1999 TOYOTA TERCEL Owners Manual

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(g) Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
If the indicator or Do this.
buzzer comes on...
(h) Close all doors.
(i) Take vehicle to
Toyota dealer
immediately.
(type A)
(type B)
(j) Turn off lights. Light reminder
buzzer
(k) Remove key. Key reminder
buzzer
(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.
Remember that stopping distance and ped-
al effort may be increased. There maybe
a problem somewhere in the brake sys-
tem. 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 your
nearest 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.)CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level is
low.
If the brake fluid level is correct...
Have the warning system checked by your
Toyota dealer.
(b) Driver's Seat Belt Reminder Light
and Buzzer
The light and buzzer remind you to buckle
up the driver 's seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to ºONº or
ºSTARTº, the reminder light flashes and
buzzer sounds if the driver 's seat belt is
not pulled out. Unless the driver starts to
pull the shoulder belt out of the retractor,
the light keeps flashing and the buzzer
stops after about 4 to 8 seconds.

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(c) Front Passenger 's Seat Belt Re-
minder Light
The light remind you to buckle up the
driver 's seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to ºONº or
ºSTARTº, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the front passenger seat
and the front passenger 's seat belt is not
pulled out. Unless the front passenger
starts to pull the shoulder belt out of the
retractor, the light keeps flashing.
If luggage load is placed on the front
passenger seat, depending on its weight
and how it is placed on the seat, built- in
sensors in the seat cushion may detect
the pressure, causing the reminder light to
come on.
(d) 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, radio,etc., and drive directly to the
nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken or loose.
(e) 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
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate 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.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on in the following
cases.
a. The fuel tank is completely empty. (See
ºFuel gaugeº in Chapter 1- 5 for instruc-
tions.)
b. The fuel tank cap is not tightened se-
curely. (See ºFuel tank capº in Chapter
1- 2 for instructions.)
c. There is a problem somewhere in your
engine or automatic transmission electrical
system.
If it comes on while you are driving in
case b, have your vehicle checked/re-
paired by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
(g) ºABSº 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 driv-
ing, have your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to the ºONº position. After
a few seconds, the light will go off.

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When the ºABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
brake system operates conventionally but
anti- lock brake system is not assisting
brake performance so that the wheels can
lock- up during sudden braking or braking
on slippery road surfaces.
(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 ºACCº or
ºONº position. After about 6 seconds,
the light will go off. This means the
system of the airbag and front seat belt
pretensioners are operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the air-
bag sensor assembly, seat belt pretension-
er assemblies, inflators, warning light, in-
terconnecting 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 ºACCº or
ºONº position or remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
(j) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound If the headlight
switch is left on and the driver's door is
opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch.
(k) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver 's door with
the ignition key in the ºACCº or ºLOCKº
position. CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER INDICA-
TORS
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to ºACCº. The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 se-
conds.
5. Turn the ignition key to ºONº, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light and
SRS airbag warning light should come
on. The ºABSº warning light goes off
after a few seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, either the bulb is burned out or the
circuit is in need of repair. Have it
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.

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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 6
Ignition switch,
Transmission and
Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
P ar k ing br ak e
ºSTARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ºONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ºONºÐEngine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
ºACCºÐAccessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ºACCº or
ºLOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
ºLOCKºÐEngine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn the key
from ºACCº to the ºLOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be in the ºPº posi-
tion before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the ºLOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONº
position if the engine is not running.The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock

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76 Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of ºPº position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ºONº position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the engineº in Part 3. The
transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic transmission
system will select the most suitable gear
for running conditions such as normal
cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress accelerator pedal slowly
for smooth starting.
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Parking, engine
starting and key
removal position
Reverse position
Neutral position
Normal driving position
Position for engine
braking
Position for stronger
engine braking than
that in º2º position
With the brake pedal
depressed, shift while holding
the lock release button in.
(The ignition switch must be
in ºONº position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in
Shift normally
Automatic transmission
(3- speed type)

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(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the º2º position when the
vehicle speed is lower than 84 km/h
(52 mph). The transmission will down-
shift to the second gear and more en-
gine braking will be obtained.
Shift into the ºLº position when the
vehicle speed is lower than 39 km/h
(24 mph). The transmission will down-
shift to the first gear and maximum
engine braking will be applied.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
To prevent engine overrevving, do not
downshift if you are going faster thanthe above speed in each position.
(c) Using the º2º and ºLº positions
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatical-
ly shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in ºLº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keepengine rpm from going into the redzone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position isgiven below for your reference:
º2º 100 km/h (62 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
ºLº 55 km/h (34 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in theº2º or ºLº position. This may causesevere automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To preventsuch damage, ºDº position shouldbe used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
ºRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.

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78
(e) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the ºPº posi-
tion.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never
attempt to move the selector lever
into ºPº position under any circum-
stances. Serious mechanical damage
and loss of vehicle control may re-
sult.
(f) Good driving practice
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an up-
grade with the accelerator pedal. Itcan cause the transmission to over- heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock the vehicle free by
moving it forward and backward. Do
not attempt, this procedure if people
or objects are anywhere near the ve-
hicle. During the rocking operation
the vehicle may suddenly move for-
ward or backward as it becomes un-
stuck, causing injury or damage to
nearby people or objects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe thefollowing precautions to prevent dam-age to the transmission and other parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-al while shifting the selector leveror before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reversegear.
Do not race the engine and avoidspinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
(h) If you cannot shift the selector le- ver out of ºPº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the ºPº position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see ºIf
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector leverº in Part 4.

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Lock release button
To prevent misshiftingParking, engine
starting and key
removal position
Reverse position
Neutral position
Normal driving position
Position for engine
braking
Position for stronger
engine braking than
that in º2º position
With the brake pedal
depressed, shift while holding
the lock release button in.
(The ignition switch must be
in ºONº position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in
Shift normally Overdrive switch
For selecting either a
three- speed or four- speed
transmission
ON position
(Shifting into overdrive possible)
OFF position
(Shifting into overdrive not
possible)
ºO/D OFFº indicator light
Shows the overdrive
switch is in OFF position
Automatic transmission
(4- speed type)