’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
312001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out of the retractor and insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may
lock if you lean forward too quickly. A
slow, easy motion will allow the belt to
extend, and you can move around freely.If the seat belt cannot be pulled out of the
retractor, firmly pull the belt and release
it. You will then be able to smoothly pull
the belt out of the retractor.
When a passenger ’s shoulder belt is com-
pletely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that
position and cannot be extended. This fea-
ture is used to hold the child restraint
system securely. (For details, see Child
restraint" in this section.) To free the belt
again, fully retract the belt and then pull
the belt out once more.CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the belt is not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, immediately contact your
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot
protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.
Seat belts with an adjustable shoulder
anchor
Adjust the shoulder anchor position to
your size.
To raise: Slide the anchor up.
To lower: Push in the lock release button
and slide the anchor down.
After adjustment, make sure the anchor is
locked in position.
Front and rear outside seat
belts
’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
342001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
To o h i g h
Adjust to
a snug fit
Keep as low on hips as possible
Remove excess length of the belt and
adjust the belt position.
To shorten the belt, pull the free end of
the belt.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hipsnot on your waist, then ad-
just it to a snug fit.
CAUTION
Both high−positioned and loose−fit-
ting lap belts could cause serious in-
juries due to sliding under the lap
belt during a collision or other unin-
tended result. Keep the lap belt posi-
tioned as low on hips as possible.
To release the belt, press the buckle−re-
lease button.The buckles can be fixed when not in
use.
When taking out the buckle from the hold-
er, pull on the belt webbing to remove the
buckle from the lower portion.
Stowing the rear seat
buckles (Xtra−cab models)
’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
352001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
Seat belt extender
If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer so
that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available
at your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following. Failure to fol-
low these instructions could result in
less effectiveness of the seat belt re-
straint system in case of vehicle acci-
dent, increasing the chance of per-
sonal injury.
Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt without
it.
Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe when
used on a different vehicle, or for
another person or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended for.
To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the PRESS" signs on
the buckle−release buttons of the ex-
tender and the seat belt are both facing
outward as shown.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
When releasing the seat belt, press on
the buckle−release button on the extender,
not on the seat belt. This helps prevent
damage to the vehicle interior and extend-
er itself.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
2132001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRE−TOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose−up or nose−down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulations. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose. TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle−
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle−trailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer). Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle−to−vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion. If your vehicle has a manual
transmission, prevent excessive clutch
slippage by keeping engine rpm low
and not racing the engine. Always start
out in first gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
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2142001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not use fifth gear (manual
transmission) or overdrive (automatic
transmission).
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30C [85 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to If
your vehicle overheats" in Section 4.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in P" (automatic)
or in first or reverse (manual). Avoid
parking on a slope with a trailer, but
if it cannot be avoided, do so only
after performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un- der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into first or reverse (manual) or P" (automatic) and turn off the engine.
’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
2152001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
When restarting out after parking on a
slope:
1. With the transmission in P" position (automatic) or the clutch pedal de-
pressed (manual), start the engine.
(With an automatic transmission, be
sure to keep the brake pedal de-
pressed.)
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake (also foot brake on automatic transmission ve-
hicles) and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply
your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle−
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Getting more kilometers/mileage from a
liter/gallon of fuel is easyjust take it
easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See Section
7−2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm−up idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
drivingbut gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Always keep the automatic transmis-
sion overdrive switch turned on.
Driving with the overdrive switch off
will reduce the fuel economy. (For de-
tails, see Automatic transmission" in
Section 1−6.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
2802001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
Dimensions
Regular cab models Xtra−cab models
Overall length
Overall height
∗ 6
Front tread
Rear tread Overall width
Wheelbase 4540(178.7)
∗
1
4685(184.4)∗25010(197.2)∗1
5155(203.0)∗2
1690(66.5)
1765(69.5)∗3, ∗
41690(66.5)
1620(63.8)
∗4
1630(64.2)∗5
3095(121.9)
1450(57.1)
1455(57.3)
1455(57.3) 1450(57.1)
2625(103.3) 1590(62.5)
∗
3, ∗
4
1605(63.2)∗4
1615(63.6)∗5
∗ 1
: Without rear step bumper∗2: With rear step bumper∗3: With 5VZ−FE engine∗4: With P235/55R16 tires∗5: With P205/75R15 tires∗6: Unladen vehicle
TWO−WHEEL DRIVE MODELS EXCEPT PRE RUNNER mm (in.)
’01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009)
2812001 TACOMA (OM35766U)
FOUR−WHEEL DRIVE MODELS AND PRE RUNNERmm (in.)
Regular cab modelsXtra−cab modelsDouble cab models
Overall length4685(184.4)5155(203.0)5155(203.0)
Overall width1690(66.5)∗
1
1785(70.3)∗21690(66.5)∗1
1785(70.3)∗21785(70.3)
Overall height∗31720(67.7)∗1
1750(68.9)∗21715(67.5)∗1
1745(68.7)∗21715(67.5)∗1
1745(68.7)∗2
Wheelbase2625(103.3)3095(121.9)3095(121.9)
Front tread1460(57.5)∗1
1500(59.1)∗21460(57.5)∗1
1500(59.1)∗21460(57.5)∗1
1500(59.1)∗2
Rear tread1455(57.3)∗1
1495(58.9)∗21455(57.3)∗1
1495(58.9)∗21455(57.3)∗1
1495(58.9)∗2
∗1: With P225/75R15 tires∗2: With P265/70R16 tires∗3: Unladen vehicle