack at the correct jack point as shown.
Make sure the jack is positioned on a
level and solid place.
—Raising your vehicle
6. After making sure that no one is in the vehicle, raise it high enough so
that the spare tire can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare tire
than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle
into the jack (it is a loose fit) and turn it
clockwise. As the jack touches the vehicle
and begins to lift, double −check that it is
properly positioned.
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when the
vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
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—Changing wheels
7. Remove the wheel nuts and changetires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least the
top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle
the tire and press it back over the other
bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-
rosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metal −to −metal contact at the
mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to
loosen and eventually cause a wheel to
come off while driving. Therefore after the
first 1600 km (1000 miles), check to see
that the wheel nuts are tight.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts
8. Reinstall all the wheel nuts finger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by hand. Press back on the tire back
and see if you can tighten them more.
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—After changing wheels
11. Check the air pressure of the re-placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specification
designated in Part 8. If the pressure is
lower, drive slowly to the nearest service
station and fill to the correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation
valve cap as dirt and moisture could get
into the valve core and possibly cause air
leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new
one put on as soon as possible.
12. Restow all the tools, jack and flat tire securely.
As soon as possible after changing
wheels, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified in Part 8 with a torque
wrench, have a technician repair the flat
tire and replace the spare tire with it.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools, jack and flat tire are securely
in place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of personal in-
jury during a collision or s udden
braking.
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck—
—From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truckIf towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or
commercial tow truck service, tow your
vehicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in ”—Emergency
towing” in this Part.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following few
precautions are observed. If necessary,
show this page to the tow truck driver.
TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
If your vehicle needs to be
towed—
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Checking tire pressure
Keep your tire pressures at the proper
level.
The recommended cold tire pressures, tire
size and the vehicle capacity weight are
given in Part 8. They are also on the tire
pressure label as shown.
You should check the tire pressures every
two weeks, or at least once a month. And
do not forget the spare!
Incorrect tire pressure can reduce tire
life and make your vehicle less safe to
drive.Low tire pressure results in excessive
wear, poor handling, reduced fuel econo-
my, and the possibility of blowouts from
overheated tires. Also, low tire pressure
can cause poor sealing of the tire bead.
If the tire pressure is excessively low,
there is the possibility of wheel deforma-
tion and/or tire separation.
High tire pressure produces a harsh ride,
handling problems, excessive wear at the
center of the tire tread, and a greater
possibility of tire damage from road haz-
ards.
If a tire frequently needs refilling, have it
checked by your Toyota dealer.
The following instructions for checking
tire pressure should be observed:
The pressure should be checked only
when the tires are cold.
If your ve-
hicle has been packed for at least 3
hours and has not been driven for
more than 1.5 km or 1 mile since, you
will get an accurate cold tire pressure
reading.
Always use a tire pressure gauge.
The appearance of a tire can be mis-
leading. Besides, tire pressures that
are even just a few pounds off can
degrade handling and ride.
Take special care when adding air to
the compact spare tire. The smaller
tire size can gain pressure very quick-
ly. Add compressed air in small quanti-
ties and check the pressure often until
it reaches the specified pressure.
Do not bleed or reduce tire pressure
after driving. It is normal for the tire
pressure to be higher after driving.
Never exceed the vehicle capacity
weight. The passenger and luggage
weight should be located so that the
vehicle is balanced.
Be sure to reinstall the tire inflation
valve caps. Without the valve caps,
dirt or moisture could get into the valve
core and cause air leakage. If the caps
have been lost, have new ones put on
as soon as possible.
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Checking and replacing tires
Tread wear indicator
CHECKING YOUR TIRES
Check the tire tread for the tread wear
indicators. If the indicators show, re-
place the tires.
The tires on your Toyota have built −in
tread wear indicators to help you know
when the tires need replacement. When
the tread depth wears to 1.6 mm (0.06
in.) or less, the indicators will appear. If
you can see the indicators in two or more
adjacent grooves, the tire should be re-
placed. The lower the tread, the higher
the risk of skidding.
The effectiveness of snow tires is lost
if the tread wears down below 4 mm
(0.16 in.). Check the tires regularly for damage
such as cuts, splits and cracks. If any
damage is found, consult with a techni-
cian and have the tire repaired or re-
placed.
Even if the damage does not appear seri-
ous, a qualified technician should examine
the damage. Objects which have pene-
trated the tire may have caused internal
damage.
Any tires which are over six years old
must be checked by a qualified techni-
cian even if damage is not obvious.
Tires deteriorate with age even if they
have never or seldom been used.
This also applies to the spare tire and
tires stored for future use.
REPLACING YOUR TIRES
When replacing a tire, use only the
same size and construction as original-
ly installed and with the same or great-
er load capacity.
Using any other size or type of tire may
seriously affect handling, ride, speedome-
ter/odometer calibration, ground clearance,
and clearance between the body and tires
or snow chains.
CAUTION
Do not mix radial, bias belted, or
bias
−ply tires on your vehicle. It
can cause dangerous handling char-
acteristics, resulting in loss of con-
trol.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacturer ’s recom-
mended size.
Toyota recommends all four tires, or at
least both of the front or rear tires be
replaced at a time as a set.
See ”If you have a flat tire” in Part 4 for
tire change procedure.
When a tire is replaced, the wheel
should always be balanced.
An unbalanced wheel may affect vehicle
handling and tire life. Wheels can get out
of balance with regular use and should
therefore be balanced occasionally.
When replacing a tubeless tire, the air
valve should also be replaced with a
new one.
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