
632005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Steering wheel and Mirrors
Tilt steering wheel64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outside rear view mirrors64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Anti−glare inside rear view mirror66 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 4

642005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
Tilt steering wheel
SB13049
To change the steering wheel angle,
hold the steering wheel, push the lock
release lever, tilt the steering wheel to
the desired angle and return the lever
to its original position.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so may cause the driver to mishan-
dle the vehicle and an accident may
occur resulting in death or serious
injuries.
After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down to make
sure it is locked in position.
Outside rear view mirrors—
SB13050
Adjust the mirror so that you can see
the side of your vehicle in the mirror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger ’s side
because it is a convex mirror. Any object
seen in a convex mirror will look smaller
and farther away than when seen in a flat
mirror.

822005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
(k) SRS Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
After about 6 seconds, the light will go
off. This means the systems of the air-
bag and seat belt pretensioners are op-
erating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
inflators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources.
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 for more than 6
seconds or flashes.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
(l) Power Steering System Warning
Light
This light warns that there is a problem
in your power steering system.
If the light comes on while you are driv-
ing, have your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.(m) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer acts as a reminder to remove
the key when you open the driver’s door
with the ignition key in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position.
(n) Light reminder buzzer
The buzzer will sound if the headlight
switch is left on and the driver’s door is
opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch.
(o) Warning function of the Sequential
Manual Transmission (sequential
manual transmission only)
When driving, if any incorrect operation
that may cause damage to this system is
performed or if the gear is not shifted as
desired by the driver, the warning buzzer
will sound and the gear position indicator
will flash to warn the driver in some
cases. For details, see “(k) Warning
functions” on page 94 in Section 1−6.CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open either side door.
The open door warning light should
come
on.
3. Close the door.
The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to “ON”, but do
not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light should
come on. The “ABS” and power steer-
ing system warning lights go off after
a few seconds. The SRS warning light
goes off after about 6 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.

832005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sequential manual transmission85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Manual transmission96 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 7

842005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
SB16007
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 153 in 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.
You must push in the key to turn it from
“ACC” to the “LOCK” position.
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobilizer system is automatically set. (See
“Engine immobilizer system” on page 10
in Section 1−2.)
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
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

852005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
The sequential manual transmission is a
6−speed forward/reverse transmission.
With the basics of the traditional manual
transmission, the clutch operation and
shifting are controlled electronically. The
system has the following features:
The electronically controlled clutch op-
eration and transmission enables gear
shift by the operation of the selector
lever (or the steering switch) only.
When starting the engine, turn the igni-
tion switch to the “ON” position. While
holding down the brake pedal firmly,
shift the selector lever to the “N” posi-
tion. Make sure that the “N” indicator
in the instrument cluster comes on,
and then start the engine. In case the
selector lever is in a position other
than “N”, or the if the brake pedal is
not held down, the engine cannot be
started.
Sequential manual transmission will
downshift to 2nd or 1st automatically
when the speed is reduced less than
the fixed speed with the shift lever in
“S” position.
To understand this unique system and op-
eration method of the sequential manual
transmission, read this section thoroughly
before driving.
SD16017
The sequential manual transmission has a
shift lock system. This system locks the
selector lever to keep the transmission
gear and the selector lever position in the
same position when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
However, if the selector lever is locked in
the “S” position, the lever can be moved
to the “+” or “−” direction, but the gear
will not be actually shifted.(a) Selector lever
“R”: Reverse
“N”: Neutral and engine starting
“S”: Sequential driving
(normal driving)
“+”: Upshifting
Pull the selector lever to the “+”
direction and release it. Every
time the lever is operated, the
transmission is upshifted 1 step in
the order of 1st 2nd 3rd
4th 5th 6th gear.
“ ”: Downshifting
Push the selector lever to the “−”
direction and release it. Every
time the lever is operated, the
transmission is downshifted in the
order of 6th 5th 4th 3rd
2nd 1st gear.
The gear position is displayed on the gear
position indicator. The gear position indica-
tor shows the transmission gear position.
Before starting off, always make sure by
using the gear position indicator that the
gear is engaged in 1st or reverse, then
depress the accelerator pedal.
Sequential manual
transmission

862005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
SB16018
(b) Transmission shift switchesUP: Upshift switches (Back of the steering
wheel)
Push the upshift switch on the back of the
steering wheel. Every time the switch is
operated, the transmission is shifted up 1
step in the order of 1st 2nd 3rd
4th 5th 6th gear.
DOWN: Downshift switches (Face of the
steering wheel)
Push the downshift switch on the face of
the steering wheel. Every time the switch
is operated, the transmission is down-
shifted 1 step in the order of 6th 5th
4th 3rd 2nd 1st gear.
Gear shift from “1st” to “6th” by the steer-
ing switch is possible when the selector
lever is in the “S” position. The gear posi-
tion is displayed on the gear position indi-
cator. The gear position indicator shows
the transmission gear position.
(c) System Operation
When the driver ’s door is opened, the
system is activated, and the motor pump
operates to accumulate pressure. The sys-
tem enters stand−by mode when the accu-
mulated pressure reaches the specified
level. A motor sound may be heard from
the engine compartment at this time, but
it does not indicate malfunction. The motor
will stop after a certain period of time.
SD16018a
Selector lever

872005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
SB16019a
Transmission shift switches
(d) Upshift and downshift
The sequential manual transmission is not
an automatic transmission (A/T), therefore,
the gears are not shifted automatically. To
shift the transmission, the driver must op-
erate the selector lever to the “+” or “−”
direction, or the steering switch with the
selector lever in the “S” position. When
driving, the driver should shift the gear at
the most appropriate timing. As on the
traditional manual transmission vehicles,
releasing the accelerator pedal a little will
help the transmission to upshift smoothly.
Upshift: Pull the selector lever to the “+”
direction and release it (or push the up-
shift switch on the back of the steering
wheel.) Every time the switch or the lever
is operated, the transmission is upshifted
1 step in the order of 1st 2nd 3rd
4th 5th 6th gear.
Downshift: Push the selector lever to the
“−” direction and release it (or push the
downshift switch on the face of the steer-
ing wheel.) Every time the switch or the
lever is operated, the transmission is
downshifted 1 step in the order of 6th
5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st gear.In case of operating the selector lever and
switch operation on the steering wheel at
the same time, the selector lever opera-
tion has priority. In case of operating the
two switches of upshifting or downshifting
on the steering wheel at the same time,
it is regarded to operate the switch once.
Also, in case of operating the upshift and
downshift switches on the steering wheel
at the same time, demand is canceled and
no shifting is performed.
To shift down smoothly, the engine
runs fast in some cases. This is done
intentionally by the system and is not
a malfunction.
When the accumulated pressure of the
actuator is consumed due to shifting
operation, and the pressure decreases
to a specified level, the pump motor
starts running again. A motor sound
may be heard from the engine compart-
ment at this time, but it does not indi-
cate malfunction.
When driving down a hill, downshift
and use the engine brakes appropriate-
ly. If necessary, continuous shifting-
down is possible. However, if down-
shifting more than 3 steps continuously,
the gear shifting will take more time.