1512005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
(e) Low Engine Oil Pressure WarningLight
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate low oil level, and the oil level
must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the
warning light on—even for one block.
It may ruin the engine.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on when the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position and
goes off after the engine starts. This
means that the warning light system is
operating properly.
If the lamp remains on, or the lamp
comes on while driving, first check the
followings.
Empty fuel tank
If the fuel tank is empty, refuel immedi-
ately.
Loose fuel tank cap
If the fuel tank cap is loose, securely
tighten it.
These cases are temporary malfunctions.
The malfunction indicator lamp will go off
after taking several driving trips.
If the lamp does not go off even after
several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
If the fuel tank is not empty or the fuel
tank cap is not loose...
There is a problem somewhere in the
engine, emission control system, elec-
tronic throttle control system, automatic
transmission electrical system or warn-
ing light system itself. Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
If engine speed does not increase when
the accelerator pedal is depressed, there
may be a problem somewhere in the elec-
tronic throttle control system.
At this time, vibration may occur. Howev-
er, if you depress the accelerator pedal
more firmly and slowly, you can drive your
vehicle at low speeds. Have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
Even if the abnormality of the electronic
throttle control system is corrected during
low speed driving, the system may not be
recovered until the engine is stopped and
the ignition key is turned to “ACC” or
“LOCK” position.
CAUTION
Be especially careful to prevent erro-
neous pedal operation.
1552005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
(k) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the doors
are completely closed.
(l) 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 front seat belt pretensioners
are operating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, front passenger occupant
classification system, passenger airbag
manual on−off switch, passenger airbag
on− off indicator light, front passenger ’s
seat belt buckle switch, seat belt preten-
sioner assemblies, inflators, warning light,
interconnecting wiring 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.
(m) Automatic Transmission Fluid Tem- perature Warning Light (four wheel
drive models only)
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.
NOTICE
Continued driving with the warning
light on may damage the automatic
transmission.
(n) 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.
1572005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock158
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 159
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Manual transmission 167
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Four −wheel drive system 169
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
Traction control system 173
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
“AUTO LSD” system 175
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Vehicle stability control system 177
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Downhill assist control system 180
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hill −start assist control system 182
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential lock system 185
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake 186
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 187
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Clutch start cancel switch 189
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
SECTION 1 7
1582005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
LS17001a
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 281 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 the key
from “ACC” to the “LOCK” position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be put in the “P”
position before pushing the key.
Vehicles with engine immobilizer system—
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobilizer system is automatically set. (See
“Engine immobilizer system” on page 15
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.
Approximately five hours after the engine
is turned off, you may hear sound coming
from underneath the deck for several min-
utes. This is normal operation and does
not indicate a malfunction. (See “Leak
detection pump” on page ix.)
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
1592005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
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).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and key re-
moval
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (shifting into overdrive
possible)
4: Engine braking (shifting into overdrive
not possible)
3, 2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission (5 speed)
LS17002
With the brake pedal depressed.
(The ignition switch must be in
“ON” position.)
Shift normally.
1602005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
(b) Normal driving1. 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 switch knob
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” on page 169 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 use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If the engine
coolant temperature is low or when the
front drive control switch knob is in “L4”
(low −speed position, four −wheel drive), the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even in the “D” position. (See
“Four −wheel drive system” on page 169 in
this Section for information of the front
drive control.)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.
(c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “4” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to fourth gear
and engine braking will be enabled.
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled. PreRunner 133 km/h (83 mph) . . . . . . Four
−wheel drive models
Front drive control switch knob at
“H2” or “H4” 133 km/h (83 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front drive control switch knob at
“L4” 51 km/h (32 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
PreRunner 88 km/h (55 mph) . . . . . . . . .
Four −wheel drive models
Front drive control switch knob at
“H2” or “H4” 88 km/h (55 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front drive control switch knob at
“L4”
34 km/h (21 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1622005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“3”, “2” or “L” position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-
sion damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or
hard towing.(e) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(f) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down, fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between fourth gear and
overdrive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “4” posi-
tion. Be sure to shift the selector lever
to the “D” position immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use “D” position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.
1632005 TACOMA from Mar. ’05 Prod. (OM35862U)
(h) If you cannot shift the selector le-ver out of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the “P” position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see “If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 321 in Section 4.