2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA towing

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
43
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
To release the belt, press the bucklere-
lease button.The rear seat belt and buckles can be
stowed when not in use.
Seat belt and buckles must be stowed
before you swing up the bottom cushion.
(See “Swing−up rear seats” in this sec-
tion.) If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer so
that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available
at your Toyota dealer.CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following precautions.
Failure to follow these instructions
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seat belt restraint system in case of
vehicle accident, increasing the
chance of personal injury.
Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt without
it.
—Stowing the rear seat belt
and buckles
(access cab models) —Seat belt extender

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
101
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop−and− go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” in Section 4.
IdlingNormal
driving
The oil pressure gauge indicates engine
oil pressure when the ignition switch is
on. Check it while driving to make sure
that the needle is in the proper range.
If the oil pressure should stay below the
normal range, pull off the road to a safe
place and stop the engine immediately.
Call a Toyota dealer or qualified repair
shop for assistance.
Oil pressure may not build up when the
oil level is too low. The oil pressure
gauge is not designed to indicate oil level,
and the oil level must be checked using
the level dipstick.
Oil pressure gauge

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
11 4
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
(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 automatically be on. 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”.
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 the over-
drive 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.
(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.
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.
Tw o −wheel drive models
5VZ −FE engine 115 km/h (71 mph)
2UZ− FE engine 120 km/h (75 mph)

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
11 6
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
Fourwheel drive models
5VZFE engine—
Front control lever in “H2” or
“H4” “2” 110 km/h (68 mph) . . . . . . . . .
“L” 60 km/h (37 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
Front control lever in “L4”
“2” 40 km/h (25 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 20 km/h (12 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
2UZFE engine—
“2WD” or “4HI” mode is selected “2” 120 km/h (75 mph) . . . . . . . . .
“L” 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
“4LO” mode is selected “2” 45 km/h (28 mph) . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 25 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” position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.(f) 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.
(g) 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.
(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
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.

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
11 8
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.
Use the front drive control lever to se-
lect the following transfer modes.
“H2” (high speed position, twowheel
drive): Lever at “H2”
Use this for normal driving on dry, hard −
surfaced roads. This position gives greater
economy, the quietest ride and least wear.
“H4” (high speed position, fourwheel
drive): Lever at “H4”
Use this for normal driving on wet, icy or
snow −covered roads. This position pro-
vides greater traction than two− wheel
drive. “N” (neutral position): Lever at “N”
No power is delivered to the wheels. The
vehicle must be stopped.
“L4” (low speed position, fourwheel
drive):
Lever at “L4”
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use “L4” for climbing or descending steep
hills, off −road driving, and hard pulling in
sand, mud or deep snow.
The “4WD” (four −wheel drive) indicator
light comes on when the “H4”, “N” or “L4”
mode is selected.
See “(c) Shifting procedure (lever type)”
for further instructions.
Fourwheel drive system—
(a) Front drive control
(lever type)

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
208
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below.
Total load capacity (pay load)
Total load capacity means combined
weight of occupants, cargo and lug-
gage. Tongue load is included when
trailer towing. For the total load ca-
pacity about your vehicle, see “Pay-
load” in Section 8.
Seating capacity:
Single cab modelsTot al 3
Access cab models Models with front bench seat: To-
tal 6 (Front 3, Rear 3)
Models with front separate seat:
Total 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
Seating capacity means the maxi-
mum number of occupants whose
weight is supposed to be 68 kg (150
lb.) per person. Depending on the
weight of person, the seating ca-
pacity given may exceed the total
load capacity. NOTICE
Even if the number of occupants
are within the seating capacity,
do not exceed the total load ca-
pacity.
Towing capacity
Towing capacity means the maximum
gross trailer weight (trailer weight plus
its cargo weight) that your vehicle is
able to tow. For the towing capacity
about your vehicle, see “Towing ca-
pacity” in Section 8.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or de-
crease depending on the size (weight)
and the number of occupants. For de-
tails, see “Capacity and distribution”
that follows.
CAUTION
Do not apply the load more than
each load limit. That may cause
not only damage to the tires, but
also deterioration to the steering
ability and braking ability, caus-
ing an accident.
Veh icle lo ad limit s

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
209
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
When stowing cargo and luggage in
the vehicle, observe the following:
 Put cargo and luggage in the rear
deck when at all possible. Be sure
all items are secured in place.
 Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far
forward as possible helps maintain
balance.
 For better fuel economy, do not
carry unneeded weight.
CAUTION
To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not stack anything
behind the front seats higher
than the seatbacks (access cab
models). Keep cargo and lug-
gage low, as close to the floor
as possible.
 Never allow anyone to ride in
the rear deck. It is not designed
for passengers. They s hould
ride in their seats with their
seat belts properly fastened.
Otherwise, they are much more
likely to suffer serious bodily
injury, in the event of sudden
braking or a collision.
 Do not drive with objects left
on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the
driver’s field of view. Or they
may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and im-
pair the driver’s control of the
vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occu-
pants.Cargo capacity depends on the to-
tal weight of the occupants.
(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capac-
ity) – (Total weight of occupants)
STEPS FOR DETERMINING
CORRECT LOAD LIMIT
1. Locate the statement “The com- bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX
pounds” on your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kilograms or XXX pounds.
Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions —Capacity and distribution

’03 TUNDRA_U (L/O 0307)
210
2003 TUNDRA from Jul. ’03 Prod. (OM 34430U)
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example,
if the “XXX” am ount equals 1400
lbs. and there will be five 150 lb.
passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400–750 (5x150)=650 lbs).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded
on the vehicle. That weight may
not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will
be transferred to your vehicle.
Consult this manual to determine
how this reduces the available car-
go and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
For details about trailer towing, see
“Trailer towing” in Section 3.
Cargo
capacity
Total load
capacity
EXAMPLE ON YOUR VEHICLE
In case that 2 people with the com-
bined weight of A kg (lb.) are riding
in your vehicle with the total load ca-
pacity of B kg (lb.)
∗, the av ailable
amount of cargo and luggage load ca-
pacity will be C kg (lb.) as follows:
B kg (lb. ) – A kg (lb. ) = C kg (lb. )
∗: Total load capacity is shown in the tire and loading information label.
(For the tire and loading information
label, See “Checking tire inflation
pressure” in Section 7 −2. From this condition, if 3 more passen-
gers with the combined weight of D
kg (lb.) get on, the available cargo
and luggage load will be reduced E
kg (lb.) as follows:
C kg (lb. ) – D kg (lb. ) = E kg (lb. )
As shown in the above example, if the
number of occupants increases, the
cargo and luggage load equaling the
combined weight of occupants who
got on later must be reduced. In other
words, if the incr
ease in the number
of occupants causes the excess of
the total load capacity (combined
weight of occupants plus cargo and
luggage load), you have to reduce the
cargo and luggage on your vehicle.
For details about total load capacity,
see “Vehicle load limits” in this Sec-
tion.