2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Owners Manual

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Shift into the “2” 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.
Twowheel drive models 90 km/h (56 mph)
Fourwheel drive models Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “H4” 90 km/h (56 mph)
Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “L4” 35 km/h (22 mph)Shift into the “L” 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.
Twowheel drive models 47 km/h (29 mph)
Fourwheel drive models Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “H4” 47 km/h (29 mph)
Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “L4” 18 km/h (11 mph)
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift from “D” to “4”,
engine braking will not be enabled be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 164 in this
Section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(d) Using “3”, “2” and “L” positions
The “3”, “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in ”3”, “2” or “L”,
you can start the vehicle in motion as
with the lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “3” or “2”, the
vehicle will start in first gear and automat-
ically shift to third gear or second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
 Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
Twowheel drive models “3” 136 km/h (84 mph) . . . . . . .
“2” 93 km/h (57 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 54 km/h (33 mph) . . . . . . . .

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Fourwheel drive models
Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “H4”“3” 136 km/h (84 mph) . . . . . . .
“2” 93 km/h (57 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 54 km/h (33 mph) . . . . . . . .
Fourwheel drive control switch
knob at “L4” “3” 53 km/h (32 mph) . . . . . . . .
“2” 36 km/h (22 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 21 km/h (13 mph) . . . . . . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“3”, “2” or “L” position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-
sion damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or
hard towing.(e) 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
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(f) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down, fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
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 the side
doors and back door are automatically un-
locked 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 12.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between fourth gear and
overdrive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “4” posi-
tion. Be sure to shift the selector lever
to the “D” position immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use “D” position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.

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NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.
(h) 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 button. For instructions, see “If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 298 in Section 4.

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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).
(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
(shifting into overdrive possible)
3: Engine braking
(shifting into overdrive not possible)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission (4speed)
With the brake pedal depressed
(The ignition switch must be in
“ON” position.)
Shift normally.

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(b) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 260 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
When the multimode control switch knob
is in “L4” (lowspeed position, fourwheel
drive, center differential locked), the driv-
ing pattern selector setting has no effect
on gear shift timing. (See “Fourwheel
drive system (multimode fourwheel drive
models)” on page 141 in this Section for
information of the multimode control.) 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 use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If the engine
coolant temperature is low or when the
multimode control switch knob is in “L4”
(lowspeed position, fourwheel drive,
center differential locked), the transmission
will not shift into the overdrive gear even
in the “D” position. (See “Fourwheel drive
system (multimode fourw
heel drive mod-
els)” on page 141 in this Section for in-
formation of the multimode control.)
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 the side
doors and back door are automatically
locked when the shift lever is moved out
of the “P” position with the engine running
(including ignition switch in the “ON” posi-
tion) and all the side doors and back door
are closed. For details, see “—Automatic
door locking and unlocking functions” on
page 17 in Section 12. (c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear.
Shift into the “2” 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.
Twowheel drive models 123 km/h (76 mph)
Fourwheel drive models Multimode control switch knob at
“H4” 123 km/h (76 mph)
Multimode control switch knob at
“L4” 41 km/h (25 mph)

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Shift into the “L” 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.
Twowheel drive models 59 km/h (36 mph)
Fourwheel drive models Multimode control switch knob at
“H4” 59 km/h (36 mph)
Multimode control switch knob at
“L4” 11 km/h (6 mph)
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift from “D” to “3”,
engine braking will not be enabled be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 164 in this
Section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(d) Using “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
 Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
Twowheel drive models “2” 123 km/h (76 mph) . . . . . . .
“L” 67 km/h (41 mph) . . . . . . . .
Fourwheel drive models
Multimode control switch knob
at “H2” or “H4”“2” 123 km/h (76 mph) . . . . . . .
“L” 67 km/h (41 mph) . . . . . . . .
Multimode control switch knob
at “L4” “2” 48 km/h (29 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 26 km/h (16 mph) . . . . . . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, “D” or “3” position
should be used in hill climbing or
hard towing.

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(e) 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
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(f) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down, fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
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 the side
doors and back door are automatically un-
locked 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 12.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “3” posi-
tion. Be sure to shift the selector lever
to the “D” position immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use “D” position. The selector lever
must be in the “3” position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.
(h) 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 button. For instructions, see “If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 298 in Section 4.

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Fourwheel drive control switch knob
Center differential lock switch
Use the fourwheel drive control switch
knob and center differential lock switch
to select the transfer and center differ-
ential modes.
The “H4” and “L4” positions of the four
wheel drive control switch knob provide
either lock or unlock mode of the center
differential depending on the center differ-
ential lock switch position.
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 stability control system
is automatically turned off and the center
differential 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 vehicle stabil-
ity control system off indicator light
turn off.
“H4” (high speed position, center differ-
ential unlocked): Fourwheel drive control
switch knob at “H4”, 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 gives greater economy, quietest
ride, least wear and better vehicle control.
“H4” (high speed position, center differ-
ential locked): Fourwheel drive control
switch knob at “H4”, center 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.
Fourwheel drive system (fulltime
fourwheel drive models)—
(a) Fourwheel drive control