’06 4Runner_U (L/O 0508)
350 Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below. Total load ca-
pacity and seating capacity are also
described on the tire and loading in-
formation label. For location of the tire
and loading information label, see
“Checking tire inflat ion pr es s ur e” on
page 425.
Total load capacity:
With 5 occupants:431 kg (950 lb.)
With 7 occupants: 476 kg (1050 lb.)
Total load capacity means com-
bined weight of occupants, cargo
and luggage. Tongue load is in-
cluded when trailer towing. Seating capacity:
Without third seats:Total 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
With third seats: Total 7 (Front 2, Rear 5)
Seating capacity means the maxi-
mum number of occupants whose
estimated average weight is 68 kg
(150 lb.) per person. Depending on
the weight of each person, the seat-
ing capacity given may exceed the
total load capacity.
NOTICE
Even if the number of occu-
pants are within the seating ca-
pacity, do not exceed the total
load capacity.
Towing capacity:For weight carrying hitch2268 kg (5000 lb.)
Also for weight distributing hitch
(4.7 L V8 [2UZ −FE] engine only)
Tw o −wheel drive models
3311 kg (7300 lb.)
Four −wheel drive models
3175 kg (7000 lb.)
Towing capacity means the maxi-
mum gross trailer weight (trailer
weight plus its cargo weight) that
your vehicle is able to tow.
Veh icle lo ad limit s
’06 4Runner_U (L/O 0508)
354
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 342.
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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356
1. Check the area around the vehicle be-
fore entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle, seat cushion angle, head restraint
height and steering wheel angle.
3. Adjust the inside and outside rear view mirrors.
4. Lock all doors.
5. Fasten seat belts. Once you turn the ignition key to “START”
position and release it, the cranking hold
function continues to crank the engine in
“ON” position until it starts.
The function stops cranking the engine
after about 25 seconds maximum if the
engine has not started yet. When you
crank the engine again, wait a few sec-
onds and restart it.
If you hold the key in “START” position,
the function will keep cranking for about
30 seconds maximum. 1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Put the selector lever in “P”. If you need to restart the engine while the
vehicle is moving, put the selector le-
ver in “N”. A starter safety device will
prevent the starter from operating if the
selector lever is in any drive position.
4. Depress the brake pedal and hold it to the floor until driving off.
Before starting the engine How to start the engine—
—Cranking hold function
(a) Before cranking
’06 4Runner_U (L/O 0508)
357
Before starting the engine, be sure to fol-
low the instructions in “(a) Before crank-
ing”.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequen-
tial multiport fuel injection system in your
engine automatically controls the proper
air−fuel mixture for starting. You can start
a cold or hot engine as follows:
With your foot off the accelerator pedal,
turn the ignition key to “START” position,
then release it.
Engine should be warmed up by driving,
not in idle. For warming up, drive with
smoothly turning engine until engine cool-
ant temperature is within normal range.
If the engine stalls...
Simply restart it, using the correct proce-
dure given in normal starting.
If the engine will not start...
See “If your vehicle will not start” on page
374 in Section 4.NOTICE
Do not race a cold engine.
If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, have the
engine checked immediately.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharp− edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage such
as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy road. Other-
wise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and place the transmis-
sion in “P”. If necessary, block the
wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
(b) Starting the engine Tips for driving in various
conditions
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359
When driving your vehicle off −road, please
observe the following precautions to en-
sure your driving enjoyment and to help
prevent the closure of areas to off −road
vehicles.
a. Drive your vehicle only in areas where off−road vehicles are permitted to trav-
el.
b. Respect private property. Get owner ’s permission before entering private prop-
erty.
c. Do not enter areas that are closed. Honor gates, barriers and signs that re-
strict travel.
d. Stay on established roads. When condi- tions are wet, driving techniques should
be changed or travel delayed to pre-
vent damage to roads.
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and
Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining
to driving your vehicle off −road, consult
the following organizations.
State and Local Parks and Recreation
Departments
State Motor Vehicle Bureau
Recreational Vehicle Clubs
U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management
CAUTION
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of serious
personal injury or damage to your ve-
hicle:
Drive carefully when off the road.
Do not take unnecessary risks by
driving in dangerous places.
Do not grip the steering wheel
spokes when driving off road. A
bad bump could jerk the wheel and
injure your hands. Keep both hands
and especially your thumbs on the
outside of the rim.
Always check your brakes for effec-
tiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
After driving through tall grass,
mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check
that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or
trapped on the underbody. Clear off
any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with
these materials trapped or adhering
to the underbody, a breakdown or
fire could occur.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing.
When driving off road or in rugged
terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns,
strike objects, etc. This may cause
loss of control or vehicle rollover
causing death or serious injury. You
are also risking expensive damage
to your vehicle’s suspension and
chassis.
Off road driving precautions
’06 4Runner_U (L/O 0508)
360
NOTICE
If driving through water, such as
when crossing shallow streams,
first check the depth of the water
and the bottom of the river bed for
firmness. Drive slowly and avoid
deep water.
Take all necessary safety measures
to ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does
not occur.
Water entering the engine air intake
will cause severe engine damage.
Water can wash the grease from
wheel bearings, causing rusting and
premature failure, and may also en-
ter the differentials, transmission
and transfer case, reducing the gear
oil’s lubricating qualities.
Sand and mud that has accumulated
in brake drums and around brake
discs may affect braking efficiency
and may damage brake system com-
ponents.
Always perform a maintenance in-
spection after each day of off road
driving that has taken you through
rough terrain, sand, mud, or water.
For scheduled maintenance informa-
tion, refer to the “Scheduled Main-
tenance Guide” or “Owner’s Manual
Supplement”.Make sure your coolant is properly pro-
tected against freezing.
Only use “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant”
or similar high quality ethylene glycol
based non −silicate, non −amine, non− nitrite,
and non −borate coolant with long −life hy-
brid organic acid technology. (Coolant with
long −life hybrid organic acid technology is
a combination of low phosphates and or-
ganic acids.)
See “Checking the engine coolant level”
on page 422 in Section 7 −2 for details of
coolant type selection.
For the U.S.A.—“Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” is a mixture of 50% coolant and
50% deionized water. This coolant pro-
vides protection down to about −35 C
( − 31 F).
For the Canada—“Toyota Super Long Life
Coolant” is a mixture of 55% coolant and
45% deionized water. This coolant pro-
vides protection down to about −42 C
( − 44 F).
NOTICE
Do not use plain water alone.
Winter driving tips
’06 4Runner_U (L/O 0508)
361
Check the condition of the battery and
cables.
Cold temperatures reduce the capacity of
any battery, so it must be in top shape to
provide enough power for winter starting.
Section 7−3 tells you how to visually in-
spect the battery. Your Toyota dealer and
most service stations will be pleased to
check the level of charge.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity is
suitable for the cold weather.
See page 420 in Section 7 −2 for recom-
mended viscosity. Leaving a heavy sum-
mer oil in your vehicle during winter
months may cause harder starting. If you
are not sure about which oil to use, call
your Toyota dealer—they will be pleased
to help.
Keep the door locks from freezing.
Squirt lock de −icer or glycerine into the
locks to keep them from freezing.
Use a washer fluid containing an anti-
freeze solution.
This product is available at your Toyota
dealer and most auto parts stores. Follow
the manufacturer ’s directions for how
much to mix with water.NOTICE
Do not use engine antifreeze or any
other substitute because it may dam-
age your vehicle’s paint.
Do not use your parking brake when
there is a possibility it could freeze.
When parking, put the transmission into
“P” and block the front wheels. Do not
use the parking brake, or snow or water
accumulated in and around the parking
brake mechanism may freeze, making it
hard to release.
Keep ice and snow from accumulating
under the fenders.
Ice and snow built up under your fenders
can make steering difficult. During bad
winter driving, stop and check under the
fenders occasionally.
Depending on where you are driving,
we recommend you carry some emer-
gency equipment.
Some of the things you might put in the
vehicle are tire chains, window scraper,
bag of sand or salt, flares, small shovel,
jumper cables, etc.
Your vehicle is not designed to be
dinghy towed (with four wheels on the
ground) behind a motorhome.
NOTICE
Do not tow your vehicle with four
wheels on the ground. This may
cause serious damage to your vehicle.
Dinghy towing
’06 4Runner_U (L/O 0508)
363
CAUTION
The maximum gross trailer weight
(trailer weight plus cargo weight)
must never exceed the following for
vehicle with equipped. For details,
contact your Toyota dealer.
According to the hitch receiver
type, the maximum gross trailer
weight and hitch that can be used
differs. Refer to the above illustra-
tions to confirm the hitch receiver
type for your vehicle.
For weight carrying hitch
2268 kg (5000 lb.)
Also for weight distributing hitch
(4.7 L V8 [2UZ FE] engine only) Two wheel drive models 3311 kg (7300 lb.)
Four wheel drive models 3175 kg (7000 lb.)
If towing a trailer and cargo weigh-
ing over 2268 kg (5000 lb.), Toyota
recommends to use a weight dis-
tributing hitch.
If towing a trailer and cargo weigh-
ing over 907 kg (2000 lb.), it is
necessary to use a sway control
device with sufficient capacity. The
combination of the gross trailer
weight added to the total weight of
the vehicle, occupants and vehicle
cargo must never exceed a total of
the following.
For weight carrying hitch4.0 L V6 (1GR FE) engine
4354 kg (9600 lb.)
4.7 L V8 (2UZ FE) engine 4422 kg (9750 lb.)
Also for weight distributing hitch
(4.7 L V8 [2UZ FE] engine only) 5443 kg (12000 lb.)
Exceeding the maximum weight of
the trailer, the vehicle, or the ve-
hicle and trailer combination, can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.
Trailer hitch assemblies have differ-
ent weight capacities established by
the hitch manufacturer. Even though
the vehicle may be physically capa-
ble of towing a higher weight, the
operator must determine the maxi-
mum weight rating of the particular
hitch assembly and never exceed
the maximum weight rating speci-
fied for the trailer hitch. Exceeding
the maximum weight rating set by
the trailer hitch manufacturer can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.