2003 TOYOTA TACOMA Owners Manual (in English)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
1072003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
CAUTION
Do not extend the plate at the end of
the sun visor when the visor is in the
position 1. It can cover the antiglare
inside rear view mirror and obstruct
the rear view.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
1082003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
1092003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Lights and Wipers
Headlights and turn signals11 0
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency flashers 111
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . .
Instrument panel light control 11 2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interior lights 11 2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . . .
Personal lights 11 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . .
Windshield wipers and washer 11 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 4

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
11 02003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate and
instrument panel lights
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
above
Automatic light cut off system
The lights automatically turn off when the
driver ’s door is opened with the ignition
turned off.
To turn the lights on again, turn the key
to the “ON” position or turn the headlight
switch off, then on again.The lights also automatically turn off if
they are left on for 30 minutes with the
ignition switch off. If you are going to park
for over one week, make sure the head-
light switch is off.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on
for a long period when the engine is
not running.
Daytime running light system (all mod-
els in Canada and some models in the
U.S.A.)
The headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty when the parking brake is released with
the engine started, even with the light
switch in the “OFF” position. They will not
go off until the ignition switch is turned
off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and
instrument panel lights, twist the knob to
the position 1.
Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.
HighLow beams—
For high beams, turn
the headlights on and push the lever away
from you (position 1). Pull the lever to-
ward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will
tell you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)—Pull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with the knob turned to “OFF”.

Headlights and turn signals

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
1112003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal
bulb is burned out.To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn
other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traffic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as pos-
sible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat-
ing.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the switch on
longer than necessary when the en-
gine is not running.
Emergency flashers

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
11 22003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the knob.Front light (regular cab models)
Rear light
(xtracab and double cab models)
To turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
“ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
“OFF”—Turns the light off.
“DOOR”—Turns the light on when any of
the doors are opened. The light goes off
when all the doors are closed.
Vehicles without the power door lock sys-
tem—
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, the light will automatically turn
off if the door is left open for 30 minutes
with the switch at the “DOOR” position.
Vehicles with the power door lock sys-
tem—
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, the light will automatically turn
off after 30 minutes in the following cases.
The light is left at the “ON” position.
The door is left open with the switch
at the “DOOR” position.
Instrument panel light control Interior lights

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
11 32003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM
When the switch is in the “DOOR” posi-
tion and any door is opened, the light will
come on. After all the doors are closed,
the light remains on for about 15 seconds
before fading out.
However, in the following cases, the light
goes out immediately:
All the doors are closed when the igni-
tion key is in the “ACC” or “ON” posi-
tion.
All the doors are closed and locked.
(with power door lock system models
only)
Vehicles with the power door lock sys-
tem—
When any door is unlocked with key, the
light will come on and remain on for 15
seconds before fading out.
The personal lights operate separately
with each outer switch.
To turn on the light, push the switch on
your side. To turn the light off, push the
switch once again.
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, the light will automatically turn
off after 30 minutes.To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
The “INT TIME” band lets you adjust the
wiping time interval when the wiper lever
is in the intermittent position (position 1).
Twist the band upward to increase the
time between sweeps, and downward to
decrease it.
Personal lights Windshield wipers and washer
(intermittent type)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
11 42003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you and release it.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” in Section 73.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Slow
Position 2Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you and release it.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” in Section 73. In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Windshield wipers and washer
(mist type)