2006 TOYOTA TACOMA Owners Manual (in English)

1592006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
CAUTION
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
together with the brake system warn-
ing light, immediately stop your ve-
hicle at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely unsta-
ble during braking.
Any of the following conditions may oc-
cur, but do not indicate a malfunction:
The light may stay on for about 60
seconds after the ignition key is turned
to the “ON” position. It is normal if it
turns off after a while.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if it
turns off after a few seconds.
With rear differential lock: The light
comes on with rear differential locked.
At this time, the anti−lock brake sys-
tem, the brake assist system, the ve-
hicle stability control system, the trac-
tion control system, the downhill assist
control system and the hill −start assist
control system do not operate.
(j) “VSC TRAC” Warning Light
The light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the following.
Vehicle stability control system
Traction control system
“AUTO LSD” system
Downhill assist control system
Hill− start assist control system
Four −wheel drive models, and two −wheel
drive models with the rear differential lock
system—the “VSC OFF” indicator light will
come on with the “VSC TRAC” warning
light if there is a problem somewhere in
the vehicle stability control system
The slip indicator light will come on with
the “VSC TRAC” warning light if there is
a problem somewhere in the following.
Traction control system
“AUTO LSD” system The lights will come on when the ignition
key turned to “ON”, and will go off after
a few seconds.
It is not a malfunction that the lights may
stay on for 60 seconds after the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the lights. It is normal if they
go out after a few seconds.
If the lights come on while driving, the
above mentioned systems do not work.
However, as conventional braking operates
when applied, there is no problem to con-
tinue your driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The lights do not come on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The lights remain on after the ignition
key is turned to “ON”.
The lights come on while driving.

1602006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
(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
off switch, passenger airbag on −off indica-
tor light, seat belt pretensioner assem-
blies, inflators, interconnecting wiring and
power sources.
∗: The front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system includes the front passenger
occupant classification ECU, pressure sen-
sor, load sensor, front passenger ’s seat
belt buckle switch, front passenger ’s seat
position sensor and belt tension sensor. 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.
The light comes on while driving.
(m) Low Tire Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the tire inflation pres-
sure of one or more of your tires (includ-
ing the spare tire) is low. The light comes
on when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position. It goes off after a few sec-
onds. This indicates that the low tire pres-
sure warning system is functioning proper-
ly.
If the light comes on, stop your vehicle in
a safe place as soon as possible and
check that the tire inflation pressure of all
tires (including the spare tire) is as
specified on the tire and loading
information label. (See “Checking tire
inflation pressure” on page 366 in Section
7 −2.) The light should go off a few
minutes after the tire pressure is adjusted. If the warning light blinks, the tire pres-
sure warning system may be malfunction-
ing. Contact your Toyota dealer.
For details, see “Tire pressure warning
system” on page 192 in Section 1
−7.
(n) Automatic Transmission Fluid Tem- perature Warning Light (fourwheel
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.

1612006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
(o) 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.CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. 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 following service reminder indica-
tors go off after a few seconds:
Engine oil replacement reminder light
“ABS” warning light
“VSC TRAC” warning light
“VSC OFF” indicator light
“AUTO LSD” indicator light
Low tire pressure warning light
Slip indicator light
Downhill assist control system indicator
light
The SRS warning light goes off after
about 6 seconds.
With the vehicle stability control sys-
tem—
There may be the case that the “ABS”
warning light (brake assist system
warning light), “VSC TRAC” warning
light, slip indicator light or “VSC OFF”
indicator light stay on for about 60 sec-
onds after the ignition key is turned to
the “ON” position. It is normal if they
go out after a while.
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.

1622006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)

1632006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch164
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. . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 165
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Manual transmission 173
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. . . .
Four −wheel drive system 175
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Traction control system 179
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
“AUTO LSD” system 181
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. . . .
Vehicle stability control system 183
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Downhill assist control system 186
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hill −start assist control system 188
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential lock system 191
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire pressure warning system 192
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Parking brake 199
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. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 199
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. . . . . . . . . .
Clutch start cancel switch 202
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SECTION 1 7

1642006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
LS17001a
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 297 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 x.)
It is not a malfunction if the needles on
all meters and gauges move slightly when
the key is turned to the “ACC”, “ON” or
“START” position.
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

1652006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
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 (5speed)
LS17002
With the brake pedal depressed.
(The ignition switch must be in
“ON” position.)
Shift normally.

1662006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
(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 175 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 175 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)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .