2004 TOYOTA TACOMA automatic transmission

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
2
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
1. Instrument cluster
2. Center vents
3. Personal lights or interior light
4. Side vents
5. Rear view mirror remote control levers
6. Glove box
7. Power door lock switches
8. Power window switches
9. Manual transmission gear shift lever orautomatic transmission selector lever
10. Rear console boxes
11. Cup holder
12. Power rear view mirror control switches
13. Front drive control lever
14. Tilt steering lock release lever
15. Hood lock release lever
16. Window lock switch
Instrument panel overview

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
3
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
1. Headlight and turn signal switches
2. Wiper and washer switches
3. Emergency flasher switch
4. Passenger airbag manual on−off switch
5. Air conditioning controls
6. Car audio
7. Ashtray
8. Cigarette lighter
9. Power outlets
10. Clock
11. Parking brake lever
12. Ignition switch
13. Cruise control switch
14. Rear differential lock switch or “AUTO LSD” switch
15. Instrument panel light control knob
16. Clutch start cancel switch (manual transmission) or driving pattern selector
button (automatic transmission)

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
6
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
Seat belt reminder light∗1
Low engine oil pressure warning light∗1
Low fuel level warning light∗1
Brake system warning light∗1
Discharge warning light∗1
Malfunction indicator lamp∗1
Anti −lock brake system warning light∗
1
SRS warning light∗1
or
Automatic transmission fluid temperature
warning light∗1
Unengaged “Park” warning light∗1
Low windshield washer fluid level warning
light∗1
Headlight high beam indicator light
Traction control system warning light∗1
“AUTO LSD” system warning light∗1
Vehicle stability control system warning
light∗1
Turn signal indicator lights
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
128
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
If either of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts 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 or flashes while
driving.
(j) Unengaged “Park” Warning Light (vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion)
This light warns that the transmission
“Park” mechanism is not engaged. If the
front drive control lever is in the “N” posi-
tion while the selector lever is in the “P”
position, the transmission will disengage
and the wheels will not lock.
CAUTION
To restore the park function, shift the
front drive control lever out of “N”,
or the vehicle can move.
(k) Automatic Transmission Fluid Tem- perature Warning Light
This light warns that the automatic trans-
mission fluid temperature is too high.
If this light comes on while you are driv-
ing, slow down and pull off the road. Stop
the vehicle at a safe place and put the
selector lever in “P”. With the engine id-
ling, wait until the light goes off. If the
light goes off, you may start the vehicle
again. If the light does not go off, call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
(l) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level Warning Light (on some models)
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see “Adding washer fluid” in Section 7 −3.)
(m) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver’s door with
the ignition key in the “ACC” or “LOCK”
position. CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light and low windshield
washer fluid level warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition key to “ON”, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators
should come on.
The following service reminder indica-
tors go off after a few seconds:
“ABS” warning light
“VSC TRAC” warning light
“VSC OFF” indicator light
(four −wheel drive models)
“AUTO LSD” indicator light
Slip indicator light
The SRS warning light goes off after
about 6 seconds.
There may be the case that the “ABS”
warning light (brake assist system
warning light), “VSC TRAC” warning
light and “VSC OFF” (four −wheel drive
models) indicator light stay on for
about 60 seconds after the ignition key
is turned to the “ON” position. It is
normal if they go out after a while.

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
131
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock132
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 133
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Manual transmission 138
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Four −wheel drive system 140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
Traction control system 144
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
”AUTO LSD” system 146
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Vehicle stability control system 148
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential lock system 150
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake 152
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 153
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Clutch start cancel switch 155
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
SECTION 1 7

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
132
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see Section 3.
“ON”—Engine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
“ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position and open the driver’s
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
“LOCK”—Engine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.Vehicles with manual transmission—
You must push in the key to turn the key
from “ACC” to the “LOCK” position.
Vehicles with automatic transmission—
You must shift the selector lever into the
“P” position before turning the key from
“ACC” to the “LOCK” position.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the “LOCK” position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the “ON”
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
133
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Selector lever
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission
Overdrive
switch Selector lever
Lock release button
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock
release button in. (The ignition
switch must be in “ON” position.) Shift while holding the
lock release button in.
Shift normally.
To prevent misshifting

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
134
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
(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 be on automatically.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”.
When the front drive control lever is in
“L4” (low −speed position, four −wheel
drive), the driving pattern selector setting
has no effect on gear shift timing. (See
“Four −wheel drive system” in this Section
for information of the front drive control
lever.)
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 switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low or
when the front drive control lever is in
“L4” (low
−speed position, four −wheel
drive), the transmission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even with the overdrive
on. (See “Four −wheel drive system” in this
Section for information of the front drive
control lever.)
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.