2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER traction control

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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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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

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Ty p e A
Ty p e B
“ABS” warning light
The light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to the “ON” position. If the anti −
lock brake system and the brake assist
system work properly, the light turns off
after a few seconds. Thereafter, if either
of the systems malfunctions, the light
comes on again.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
following systems do not operate, but the
brake system still operates conventionally.
Anti −lock brake system
Brake assist system
Traction control system
(two −wheel drive models)
Active traction control system
(four− wheel drive models)
“AUTO LSD” system
(two−wheel drive models)
Vehicle stability control system
Downhill assist control system
(four− wheel drive models)
Hill−start assist control system 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 will lock up during a
sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.
“VSC TRAC” warning light may come on
with the “ABS” warning light (brake assist
system warning light) when there is a mal-
function somewhere in the anti −lock brake
system (brake assist system).
If either of the following conditions oc-
curs, 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 dri-
ving.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.

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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 treadwear 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
conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving hab-
its, 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.
—Uniform tire quality grading

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Cargo
capacityWeight of
t he rem ov ed
third seat
SEATING CONFIGURATION
VARIATION
In case of removing the rear seats,
it is possible to load as much cargo
as the weight of the removed seats.
(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capac-
ity) − (Total weight of occupants) +
(Weight of the removed rear seats)
Rear seats weights:
Each seat 11 kg (24 lb.) Determine what kind of tires your
vehicle is originally equipped with.
1. Summer tires
Summer tires are high −speed capabil-
ity tires best suited to highway driving
under dry conditions.
Since summer tires do not have the
same traction performance as snow
tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow −covered or icy roads.
For driving on snow −covered or icy
roads, we recommend using snow
tires. If installing snow tires, be sure
to replace all four tires.
2. All season tires
All season tires are designed to pro-
vide better traction in snow and to be
adequate for driving in most winter
conditions, as well as for use all year
round. All season tires, however, do not have
adequate traction performance
compared with snow tires in heavy or
loose snow. Also, all season tires fall
short in acceleration and handling
performance compared with summer
tires in highway driving.
The details about how to distinguish
summer tires from all season tires are
described on page 296.
CAUTION

Do not mix summer and all sea-
son tires on your vehicle as
this can cause dangerous han-
dling characteristics, resulting
in loss of control.
 Do not use tire other than the
manufacturer’s designated
tires, and never mix tires or
wheels of the sizes different
from the originals.
Types of tires

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If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
Turn off the traction control system to
become unstuck to allow the tires to
spin enough to remove the vehicle from
the obstruction. (For details, see “Trac-
tion control system” on page 168 in
Section 17.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
 Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
 If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
—From front
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck (a) Towing with wheel lift type truck—
Twowheel drive models
If your vehicle becomes stuck If your vehicle needs to be
towed—

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To equalize the wear and help ex-
tend tire life, Toyota recommends
that you rotate your tires accord-
ing to the maintenance schedule.
(For scheduled maintenance infor-
mation, please refer to the “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or “Own-
er’s Manual Supplement”.)
However, the most appropriate tim-
ing for tire rotation may vary ac-
cording to your driving habits and
road surface conditions.
See “If you have a flat tire” on page
335 in Section 4 for tire change proce-
dure. When rotating tires, check for uneven
wear and damage. Abnormal wear is
usually caused by incorrect tire pres-
sure, improper wheel alignment, out
−
of −balance wheels, or severe braking.
WHEN TO USE SNOW TIRES OR
CHAINS
Snow tires or chains are recommended
when driving on snow or ice.
On wet or dry roads, conventional tires
provide better traction than snow tires.
SNOW TIRE SELECTION
If you need snow tires, select tires of
the same size, construction and load
capacity as the originally installed tires.
Also, on fourwheel drive models, all
the tires must be the same brand and
have the same tread patterns.
Do not use tires other than those men-
tioned above. Do not install studded tires
without first checking local regulations for
possible restrictions.
CAUTION
Observe the following instructions.
Otherwise, an accident may occur re-
sulting in death or serious injuries.
Do not use snow tires other than
the manufacturer ’s recommended si-
ze, as this may cause dangerous
handling characteristics resulting in
loss of control.
Rotating tires Installing snow tires and
chains