2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER four wheel drive

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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) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking

Fourwheel drive models
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock release
button in. (The ignition switch must
be in “ON” position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in.
Shift normally. Selector lever
Overdrive switch Driving pattern
selector button

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(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 “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 be on automatically. Vehicles with cruise control—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 cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” in this section.
(c) 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”.
When the front drive control lever is in
“L4” (lowspeed position, fourwheel
drive), the driving pattern selector setting
has no effect on gear shift timing. (See
“Fourwheel drive system” in this section
for information of the front drive control
lever.)
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 on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low or when
the front drive control lever is in “L4”
(lowspeed position, fourwheel drive), the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
(See “Fourwheel drive system” in this
section for information of the front drive
control lever.)
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 “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.

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(k) If you cannot shift the selector le-
ver out of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the “P” position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override lever. For instructions, see “If you
cannot shift automatic transmission selec-
tor lever” in Section 4.
“H” (2WD) MODE
“H” (4WD) MODE (center
differential unlock), “L4”
MODE (center differential
unlock) or “N” MODE
“H” (4WD) MODE (center
differential lock), “L4”
MODE (center differential
lock) or “N” MODE
Use the front drive control lever, “4WD”
button and center differential lock
switch to select the transfer and center
differential modes.
The “H” and “L4” position of the front
drive control lever provide either lock or
unlock the mode of the center differential.
Use the center differential lock system if
your wheels get stuck in a ditch, or when
you are driving on a slippery or bumpy
surface. When the center differential is
locked, the vehicle skid control system is
automatically turned off and the center dif-
ferential lock and “VSC OFF” indicator
lights come on because the function that
controls engine performance interferes
with the process of freeing your wheels.
NOTICE
As soon as the center differential lock
switch is turned on, the “VSC OFF”
indicator light comes on. After the
wheels are out of the ditch or off the
slippery or bumpy surface, turn the
center differential lock switch off.
Make sure that the center differential
lock indicator light and “VSC OFF”
indicator light turn off.
Fourwheel drive system—
(a) Front drive control

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“H” mode (high speed position, two
wheel drive): Front drive control lever at
“H”, “4WD” button left out
Use this for normal driving on dry hard
surfaced roads. This position gives greater
economy, quietest ride and least wear and
better vehicle control.
“H” mode (high speed position, four
wheel drive, center differential un-
locked): Front drive control lever at “H”,
“4WD” button push in, center differential
lock switch left out
Use this for normal driving on all types of
roads, from dry hardsurfaced roads to
wet, icy or snowcovered roads. This
position provides greater traction than
twowheel drive.
“H” mode (high speed position, four
wheel drive, center differential locked):
Lever at “H”, “4WD” button pushed in cen-
ter differential lock switch pushed in
Use this for greater traction when you
experience a loss of power, such as
wheel slipping, in the center differential
unlock mode. “N” mode (neutral position):
Front drive
control lever at “N”
No power is delivered to the wheels. The
vehicle must be stopped.
“L4” mode (low speed position, four
wheel drive, center differential un-
locked): Front drive control lever at “L4”,
center differential lock switch left out
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use this for climbing steep hills, offroad
driving, and hard pulling in sand or mud.
In this mode, the braking feeling that oc-
curs when the wheels are negotiating a
sharp corner is further reduced than in the
“L4” (low position, fourwheel drive, center
differential locked) mode.
The transmission automatically shifts up
from second gear in this mode. This sys-
tem is effective when starting your vehicle
in sand, mud, ice or snow. (However, the
transmission system may shift up from
first gear when the vehicle starts too
quickly.) “L4” mode (low speed position, four
wheel drive, center differential locked):
Front drive control lever at “L4”, center
differential lock switch push in
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use this for hard pulling in situations the
vehicle cannot negotiate even in the “L4”
(low speed position, fourwheel drive, cen-
ter differential unlocked) mode. Also, using
this mode when driving down steep off
road inclines will help contribute to in-
creased vehicle stability.
Fourwheel drive and center differential
lock indicator lights show which transfer
and center differential mode the vehicle is
in. Note that the differential is not still
locked as long as the indicator light re-
mains off.
When the shifting has not been completed
within 3 seconds after the shifting opera-
tion, the indicator flashes. If the indicator
light does not go off when you push out
the center differential lock button, drive
straight ahead while accelerating or decel-
erating, or drive in reverse. If the indicator
flashes even if doing so, contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible. There
may be a trouble in the center differential
lock system.
See “(c) Shifting procedure” for further in-
structions.

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Advice for driving on slippery roads in
“L4” (low speed position) mode
If you shift the front drive control lever to
“L4” and the automatic transmission lever
to “2” when you drive in steep offroad
areas, the output of the brake can be
controlled effectively by the active traction
control system, which assists the driver to
control the driving power of 4 wheels.
Use the “L” position of the automatic
transmission lever for maximum power
and traction when your wheels get stuck
or when you drive down a steep incline.
In the following cases, the output of the
brake can be controlled by the active trac-
tion control system if the engine speed is
under 3000 rpm (normally engine speed is
under 3000 rpm when the wheels get un-
stuck).
The front drive control lever in the “L4”
position and the automatic transmission
lever in the “L” position or the automat-
ic transmission lever in the “D” or “2”
with the transmission downshifting to
the first gear
The front drive control lever in the “L4”
position and the automatic transmission
lever in the “R” position (As for the automatic transmission lever
positions, see “Automatic transmission” in
this section.)
The A.D.D. can be engaged or disen-
gaged by the shifting operations des-
cribed in “(c) Shifting procedure”.
You should drive in fourwheel drive for
at least 16 km (10 miles) each month.
This will assure that the front drive com-
ponents are lubricated.
(b) A.D.D. (automatic
disconnecting differential)

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In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing. The active traction control system auto-
matically helps prevent the spinning of
4 wheels (fourwheel drive mode) or
rear wheels (twowheel drive mode)
when the vehicle is started or acceler-
ated on slippery road surfaces.
When the ignition key is turned to “ON”,
the system automatically turns on.
CAUTION
Under certain slippery road condi-
tions, full traction of the vehicle and
power to the 4 wheels (fourwheel
drive mode) or rear wheels (two
wheel drive mode) cannot be main-
tained, even though the traction con-
trol system is in operation. Do not
drive the vehicle under any speed or
maneuvering conditions which may
cause the vehicle to lose traction
control. 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 present road condi-
tions.
Leave the system on during the ordi-
nary driving so that it can operate
when needed.
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, but does not indicate a mal-
function.
When the active traction control system is
operating, the following conditions occur:
The system controls the spinning of the
4 wheels (fourwheel drive mode) or
rear wheels (twowheel drive mode). At
this time, the slip indicator light blinks.
Active traction control system
(fourwheel drive models)

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If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light blinks and an
alarm sounds intermittently. Special care
should be taken while driving.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer.Fourwheel drive models only—
This switch can function only when the
fourwheel drive system is selected.
If your wheels get stuck in a ditch or
when you are driving on severe off
road and sand, turn off the vehicle skid
control system. This system that con-
trols engine performance interferes with
the process of freeing your wheels.
To turn off: Push the center differential
lock switch.
The “VSC OFF” and the center differential
lock indicator light will come on. To turn on: Push the center differential
lock switch once again.
The “VSC OFF” and the center differential
lock indicator light will go off.
“VSC OFF” indicator light comes on for a
few seconds when the ignition key is
turned to “ON”. It will come on again
when you push the center differential lock
switch to turn off the system.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The indicator light does not come on
when the ignition key is turned “ON”.
The indicator light remains on after the
ignition is turned on.
The indicator light comes on when the
system is on while driving.
NOTICE
Make sure that the center differential
lock indicator light goes off before
normal driving.

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“VSC TRAC” warning light
These light warns that when there is a
problem somewhere in the vehicle skid
control system, traction control system
(twowheel drive models), active traction
control system (fourwheel drive models).
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON”, and will go off after
about a few seconds.
The light may come on for 60 seconds
after the ignition key is turned to the “ON”
position. It is normal if they go out after
a while. Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if they
go out after a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
system does not work. However, as con-
ventional braking operates when applied,
there is no problem to continue your driv-
ing.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.
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.
Parking brake