2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Owners Manual

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The vehicle stability control system
helps provide integrated control of the
systems such as antilock brake sys-
tem, traction control, engine control,
etc. This system automatically controls
the output of the brakes or engine to
help prevent the vehicle from skidding
when cornering on a slippery road sur-
face or operating steering wheel abrupt-
ly.
This vehicle stability control activates
when the vehicle speed is more than 15
km/h (9 mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the sys-
tem is in the self−check mode, but does
not indicate a malfunction.CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the ve-
hicle stability control system. Even
if the vehicle stability control sys-
tem is operating, you must always
drive carefully and attentively to
avoid serious injury. Reckless driv-
ing will result in an unexpected ac-
cident. If the slip indicator light
blinks and an alarm sounds, special
care should be taken while driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacturer, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use the tires other
than specified, or different type or
size, the vehicle stability control
system may not function correctly.
When replacing the tires or wheels,
contact your Toyota dealer. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” on
page 384 in Section 72.)
If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light blinks and an
alarm sounds intermittently. Special care
should be taken while driving.
If the brake pedal is depressed while the
vehicle stability control system is active,
the brake pedal will become hard at an
earlier position than usual. However, the
brakes will respond to the pedal force if
depressed further.
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.
Vehicle stability control
system

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Fourwheel drive models only—
Pushing the center differential lock
switch automatically turns the vehicle
stability control system off. At this
time, the “VSC OFF” indicator comes
on with the center differential lock indi-
cator light.
The “VSC OFF” indicator light comes on
for a few seconds when the ignition key
is turned to “ON”. It will come on again
when you push the center differential lock
switch to turn off the system. In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The indicator light does not come on
when the ignition key is turned to
“ON”.
The indicator light remains on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The indicator light comes on when the
system is on while driving.
NOTICE
Make sure that the center differential
lock indicator light goes off before
normal driving.
“VSC TRAC” warning light
This light warns that 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)
“AUTO LSD” system
(two −wheel drive models)
Downhill assist control system
(four −wheel drive models)
Hill −start assist control system

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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 “VSC TRAC” waning light and slip
indicator light come 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. 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.
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.
The system will operate even if the trans-
mission selector lever is in “D”, “4”, “3”
or “N”. However, when it is in “L” or “2”
the engine brake can also be utilized en-
abling the system to operate more effec-
tively.
Downhill assist control system
(fourwheel drive models)

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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.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 gra
dually. 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.

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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.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the hill −
start assist control system, the active
traction control system and the vehicle
stability control system. If the brake ac-
tuator temperature becomes too high while
any of the systems is operating, a buzzer
will start to sound intermittently to indicate
that the downhill assist control system can
no longer operate. In this case, stop your
vehicle 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 slip indicator light will
come on, the downhill assist control sys-
tem indicator light flash and the downhill
assist control system stops operating tem-
porarily in order to protect the brake ac-
tuator. (Although the downhill assist con-
trol system does not operate, it is no
problem to continue your driving.) The
system will be automatically restored after
a short time and the slip indicator light
and the downhill assist control system in-
dicator light go out.
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

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“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.
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.
The hillstart assist control system will
operate for 5 seconds maximally when
all of the following conditions apply.
When the transmission is in any of
positions “D”, “4”, “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”.
Hillstart assist control
system

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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.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the downhill
assist control system (four −wheel drive
models), the traction control system (two−
wheel drive models), the active traction
control system (four −wheel drive models),
the vehicle stability control system and
the “AUTO LSD” system (two −wheel drive
models) on such as slippery roads. If the
brake actuator temperature becomes too
high while any of the systems is operat-
ing, a buzzer will start to sound intermit-
tently to indicate that the hill −start assist
control system can no longer operate. In
this case, stop your vehicle 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 slip indicator light will
come on and the hill
−start assist control
system stops operating temporarily in or-
der 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 slip indicator light goes out.

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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
“AUTO LSD” system
(two −wheel drive models)
“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.
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.
This rear height control air suspension
controls the vehicle height depending
on the vehicle driving conditions. Select
your desired height among the “HI”
(high), “N” (normal) and “LO” (low)
modes with the height select switch.
(a) Vehicle height modes
“N” (normal) mode—
The vehicle height in this mode is stan-
dard. Regardless of the number of occu-
pants or the luggage loading condition, the
vehicle height is always automatically ad-
justed to a fixed height in this mode while
the engine is running.
This mode is suitable for ordinary driving.
Rear height control air
suspension