
’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)11 7
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of ”P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ”ON” position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Overdrive switch
You can select either third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The ”O/D OFF” indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The ”O/D OFF” indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will automatically be on.
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be enabled
because the cruise control is not can-
celled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see ”Cruise control” in this section.
(b) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ”How to start the engine” in Section 3. The
transmission must be in ”P” or ”N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ”D”.
When the lever is in the ”D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive switch on.

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126
Active traction control system indicator
light
The active traction control system auto-
matically helps control the spinning of
4 wheels which may occur when accel-
erating on slippery road surfaces, by
controlling the output of the brake and
engine. Thus, the system assists driver
to control the driving power of 4
wheels. When you turn the ignition
switch on, the active traction control
system always turns on automatically,
and the active traction control indicator
light will come on. The indicator light
will go off after a few seconds. When active traction control is applied,
the active traction control system indi-
cator light blinks.
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
is started. This means that the active
traction control system is in the self
−
check mode, and does not indicate mal-
function. When the active traction control
system is operating, you may feel vibra-
tion or noise of your vehicle, caused by
operation of the brakes. This indicates the
system is functioning properly.
When getting the vehicle out of mud or
new snow, etc. the active traction control
system will help operate to prevent the
wheels from spinning.Active traction control system failure
warning
This light warns when there is a problem
somewhere in the active traction control
system.
If the “VSC/TRAC” warning light comes
on, have your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
Active traction control system

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)127
The brake actuator temperature increases
during the active traction control system
or vehicle stability control system operat-
ing. If the brake actuator temperature be-
comes too high while the active traction
control system or vehicle stability control
system is operating, a buzzer will start to
sound intermittently to indicate that the
active traction control system can no lon-
ger operate. In this case, immediately stop
your vehicle at a safe place. If the system
continues to operate, the buzzer sound
changes from intermittent to continuous.
(The continuous buzzer sounds for about
3 seconds.) At the time, the “VSC/TRAC”
warning light will come on and the traction
control system temporarily stops operating
in order to protect the brake actuator. (Al-
though the active traction control system
does not operate, there is no problem to
continue your driving.) The system will be
automatically restored after a short time
and “VSC/TRAC” warning light goes off if
the accelerator pedal is released.
When the “ABS” warning light come on,
the active traction control system is not
operating.
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light will come
on when the ignition key is turned “ON”,
and will go off after a few seconds.
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light may stay
on for 60 seconds after the ignition key
is turned to “ON” position. It is normal if
it goes off after a few seconds.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the “VSC/TRAC” warning
light. It is normal if it goes off after a few
seconds.
When the “VSC/TRAC” warning light
comes on the active traction control sys-
tem is not operating, but there is no prob-
lem if you continue to drive.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light does not
come on after the ignition key is turned
“ON”.
The “VSC/TRAC” remains on after the
ignition key is turned “ON”.
CAUTION
Under certain slippery road condi-
tions, full traction of the vehicles and
power to 4 wheels may not be main-
tained, even though the active trac-
tion control system is in operation.
Do not drive the vehicle under any
speed or maneuvering conditions
which will cause the vehicle to lose
traction. In situations where the road
surface is covered with ice or snow,
your vehicle should be fitted with
snow tires or tire chains. Always
drive at an appropriate and cautious
speed for the road conditions pres-
ent.

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)
128
The vehicle skid control system helps
provide comprehensive control of sys-
tems such as anti −lock brake, traction
control, engine control, etc. This sys-
tem automatically controls the output of
the brakes or engine to help prevent
the vehicle from skidding under adverse
conditions.
When you turn the ignition switch on, the
slip indicator light will come on. The slip
indicator light will go off after a few sec-
onds. If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light flashes and an
alarm sounds intermittently.
The vehicle skid control system activates
when the vehicle speed is more than the
following speed. Four
−wheel drive control lever in “H”
15 km/h (9 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Four −wheel drive control lever in “L”
30 km/h (19 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
is started. This means that the vehicle
skid control is in the self −check mode and
does not indicate a malfunction.Pushing the center differential lock button
automatically turns the vehicle skid control
system off. At this time, the “VSC OFF”
indicator comes on with the center differ-
ential lock indicator light. (For details, see
“Four −wheel drive system—(a)Four −wheel
drive control” in this section.)
Vehicle skid control system

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)129
Vehicle skid control system failure
warning
These lights warn when there is a prob-
lem somewhere in the vehicle skid control
system or active traction control system.
If the “VSC/TRAC” warning light and “VSC
OFF” indicator light come on, have your
vehicle checked by your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible. However, there is no
problem the “VSC/TRAC” warning light
comes on when the brake actuator tem-
perature becomes high. (For details, see
“Active traction control system” in this
section.) When the “ABS” warning light comes on,
the vehicle skid control system is not op-
erating.
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light and “VSC
OFF” indicator light will come on when the
ignition key is turned “ON”, and will go off
after a few seconds.
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light and “VSC
OFF” indicator light may stay on for 60
seconds after the ignition key is turned to
“ON” position. It is normal if they go off
after a few seconds.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the lights. It is normal if they
go off after a few seconds.
When the “VSC/TRAC” warning light and
“VSC OFF” indicator light come on, the
vehicle skid control system is not operat-
ing, but there is no problem if you contin-
ue to drive.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light, “VSC
OFF” indicator light and slip indicator
light do not come on after the ignition
key is turned “ON”.
The “VSC/TRAC” warning light and
“VSC OFF” indicator light remain on af-
ter the ignition key is turned “ON”.
The “VSC OFF” indicator light comes
on while driving without pushing the
center differential lock switch.
CAUTION
Active traction control system, ve-
hicle skid control system and anti −
lock brake system are electronic
systems designed to help the driver
maintain control under adverse con-
ditions. They are not a substitute
for safe driving practices. Factors
including speed, road conditions
and driver steering input can all af-
fect whether active traction control
system, vehicle skid control system
and anti −lock brake system will be
effective in preventing a loss of
control. Always keep safety driving
in mind. If the slip indicator light
flashes, sounding an alarm, special
care should be taken while driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacturer, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use the tires other
than specified, or different type or
size, the vehicle skid control sys-
tem may not function correctly.
When replacing the tires or wheels,
contact your Toyota dealer. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” in
Section 7 −2.)

’01 L/C U (L/O 0008)131
Reference
AM·FM ETR radio/cassette player/compact
disc auto changer controller/compact disc
auto changer
This section describes some of the basic
features on Toyota audio systems. Some
information may not pertain to your sys-
tem.
Your audio system works when the ignition
key is in the ”ACC” or ”ON” position.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON AND OFF
Push ”PWR·VOL” to turn the audio system
on and off.
Push ”AM”, ”FM1·2”, ”TAPE” or ”CD” to
turn on that function without pushing
”PWR·VOL”.
You can turn on each player by inserting
a cassette tape or compact disc.
You can turn off each player by ejecting
the cassette tape or compact disc. If the
audio system was previously off, then the
entire audio system will be turned off
when you eject the cassette tape or com-
pact disc. If the another function was pre-
viously playing, it will come on again.
SWITCHING BETWEEN FUNCTIONS
Push ”AM”, ”FM1·2”, ”TAPE” or ”CD” if the
system is alr
eady on but you want to
switch from one function to another. TONE AND BALANCE
For details about your system’s tone and
balance controls, see the description of
your own system.
Tone
How good an audio program sounds to
you is largely determined by the mix of
the treble, midrange, and bass levels. In
fact, different kinds of music and vocal
programs usually sound better with differ-
ent mixes of treble, midrange, and bass.
Balance
A good balance of the left and right stereo
channels and of the front and rear sound
levels is also important.
Keep in mind that if you are listening to
a stereo recording or broadcast, changing
the right/left balance will increase the vol-
ume of one group of sounds while de-
creasing the volume of another.
Using your audio system—
—some basics