2004 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER Owners Manual

1372004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
If tire grip performance exceeds its
capability, or if hydroplaning occurs
during high speed driving in the rain,
the antilock brake system does not
provide vehicle control.
Antilock brake system is not de-
signed to shorten the stopping dis-
tance: Always drive at a moderate
speed and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you.
Compared with vehicles without an
antilock brake system, your vehicle
may require a longer stopping dis-
tance in the following cases:
Driving on rough, gravel or snow
covered roads.
Driving with tire chains installed.
Driving over the steps such as the
joints on the road.
Driving on roads where the road
surface is pitted or has other differ-
ences in surface height.
Install all 4 tires of specified size at
appropriate pressure: The antilock
brake system detects vehicle speeds
using the speed sensors for respec-
tive wheels’ turning speeds. The use
of tires other than specified may fail
to detect the accurate turning speed
resulting in a longer stopping dis-
tance.
SD02002a
“ABS” warning light
The light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to the “ON” position. If the anti −
lock brake system works properly, the
light turns off after a few seconds. There-
after, if the system malfunctions, the light
comes on again.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti −lock brake system does not operate,
but the brake system still operates con-
ventionally.

1382004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
anti−lock brake system does not operate
so that the wheels could lock up during
a sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.
If either of the following conditions oc-
cur, this indicates a malfunction some-
where in the components monitored by
the warning light system. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to
service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion, or remains on.
The light comes on while you are driv-
ing.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
CAUTION
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
together with the brake system warn-
ing light, immediately stop your ve-
hicle at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely unsta-
ble during braking.
Brake pad wear limit indicators
SB21015
The brake pad wear limit indicators on
your disc brakes give a warning noise
when the brake pads are worn to where
replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. Expensive ro-
tor damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary.

1392004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
Some Toyotas are equipped with a limit-
ed−slip differential. If one of the rear
wheels begins to spin, the limited −slip dif-
ferential is designed to aid traction by
automatically transmitting driving force to
the other rear wheel. If you are not sure
whether your vehicle is equipped with one,
you can ask your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
Do not start or run the engine while
your vehicle is supported by a jack.
The vehicle could be driven off the
jack and could pose a danger or re-
sult in serious injury.
NOTICE
Use only a compact spare tire of the
same size, construction and load ca-
pacity as the original tires on your
Toyota because damage to the limit-
edslip differential could possibly oc-
cur with another tire type.
SB21009
The vehicle identification number (VIN)
is the legal identifier for your vehicle.
This number is on the left top of the
instrument panel, and can be seen
through the windshield from outside.
This is the primary identification number
for your Toyota. It is used in registering
the ownership of your vehicle.
SB21024
The vehicle identification number (VIN) is
also on the Certification Label.
Limitedslip differential
(on some models) Your Toyota’s identification—
—Vehicle identification
number

1402004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
—Engine number
SB21010
The engine number is stamped on the
engine block as shown.
Theft prevention labels
Your new vehicle carries theft preven-
tion labels which are approximately 56
mm (2.20 in.) by 16 mm (0.63 in.).
The purpose of these labels is to reduce
the incidence of vehicle thefts by facilitat-
ing the tracing and recovery of parts from
stolen vehicles. The label is designed so
that once it is applied to a surface, any
attempt to remove it will result in destroy-
ing the integrity of the label. Transferring
these labels intact from one part to anoth-
er, will be impossible.
NOTICE
You should not attempt to remove the
theft prevention labels as it may vio-
late certain state or federal laws.
Suspension and chassis
CAUTION
Do not modify the suspension/chassis
with lift kits, spacers, springs, etc. It
can cause dangerous handling charac-
teristics, resulting in loss of control.

1412004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
This illustration indicates typical tire
symbols.1. Tire size— For details, see “Tire
size” on page 143.
2. DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN)— For details, see
“DOT and Tire Identification Num-
ber (TIN)” on page 142.
3. Maximum cold tire inflation pressure— This means the pres-
sure to which a tire may be in-
flated. For recommended cold tire
inflation pressure, see “Tires” on
page 244.
4. Load limit at maximum cold tire inflation pressure— For details,
see “Checking and replacing tires”
on page 215.
5. Location of tread wear indica- tors— For details, see “Checking
and replacing tires” on page 215.
6. Turning indicator— Some
vehicles are equipped with
directional tires. For details, see
“Rotating tires” on page 218.
Tire information—
—Tire symbols
SB21020b

1422004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
7. Uniform tire quality grading—For details, see “Uniform tire quali-
ty grading” that follows.
8. Tire ply composition and mate- rials— Plies mean a layer of rub-
ber −coated parallel cords. Cords
mean the strands forming the plies
in the tire.
9. “TUBELESS” or “TUBE TYPE”— A tubeless tire does not
have a tube inside the tire and air
is directly filled in the tire. A tube
type tire has a tube inside the tire
and the tube maintains the air
pressure.
10.Radial tires or biasply tires— A
radial tire has “RADIAL” on the
sidewall. A tire not marked with
“RADIAL” is a bias −ply tir e.
11. Summer tire or all season tire— An all season tire has “M+S”
on the sidewall. The tire not
marked with “M+S” is a summer
tire. For details, see “Types of
tires” on page 152.
SB21022a
This illustration indicates typical DOT
and Tire Identification Number (TIN).
1. “DOT” symbol
2. Tire Identification Number (TIN)
3. Tire manufacturer ’s identification mark
4. Tire size code
5. Manufacturer ’s optional tire type code
6. Manufacturing week
7. Manufacturing year The “DOT” symbol certifies that the
tire conforms to applicable Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
—DOT and Tire Identification
Number (TIN)

1432004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
SB21021
This illustration indicates typical tire
size.1. Section width (in millimeters)
2. Aspect ratio (tire height to section width)
3. Tire construction code (R=Radial, D=Diagonal)
4. Wheel diameter (in inches)
5. Load index (2 digits or 3 digits)
6. Speed symbol (alphabet with one letter)
SU21026a
1. Section width
2. Tire height
3. Wheel diameter
SU21027
1. Bead
2. Sidewall
3. Shoulder
4. Tread
5. Belt
6. Inner liner
7. Reinforcing rubber
8. Carcass
9. Rim lines
10.Bead wires
11. Chafer
—Tire size —Name of each section of tire

1442004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
—Uniform tire quality grading
This information has been prepared
in accordance with regulations issued
by the National Highway Traffic Safe-
ty Administration of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Transportation. It provides
the purchasers and/or prospective
purchasers of Toyota vehicles with in-
formation on uniform tire quality grad-
ing.
Your Toyota dealer will help answer
any questions you may have as you
read this information.
DOT quality grades—All passenger
vehicle tires must conform to Fed-
eral Safety Requirements in addi-
tion to these grades. Quality
grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between
tread shoulder and maximum sec-
tion width. For example: Treadwear
200 Traction AA Temperature A.Treadwear—
The tread wear grade is
a comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested un-
der controlled conditions on a speci-
fied government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear
one and a half (1 −1/2) times as well
on the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative performance
of tires depends upon the actual con-
ditions of their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the norm due
to variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction AA, A, B, C— The traction
grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C, and they represent
the tire’s ability to stop on wet pave-
ment as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor trac-
tion performance. Warning: The traction grade assigned
to this tire is based on braking
(straight ahead) traction tests and
does not include cornering (turning)
traction.
Temperature A, B, C—
T he tem per a-
ture grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire’s resist-
ance to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when tested
under controlled conditions on a spe-
cified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to de-
generate and reduce tire life, and ex-
cessive temperature can lead to sud-
den tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No.109. Grades B
and A represent higher levels of per-
formance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.