2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER brake light

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
172
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
“VSC TRAC” warning light
This light warns that when there is a
problem somewhere in the following.
Vehicle stability control system
Traction control system
(two−wheel drive models)
Active traction control system
(four −wheel drive models)
Downhill assist control system
(four −wheel drive models)
Hill −start assist control system
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON”, and will go off after
about a few seconds. The light may come on for 60 seconds
after the ignition key is turned to “ON”. It
is normal if they go out after a while.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if they
go out after a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
vehicle stability control system does not
work. However, as normal braking oper-
ates when being applied, there is no prob-
lem to continue your driving.
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.
Tw o −wheel drive models only—The “TRAC
OFF” indicator light will come on when the
“VSC TRAC” warning light comes on even
if the “TRAC OFF” switch is not pushed. The downhill assist control system is a
system that assists the deceleration of
the engine brake when you drive down
a steep hill. When you are driving down
a hill with the fourwheel drive control
switch knob (fulltime fourwheel drive
models) or multimode control switch
knob (multimode fourwheel drive
models) in the “L4” position, push the
“DAC” switch to limit the vehicle’s ac-
celeration. If the vehicle is traveling at
a speed of 25 km/h (15 mph) or less,
you can descend at a constant speed.
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the down-
hill assist control system. It may not
be able to maintain a low speed over
road surfaces or offroad surfaces on
which sliding can easily occur, such
as extremely steep slopes or icy or
muddy roads.
Downhill assist control system
(fourwheel drive models)

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
173
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
TO ACTIVATE THE DOWNHILL ASSIST
CONTROL SYSTEM
1. Fulltime fourwheel drive models— Turn the fourwheel drive control
switch knob to the “L4” position.
The system will not operate if the four −
wheel drive control switch knob is in the
“H4” position.
Multimode fourwheel drive mod-
els—Turn the multimode control
switch knob to the “L4” position.
The system will not operate if the multi −
mode control switch knob is in the “H4”
position.
2. In order to make full use of the en- gine brake, putting the transmission
in “L” or “2” is recommended.
5 −speed automatic transmission—The sys-
tem will operate even if the transmission
selector lever is in “D”, “4”, “3” or “N”.
However, when it is in “L” or “2” the en-
gine brake can also be utilized enabling
the system to operate more effectively.
4 −speed automatic transmission—The sys-
tem will operate even if the transmission
selector lever is in “D”, “3” or “N”. Howev-
er, when it is in “L” or “2” the engine
brake can also be utilized e nabling the
system to operate more effectively.
3. Push the “DAC” switch to turn the system on. The downhill assist con-
trol system indicator light on the in-
strument panel will come on.
Full −time four −wheel drive models—If the
downhill assist control system indicator
light flashes, the selector lever may be in
“N” or the four −wheel drive control switch
knob may be in the “H4” position.
If the indicator light does not come on
when the switch is pushed, contact your
Toyota dealer.
Multi −mode four −wheel drive models—If
the downhill assist control system indica-
tor light flashes, the selector lever may be
in “N” or the multi −mode control switch
knob may be in the “H2” or “H4” position. If the indicator light does not come on
when the switch is pushed, contact your
Toyota dealer.

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
174
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
With the vehicle traveling at a speed of
25 km/h (15 mph) or less, release your
foot from the accelerator or brake pedal
to activate the system. The vehicle will
descend the hill at a low speed. While the
system is operating, the slip indicator light
on the instrument panel will flash and the
stop lights and high mounted stoplight will
be lit.
If you push the “DAC” switch to turn the
system off while it is in operation, the
system will stop operating gr adually. The
downhill assist control system indicator
light will flash to alert the driver. To con-
tinue driving at a low speed, push the
“DAC” switch to turn the system on. The slip indicator light and downhill assist
control system indicator light come on for
a few seconds when the ignition key is
turned to “ON”. If any of the indicator
lights does not come on when the ignition
is turned on, contact your Toyota dealer.
If the system is used frequently, the
brake actuator temperature may become
too high and a buzzer will sound inter-
mittently.
If this happens, the downhill assist control
system indicator light will flash and a
buzzer will sound intermittently. When the
temperature of the brake actuator goes
down, the system will begin to operate
again. Until it restarts, the active traction
control system and hill
−start assist control
system will not operate; however, the con-
ventional brake can be operated.If there is any abnormality in the sys-
tem, the “VSC TRAC” warning light will
come on. When the “DAC” switch is
pushed, the downhill assist control sys-
tem indicator light also flash.
If the “VSC TRAC” warning light comes
on, there may be an abnormality in any
of the following systems in addition to the
downhill assist control system.
Hill −start assist control system
Active traction control system
Vehicle stability control system

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
175
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
“VSC TRAC” warning light
When the system is normal and the igni-
tion key is turned to “ON”, the warning
light will come on and will go off after a
few seconds.
It is not a malfunction that the warning
light may stay on for 60 seconds after the
ignition key is turned to the “ON” position.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if it
goes out after a few seconds.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the above
mentioned system on such as slippery
roads. If the brake actuator temperature
becomes too high while any of the sys-
tems is operating, a buzzer will start to
sound intermittently to indicate that the
downhill assist control system can no lon-
ger operate. In this case, stop your ve-
hicle immediately at a safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the
buzzer sound changes from intermittent to
continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.) At this time, the “VSC TRAC” warning
light will come on and the downhill assist
control system stops operating temporarily
in order to protect the brake actuator. (Al-
though the downhill assist control system
does not operate, it is no problem to con-
tinue your driving.) The system will be
automatically restored after a short time
and the “VSC TRAC” warning light goes
out.
If the warning light comes on while driv-
ing, the system does not work. However,
as normal braking operates when being
applied, it is no problem to continue your
driving.
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 hillstart assist control system as-
sists you in starting to move up a
steep or slippery hill. When you start
to move up the hill slope, the system
helps to prevent the vehicle from roll-
ing backward in the interval while you
move your foot from the brake pedal to
the accelerator pedal.
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the h
ill
start assist control system. The ve-
hicle may not be able to start
smoothly on road surfaces or off
road surfaces such as extremely
steep slopes or icy roads, on which
sliding can occur very easily.
Do not use the hillstart assist con-
trol system to stop the vehicle. This
system is not designed as a func-
tion for stopping the vehicle on a
uphill slope.
Hillstart assist control
system

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
176
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
The hillstart assist control system will
operate for 5 seconds maximally when
all of the following conditions apply.
5speed automatic transmission—
When the transmission is in any of
positions “D”, “4”, “3”, “2” or “L”
4speed automatic transmission—
When the transmission is in any of
positions “D”, “3”, “2” or “L”
When the brake pedal is not de-
pressed
The system is designed to operate when
the vehicle is starting on an uphill slope;
therefore, if the transmission is in “P” or
“N” it will not operate. It will not operate
either if the vehicle starts to move in
reverse on a slope with the transmission
in the “R”.
When the hill −start assist control system
is operating, the slip indicator light flashes
and an alarm sounds intermittently. At the
same time, the stop lamps and high
mounted stoplight are lit.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer. Keep in mind the following when driv-
ing.
The hill−
start assist control system op-
erates for 5 seconds maximally. If both
the brake and accelerator pedals re-
main undepressed for longer than 5
seconds, the buzzer will sound at more
frequent intervals and the system will
gradually stop operating.
The hill −start assist control system is
not designed as a function for stopping
the vehicle on a uphill slope. When
stopping the vehicle, be sure to de-
press the brake pedal.
If the system is used frequently, the
brake actuator temperature may become
too high and a buzzer will sound inter-
mittently.
In this case, a buzzer will sound intermit-
tently. When the temperature of the brake
actuator goes down, the system will begin
to operate again. Until it restarts, the trac-
tion control system (two− wheel drive mod-
els), active traction control system (four −
wheel drive models) and downhill assist
control system will not operate; however,
the conventional brake can be operated.

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
177
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
If there is any abnormality in the sys-
tem, the “VSC TRAC” warning light will
come on.
If the system malfunctions, the “VSC
TRAC” warning light will come on.
If the “VSC TRAC” warning light comes
on, there may be an abnormality in any
of the following systems in addition to the
hill−start assist control system.
Downhill assist control system
(four −wheel drive models)
Traction control system
(two −wheel drive models)
Active traction control system
(four −wheel drive models)
Vehicle stability control system “VSC TRAC” warning light
When the system is normal and the igni-
tion key is turned to “ON”, the warning
light will come on and will go off after a
few seconds.
It is not a malfunction that the warning
light may stay on for 60 seconds after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if it
goes out after a few seconds.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the above
mentioned system on such as slippery
roads. If the brake actuator temperature
becomes too high while any of the sys-
tems is operating, a buzzer will start to
sound intermittently to indicate that the
hill
−start assist control system can no lon-
ger operate. In this case, stop your ve-
hicle immediately at a safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the
buzzer sound changes from intermittent to
continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.) At this time, the “VSC TRAC” warning
light will come on and the hill
−start assist
control system stops operating temporarily
in order to protect the brake actuator. (Al-
though the hill −start assist control system
does not operate, it is no problem to con-
tinue your driving.) The system will be
automatically restored after a short time
and the “VSC TRAC” warning light goes
out.
If the warning light comes on while driv-
ing, the system does not work. However,
as normal braking operates when being
applied, it is no problem to continue your
driving.
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.

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
184
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT
This light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to the “ON” position. It goes off
after a few seconds. This indicates that
the tire pressure warning system is func-
tioning properly. If the low tire pressure warning light
comes on or blinks, do the following.
If the warning light comes on:
Stop your vehicle in a safe place as
soon as possible and check that the
inflation pressure of all tires (including
the spare tire) is as specified on the
tire and loading information label. (See
“Checking tire inflation pressure” on
page 368 in Section 72.) If the warning
light comes on even after tire inflation
pressure adjustment, you may have a
flat tire. If you have a flat tire, replace
it with the spare tire. For details, see
“If you have a flat tire” on page 321 in
Section 4.
The warning light goes off a few minutes
after air is put into the deflated tire.
This warning light may turn on due to
natural causes such as natural air leaks
or tire pressure changes caused by tem-
perature. In this case, adjusting the tire
pressure will turn off the warning light.
CAUTION
When the tire pressure warning light
comes on, observe the following in-
structions:
Depending on the conditions, re-
duce to an appropriate speed as
soon as possible.
Adjust the tire pressure to the spe-
cified level as soon as possible.
Avoid abrupt steering wheel maneu-
vering and braking. Tire deteriora-
tion may reduce steering wheel con-
trol and brake effectiveness. This
may lead to serious injury or death.
The tire pressure warning system
may not activate immediately if sud-
den bursts of air leakage occur.

’04 4Runner_U (L/O 0308)
188
2004 4RUNNER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM35811U)
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
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 once again.
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 snowcovered) 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.
Parking brake Cruise control