2001 TOYOTA SOLARA tow

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
202001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Trunk lidÐ
To open the trunk lid from the outside,
insert the master key and turn it clock-
wise.
See ªLuggage stowage precautionsº in
Section 2 for precautions in loading lug-
gage.
To close the trunk lid, lower it and press
down on it. After closing the trunk lid, try
pulling it up to make sure it is securely
closed.
CAUTION
Keep the trunk lid closed while driv-
ing. This not only keeps the luggage
from being thrown out but also pre-
vents exhaust gases from entering
the vehicle.
ÐLock release lever
To open the trunk lid from the driver's
seat, pull up on the lock release lever.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
412001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Fold±down rear seat
(A) FOLDING REAR SEAT1. Pull up the seatback security lock lever 1 to the unlock position.
2. Pull up the lock release button 2.
3. Fold down the seatback.
Each seatback may be folded separately.
This will enlarge the trunk as far as the
front seatbacks. See ª Luggage stowage
precautionsº in Section 2 for precautions
in loading luggage.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to the
upright position:

Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.

Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
Failure to do so will prevent seat
belt from operating properly.
(B) PREVENTING DAMAGE TO REAR CENTER SEAT BELT WEBBING
When folding down the left seatback, if
the luggage loaded in the enlarged
trunk will damage the webbing of the
rear center seat belt, disconnect the
rear center seat belt to prevent damage. 1. Insert the tab 1 or tab of the outside seat belt into the buckle±release but-
ton to release the tab 2, and allow
the belt to retract.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
892001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the ªONº position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
With interval adjuster: The ªINT TIMEº
band lets you adjust the wiping time inter-
val when the wiper lever is in the intermit-
tent position (position 1). Twist the band
upward to increase the time between
sweeps, and downward to decrease it. To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see ªAdding washer fluidº in Section 7±3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch theglass.
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Windshield wipers and
washer Rear window and outside
rear view mirror defoggers

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
932001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)

Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop±and±go traffic.

Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat inthe engine cooling system as thismay cause the engine to overheat.The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep thetemperature of the engine withinthe specified operating range.
Do not continue driving with anoverheated engine. See ªIf your ve-hicle overheatsº in Section 4.
Tachometer
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm
( revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and over±revving.
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 causesevere engine damage.
Odometer and two trip meters
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters.
1. OdometerÐShows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip metersÐShow two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1022001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
(b) 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 ªO/D OFFº indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The ªO/D OFFº 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 be on automatically.Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen 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 cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see ªCruise controlº in this section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ªHow to start the engineº in Section 3. The
transmission must be in ªPº or ªNº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ªDº.
When the lever is in the ªDº 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 on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:

Push the overdrive switch. The ªO/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.

Shift into the ª2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
5S±FE engine 112 km/h (69 mph) . . . . .
1MZ±FE engine 122 km/h (75 mph) . . . .

Shift into the ªLº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.
5S±FE engine 50 km/h (31 mph). . . . . .
1MZ±FE engine 54 km/h (33 mph) . . . . .

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1032001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing off the overdrive switch, engine
braking is not enabled because the cruise
control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see ªCruise controlº in this section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(e) Using ª2º and ªLº positions
The ª2º and ªLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in ª2º or ªLº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ªDº.
With the selector lever in ª2º, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in ªLº, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to over±rev 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:
ª2º 125 km/h (77 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . .
ªLº 69 km/h (42 mph). . . . . . . . . . . . .

Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time in theª2º or ªLº position. This may causesevere automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To preventsuch damage, ªDº position shouldbe used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(f) 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
ªRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(g) 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 ªPº posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into ªPº position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
(h) Good driving practice

If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope, the
overdrive should be turned off. Be sure
to turn the switch on immediately after-
ward.

When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1042001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
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.
(i) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
CAUTION
If your vehicle becomes stuck in
snow, mud, sand, etc., then you may
attempt to rock your 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 otherparts.
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.
(j) If you cannot shift the selector le-
ver out of ªPº position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
ªPº position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see ªIf you cannot
shift automatic transmission selector leverº
in Section 4.

'01 SOLARA_U (L/O 0009)
1062001 MY SOLARA (OM33527U)
Good driving practice

If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.

When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use the fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completelystopped before shifting into reverse.
Parking brake
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better hold-
ing power, first depress the brake pedal
and hold it while setting the parking
brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly (1),
press the lock release button (2), and low-
er (3).
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.