2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Owners Manual

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the pas-
senger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. In the event
of a frontal collision, the more the
seat is reclined, the greater the risk
of personal injury.
5. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT
ADJUSTING SWITCH
Push the control switch on either side.
The amount of lumber support will change
while the switch is pushed.
1. DRIVER’S SEAT: SEAT POSITION, SEAT CUSHION ANGLE AND SEAT
HEIGHT ADJUSTING SWITCH
PASSENGER’S SEAT: SEAT POSITION
ADJUSTING SWITCH
Move the control switch in the desired
direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat at
that position.
Do not place anything under the front
seats, as this might interfere with the seat
movement. 2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING SWITCH
Move the control switch in the desired
direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat-
back at that position.
—Adjusting front seats (power
seat)

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the pas-
senger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. In the event
of a frontal collision, the more the
seat is reclined, the greater the risk
of personal injury.
3. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT
ADJUSTING SWITCH
Push the control switch on either side.
The amount of lumber support will change
while the switch is pushed.
1. Remove the head restraint. Hold the center of the lever and pull it up.
Then slide the seat further forward
than the frontmost lock position.2. Pull the seatback angle adjusting le-ver to unlock and push down the
seatback.
When returning the seatback upright, be
careful not to make yourself hit by the
seatback which will bound with consid-
erable spring force.
After returning the seat to its original
position, be certain to replace the head
restraint.
—Flattening seatbacks
(manual seat)

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
CAUTION
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving; use
the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat and seatback for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is secured in place. Be certain to
replace head restraint.
1. Remove the head restraint. Push the
seat position adjusting switch for-
ward to slide the seat further for-
ward than the frontmost position.2. Move the seatback angle adjustingswitch backward to flatten the seat-
back.
After returning the seat to its original
position, be certain to replace the head
restraint.
—Flattening seatbacks
(power seat)

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
CAUTION
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving; use
the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat and seatback for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is secured in place. Be certain to
replace head restraint.
BEFORE FOLDING DOWN REAR SEAT
Stow the rear center seat belt buckle as
shown in the illustration.
This prevents the seat belt buckle from
falling out when you fold the seatback.
NOTICE
The seat belt buckle must be stowed
before you fold the seatback.
If you are using a trash holder, lower
it.
Folddown rear seats

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
1. Lower the head restraint to the lowe-
st position.2. Swing the bottom cushion up bypulling the lock rel ease strap.
If desired, each bottom cushion may be
swung up separately.3. Push the lock release button and fold down the seatback.
This will enlarge the luggage compartment
as far as the raised seat cushion. See
“Luggage stowage precautions” on page
253 in Section 2 for precautions when
loading luggage.
If desired, each seatback may be folded
separately.

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
WHEN RETURNING THE SEATBACK
If you cannot raise the seatback be-
cause of the locked seat belt, do not
try it forcibly. Release the lock of the
seat belt in the following way. Push in
the lower front edge of the seatback
cushion to slacken the seat belt (1) and
let the seat belt retract a little (2).
CAUTION
When returning seats to their original
position, observe the following pre-
cautions in order to prevent personal
injury in a collision or sudden stop:
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 the
seat belt from operating properly.
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 bottom cushion is
securely locked by trying to pull up
the edge of the cushion near the
lock release straps.
Make sure to arrange the buckles of
the seat belts in their proper posi-
tion and be ready to use.
Front
Rear
Head restraints

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
For your safety and comfort, adjust the
head restraint before driving.
To raise: Pull it up.
To lower: Push it down while pressing the
lock release button.
Front head restraints—You can also move
the head restraint forward or backward. If
such adjustment is desired, pull or push
the base of the head restraint.
Rear head restraints—When an occupant
sits on the rear seat, always pull up the
rear head restraint to the lock position.
The head restraint is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, using
a cushion on the seatback is not recom-
mended.
CAUTION
Adjust the center of the head re-
straint so that it is closest to the
top of your ears.
After adjusting the head restraint,
make sure it is locked in position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
To use the armrest, pull it out as
shown above.
This armrest is equipped with a cup hold-
er and tray. (For details, see “Rear cup
holders and tray” on page 232 in Section
19.)
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the armrest,
avoid putting heavy loads on it.
To turn on the seat heater, move the
dial forward (“L” dial for the left front
seat and “R” dial for the right front
seat). At this time, the indicator light
will illuminate to indicate the seat heat-
er is operating.
Move the dial forward or backward to ad-
just to the desired temperature.
To turn it off, move the dial backward
until it stops.
When the seat heater is not in use, move
the dial fully backward.
The key must be in the “ON” position to
operate seat heaters.
Armrest Seat heaters

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when op-
erating the seat heater because it
may make them feel too hot or cause
burns at low temperatures (erythema,
varicella). Use extra caution for;
Babies, small children, elderly per-
sons, sick persons or handicapped
persons
Persons who have delicate skin
Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or
drugs which induce sleep (sleeping
drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do
not use the seat heater with a blan-
ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-
jects which cover the seat.
NOTICE
 Do not put unevenly weighed ob-
jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)
into the seat.
 When cleaning the seats, do not
use organic substances (paint thin-
ner, benzine, alcohol, gasoline,
etc.). They may damage the heater
and seat surface.
 To prevent the battery from being
discharged, turn the system off
when the engine is not running.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents.
The seat belts provided for your vehicle
are designed for people of adult size,
large enough to properly wear them.
Child. Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See “Child restraint”
on page 73 in this Section for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. According to accident
statistics, the child is safer when properly
restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the
seat belts should be worn properly. If an
accident occurs and the seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause death or
serious injury to the child.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions