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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
Automatic transmission
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
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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” on page 118 in this
section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 197 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 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.
If the automatic locking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all doors are
automatically locked when the shift lever
is moved out of the “P” position with the
ignition switch is in the “ON” position and
all the doors are closed. For details, see
“—Automatic door locking and unlocking
functions” on page 17 in Section 1 −2.
(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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CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
If the automatic unlocking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all doors are
automatically unlocked when the selector
lever is moved to the “P” position with the
ignition switch is in the “ON” position. For
details, see “—Automatic door locking and
unlocking functions” on page 17 in Section
1−2.
(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.
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. It
can 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 the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
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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 “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
“P” position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see “If you cannot
shift automatic transmission selector lever”
on page 228 in Section 4.
The shift pattern is conventional as
shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, and then release it slowly. Do not
rest your foot on the pedal while driving,
because it will cause clutch trouble. And
do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle
when stopped on an uphill grade—use the
parking brake.
Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized and
upshifting or downshifting is easy. For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance, you
should upshift or downshift at the following
speeds:
gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45)
Downshift to the appropriate gear if accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds.
Upshifting too soon or downshifting too
late will cause lugging, and possibly ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause ex-
cessive engine wear and high fuel
consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
gear: gear km/h (mph)1 52 (32)
2 89 (55)
3 137 (85)
4 189 (117)
Manual transmission
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“VSC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the traction control system
or the vehicle skid control system.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON” and will go off 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.
The “TRAC OFF” indicator light will come
on when the “VSC” warning light comes
on even if the “TRAC OFF” switch is not
pushed. The vehicle skid control system helps
provide integrated control of the sys-
tems such as anti lock brake system,
traction control, engine control, etc.
This system automatically controls the
brakes and engine to help prevent the
vehicle from skidding when cornering
on a slippery road surface or operating
steering wheel abruptly.
This system will activate when your ve-
hicle speed reaches or exceeds 15 km/h
(9 mph), and will deactivate when the ve-
hicle speed reduced to below 15 km/h (9
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 system is
in the self
−check mode but does not indi-
cate a malfunction.
Vehicle skid control system
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When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
Lever type—
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).
Pedal type—
To set: Fully depress the parking brake
pedal. For better holding power, first de-
press the brake pedal and hold it while
setting the parking brake.
To release: Depress the parking brake
pedal while depressing the brake pedal.
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.
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snow covered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
TURNING ON THE SYSTEM
To operate the cruise control, press the
“CRUISE ON−OFF” button. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the
instrument panel shows that you can now
set the vehicle at a desired cruising
speed. Another press will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the “CRUISE ON
OFF” switch off when not using the
cruise control.
Cruise control
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1 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and
tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in
the desired station (see “TUNE” or “SEEK”
button). Push and hold down the button
until you hear a beep—this will set the
station to the button. The button number
will appear on the display.
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The but-
ton number and station frequency will ap-
pear on the display.
These systems can store one AM and two
FM stations for each button (The display
will show “AM”, “FM1” or “FM2” when you
push “AM” “FM1·2”).
(Eject button)
Push the cassette tape eject button to
eject a cassette. Push the compact disc
eject button to eject a compact disc.
After you turn the ignition to “LOCK”, you
will be able to eject a cassette or disc but
you will not be able to reinsert it.
(Program)
Push “
” to select the other side of a
cassette tape. The display indicates which
side is currently selected (“
” indicates
top side, “
” indicates bottom side).
Auto −reverse feature: After the cassette
player reaches the end of a tape side, it
automatically reverses and begins to play
the other side. This is true whether the
cassette was playing or fast forwarding.
(Reverse/Fast forward buttons)
Cassette player
Push the fast forward button to fast for-
ward a cassette tape. “FF” will appear on
the display. Push the reverse button to
rewind a tape. “REW” will appear on the
display.
To stop the tape while it is fast forward-
ing, push the fast forward button or
“TAPE”; to stop the tape while it is re-
winding, push the reverse button or
“TAPE”.
If a tape side rewinds completely, the cas-
sette player will stop and then play that
same side. If a tape fast forwards com-
pletely, the cassette player will play the
other side of the tape, using the auto −re-
verse feature. Compact disc player
If you want to fast forward or reverse
through a compact disc track, push and
hold in the fast forward or reverse button.
When you release the button, the compact
disc player will resume playing.
AM
Push “AM” to turn on the radio and select
the AM band. “AM” will appear on the
display.
If the audio system is off, you can turn
on the radio by pushing “AM”. Also, push
“AM” to switch from cassette or compact
disc operation to radio operation.
CD (Compact disc player)
Push “CD” to switch from radio or cas-
sette operation to compact disc player op-
eration. If the audio system is off, you
can turn on the compact disc player by
pushing “CD”. In both cases, a disc must
already be loaded in the player.
When the audio is set into compact disc
operation, the display shows the track cur-
rently being played.
If the player malfunctions, your audio sys-
tem will display one of the four following
error messages.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and
tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in
the desired station (see “TUNE” knob or
“SEEK” button). Push and hold down the
button until you hear a beep—this will set
the station to the button. The preset but-
ton number will appear on the display.
RDS stations will be preset to the buttons
when you turn on the RDS (see “RDS”
button).
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The pre-
set button number and station frequency
will appear on the display.
This radio can store one AM, two FM and
RDS stations for each button (The display
will show “AM”, “FM1”, “FM2” or “FM
TYPE” when you push “AM” “FM”). (Eject button)
Cassette tape
This button is used to eject a cassette.
While the ignition is in “LOCK”, you can
eject a cassette but you cannot reinsert
it.
Compact disc
This button is used to eject one or all
compact discs. To eject the current com-
pact disc, push and release the compact
disc eject button. To eject all specific
discs, push either side of the “DISC” but-
ton until the number of the disc you want
to eject is displayed. Push and release
the eject button. To eject all discs, press
and hold the eject button until you hear
a beep. The last compact disc played be-
fore pushing the button will be ejected
first. If the ejected disc is not removed for
a long time, the eject function will be
cancelled.
While the ignition is in “LOCK”, you can
eject one or all discs but you cannot rein-
sert them. (Program)
Push “
” to select the other side of a
cassette tape. The display indicates which
side is currently selected (“
” indicates
top side, “
” indicates bottom side).
Auto −reverse feature: After the cassette
player reaches the end of a tape side, it
automatically reverses and begins to play
the other side. This is true whether the
cassette was playing or fast forwarding.
(Reverse/Fast forward button)
Cassette player
Push the fast −forward button to fast −for-
ward a cassette tape. “FF” will appear on
the display. Push the reverse button to
rewind a tape. “REW” will appear on the
display.
To stop the tape while it is fast −forward-
ing, push the fast −forward button or
“TAPE”; to stop the tape while it is re-
winding, push the reverse button or
“TAPE”.