2005 TOYOTA MATRIX ECU

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
178
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
Rear luggage storage box—
To keep the lid open, attach the hook as
shown above.
NOTICE
Do not close the back door with the
hook attached, or the hook may be
damaged.
Keep the hook stored in its original posi-
tion as shown when it is not in use.To secure your luggage, use the tie
down hooks as shown above.
The tire tie−down belts are designed to
secure the flat tire. You can also use the
belts to secure your luggage. (To secure
the flat tire, see “—Stowing flat tire” on
page 239 in Section 4.)
See “—Stowage precautions” on page 207
in Section 2 for precautions when loading
luggage.
Tiedown hooks and tire
tiedown belts

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
179
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
To tighten
To loosenTo hook
To unhook
To use the tire tie
−down belts, do as
shown in the illustration.
CAUTION
To avoid personal injury, keep the tie
down hooks retracted and the tire
tiedown belts stored in the luggage
storage box when not in use.
To use the luggage deck rails, you
must install genuine Toyota accessories
or their equivalent for the deck rails.
Follow the manufacturer ’s instructions and
precautions when installing a genuine
Toyota accessory or equivalent.
See “—Stowage precautions” on page 207
in Section 2 for precautions when loading
luggage.
CAUTION
When you secure cargo with the lug-
gage deck rails, be sure follow the
instructions below in order to avoid
the cargo coming loose:
Do not place cargo exceeding 31 kg
(70 lb.) on the luggage deck rails.
To prevent luggage or cargo from
sliding forward during braking,
make sure the deck rail accessories
such as tiedown hooks are secure-
ly attached on the deck rails.
When the rear seats are folded
down, they are not locked into
place and may move. After driving
on rough roads or at high speeds,
cargo attached to the seat back
rails may have moved out of place.
Check the cargo and secure it again
if necessary.
Luggage deck rails

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
180
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
To use the luggage cover:1. Attach the left side hooks of the lug- gage cover to the left side upper
tiedown hooks.
2. Attach the right side hooks of the luggage cover to the right side up-
per tiedown hooks.
3. Pull the belt ends of the right side hooks to secure the luggage cover.
CAUTION
Do not place anything on the luggage
cover. Such items may be thrown
about and possibly injure people in
the vehicle during sudden braking or
a collision.
To remove the luggage cover, loosen
the right side belts of the hooks as
shown above. Then remove the hooks
from tiedown hooks.
When you remove the luggage cover, fold
up and store it in the luggage storage
box.
Luggage cover

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
208
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
When the rear seatbacks are
folded down—
To prevent cargo and lugga-
ge from sliding forward dur-
ing braking, do not stack
anything in the enlarged lug-
gage compartment. Keep car-
go and luggage low, as close
to the floor as possible.
 Never allow anyone to ride in
the luggage compartment. It is
not designed for passengers.
They should ride in their seats
with their seat belts properly
fastened. Otherwise, they are
much more likely suffer seri-
ous bodily injury, in the event
of sudden braking or a colli-
sion.Do not place anything on the
luggage cover. Such items may
be thrown about and possibly
injure people in the vehicle
during sudden braking or an
accident. Secure all items in a
safe place.
 Do not drive with objects left
on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the
driver’s field of view. Or they
may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and im-
pair the driver’s control of the
vehicle. In an accident they
may injure the vehicle occu-
pants.Cargo capacity depends on the to-
tal weight of the occupants.
(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capac-
ity) – (Total weight of occupants)
STEPS FOR DETERMINING
CORRECT LOAD LIMIT
1. Locate the statement “The com- bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX
pounds” on your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kilograms or XXX pounds.
—Capacity and distribution

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
214
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
Be careful when accelerating, up-
shifting, downshifting or braking on
a slippery surface. Sudden accelera-
tion or engine braking, could cause
the vehicle to skid or spin.
Do not drive in excess of the speed
limit. Even if the legal speed limit
permits it, do not drive over 140
km/h (85 mph) unless your vehicle
has highspeed capability tires.
Driving over 140 km/h (85 mph) may
result in tire failure, loss of control
and possible injury. Be sure to con-
sult a tire dealer to determine
whether the tires on your vehicle
are highspeed capability tires or
not before driving at such speeds.
Do not continue normal driving
when the brakes are wet. If they are
wet, your vehicle will require a
longer stopping distance, and it
may pull to one side when the
brakes are applied. Also, the park-
ing brake will not hold the vehicle
securely.
If you need greater traction while driv-
ing on sand, mud or snow covered
roadways, use tire chains on the front
wheels.
Always check your brakes for effective-
ness immediately after driving across
sand, mud, or water.
If operating in adverse conditions
frequently, vehicle maintenance should
be increased. (See the separate
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or
“Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.)
CAUTION
Observe the following tire instruc-
tions. Otherwise, an accident may oc-
cur resulting in death or serious inju-
ries.
Keep your tire pressure at the prop-
er level. (See “Checking tire infla-
tion pressure” on page 278 in Sec-
tion 72.)
Do not use tires (including snow
tires) of different brands, sizes,
construction or tread patterns. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” on
page 280 and “Installing snow tires
and chains” on page 284 in Section
72.)
Do not use tires with different tread
wear. To equalize the tire wear, ro-
tate tires at the appropriate interval.
(See “Rotating tires” on page 283
in Section 72.)
Use the manufacturer ’s recom-
mended wheels. Do not use wheels
of different sizes and types. (See
“Replacing wheels” on page 285 in
Section 72.)
NOTICE
Do not attempt to go offroad in your
Toyota. It is not designed for offroad
use.
Fourwheel driving tips
(fourwheel drive models)

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
219
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
Total trailer weightTotal trailer weight Tongue load
Tongue load  100 = 9 to 11%
The trailer cargo load should be
distributed so that the tongue load
is 9 to 11% of the total trailer
weight, not exceeding the maximum
of 68 kg (150 lb.). Never load the
trailer with more weight in the back
than in the front. About 60% of the
trailer load should be in the front
half of the trailer and the remaining
40% in the rear.
HITCHES
Use only a weight carrying hitch
designed for the total trailer weight.
Toyota does not recommend using a
weight distribution (load equalizing)
hitch.
The hitch must be bolted securely to
the vehicle frame and installed accord-
ing to the hitch manufacturer ’s instruc-
tions.
The hitch ball should have a light coat
of grease.
Toyota recommends that the trailer
hitch be removed when not towing to
prevent injury and/or damage by the
hitch in event of a rear end collision.
After removing the hitch, the installa-
tion area should be sealed to prevent
entry of exhaust fumes and mud.
NOTICE
Do not use an axlemounting hitch as
it may cause damage to the axle
housing, wheel bearings, wheels and/
or tires.
BRAKES AND SAFETY CHAINS
Toyota recommends trailers with
brakes that conform to any applica-
ble federal and state/provincial regu-
lations.
A safety chain must always be used
between the towing vehicle and the
trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the
chain for turns. The chain should
cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping to
the ground in case it becomes dam-
aged or separated. For correct safety
chain procedures, follow the hitch or
trailer manufacturer ’s recommenda-
tions.
CAUTION
If the total trailer weight exceeds
453 kg (1000 lb.), trailer brakes are
required.
Never tap into your vehicle’s hy-
draulic system as it would lower its
braking effectiveness.

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
220
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
Never tow a trailer without using a
safety chain securely attached to
both the trailer and the vehicle. If
damage occurs to the coupling unit
or hitch ball, there is danger of the
trailer wandering over into another
lane.
TIRES
Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are
properly inflated. See page 278 in Sec-
tion 7−2 and page 306 in Section 8 for
instructions.
The trailer tires should be inflated to
the pressure recommended by the trail-
er manufacturer in respect to the total
trailer weight.
TRAILER LIGHTS
Trailer lights must comply with federal,
state/provincial and local regulations.
See your local recreational vehicle
dealer or rental agency for the correct
type of wiring and relays for your trail-
er. Check for correct operation of the
turn signals and stop lights each time
you hitch up. Direct splicing may dam-
age your vehicle’s electrical system
and cause a malfunction of your lights. BREAKIN SCHEDULE
Toyota recommends that you do not
tow a trailer with a new vehicle or a
vehicle with any new power train com-
ponent (engine, transmission, differen-
tial, wheel bearing, etc.) for the first
800 km (500 miles) of driving.
MAINTENANCE
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will
require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. For this informa-
tion, please refer to the scheduled
maintenance information in the “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner ’s
Manual Supplement”.
Retighten all fixing bolts of the towing
ball and bracket after approximately
1000 km (600 miles) of trailer driving.
PRETOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains level
when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose −up or nose −down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulations. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle −trailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle− to−vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.

’05 MATRIX_U (L/O 0409)
234
2005 MATRIX from Sep. ’04 Prod. (OM12892U)
To remove the spare tire:1. Loosen the nut and remove it.
2. Remove the luggage storage box.
3. Loosen the bolt and remove it.
When storing the spare tire, put it in
place with the inner side of the wheel
facing up. Then secure the tire by re-
peating the above removal steps in
reverse order to prevent it from flying
forward during a collision or sudden
braking. The compact tire storage area is de-
signed only for a compact spare tire.
Standard size tires cannot be stored
in this storage area.2. Block the wheel diagonally op-
posite the flat tire to keep the
vehicle from rolling when it is
jacked up.
When blocking the wheel, place a
wheel block in front of one of the front
wheels or behind one of the rear
wheels.
—Blocking the wheel