572007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
CY13255
3. Stow the seat leg in the back of theseat cushion. Take the holding strap
out of its holder, and attach the
strap to the assist grip. Tighten the
strap by pulling the end and fix it
with Velcro.
CAUTION
When folding up the third seats, fix
the seats securely by adjusting the
length of the holding strap. Failure to
do so may cause an unexpected inju-
ry in the event of emergency braking
or collision.
CY13256
4. Remove the seat anchor covers fromthe back of the seat cushion, and
install them over the seat anchors.
CAUTION
Be sure to apply the covers on the
seat anchors, or you may get burned
when they become hot.
CY13257
When returning the third seat to its origi-
nal position, stow the holding strap in the
holder in the direction shown above. Then
do the above procedures in the reverse
order.
662007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
CY13231
Ta b
Buckle
Adjust the seat as needed and sit up
straight and well back in the seat. To
fasten your belt, pull it out of the re-
tractor and insert the tab into the
buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may
lock if you lean forward too quickly. A
slow, easy motion will allow the belt to
extend, and you can move around freely. When a passenger ’s shoulder belt is com-
pletely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that
position and cannot be extended. This fea-
ture is used to hold the child restraint
system securely. (For details, see “Child
restraint” on page 96 in this Section.) To
free the belt again, fully retract the belt
and then pull the belt out once more.
If the seat belt cannot be pulled out of the
retractor, firmly pull the belt and release
it. You will then be able to smoothly pull
the belt out of the retractor.CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the belt is not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, immediately contact your
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed, because
it cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from death or serious
injury.
CY13057
Ta k e u p
slack
To o h i g h
Keep as low on
hips as possible
Adjust the position of the lap and
shoulder belts.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips—not on your waist, then ad-
just it to a snug fit by pulling the shoulder
portion upward through the latch plate.
—Fastening front and rear
seat belts
692007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer to
order the proper required length for the
extender. Bring the heaviest coat you ex-
pect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering in-
formation is available at your Toyota deal-
er.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following precautions.
Failure to follow these instructions
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seat belt restraint system in case of
an accident, increasing the chance of
death or serious injury.
Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe when
used on a different vehicle, for
another person, or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended.
CY13241
If the seat belt extender has been
connected to the driver ’s seat belt
buckle without wearing the seat belt
when using the extender in the
driver ’s seat, the SRS driver ’s air-
bag system will judge that the driv-
er wears the seat belt even if not
wearing it. In this case, the driver ’s
airbag may not activate correctly,
causing death or serious injury in
the event of collision. Be sure to
wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender.
Make sure the front passenger oc-
cupant classification indicator light
indicates “ON” when using the seat
belt extender for the front passen-
ger seat. If the indicator light indi-
cates “OFF”, disconnect the extend-
er tongue from the seat belt buckle,
then reconnect the seat belt. Recon-
nect the seat belt extender after
making sure the indicator light indi-
cates “ON”. If you use the seat belt
extender while the indicator light
indicates “OFF”, the front passen-
ger airbag and side airbag on the
front passenger side may not acti-
vate correctly, which could cause
death or serious injury in the event
of collision.
Be sure to wear the seat belt with-
out the seat belt extender if you
can fasten the seat belt without the
extender.
—Seat belt extender
1212007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
CY13304
ADJUSTMENT OF TELESCOPIC
STEERING COLUMN
To change the steering wheel length,
push down the lock release lever, set
the steering wheel to the desired length
and return the lever to its original posi-
tion.
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 or for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is locked in position.
CY13009
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
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.
On some models, when you push the
back window defogger switch, the heater
panels in the outside rear view mirrors will
quickly clear the surface. (See “Back
window and outside rear view mirror
defoggers” on page 142 in Section 1−5.)
Outside rear view mirrors—
3252007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
The roof luggage carrier consists of
roof rails (1) attached to the roof and
sliding cross rails (2).
To adjust the positions of cross rails, do
this.1. Turn the knobs counterclockwise to loosen the cross rails.
2. Slide the cross rails to the desired position for loading the luggages of
various sizes.
3. After adjusting, be sure to tighten the cross rails by turning knobs clockwise.
Follow the manufacturer ’s instructions and
precautions when installing the attach-
ments or their equivalent.
When there is no luggage on the roof
luggage carrier, Toyota recommends that
the front and rear cross rails be secured
in the positions indicated in the illustra-
tion, according to the following procedure.
This may diminish wind noise during driv-
ing.CAUTION
When you load cargo on the roof lug-
gage carrier, observe the following:
Place the cargo so that its weight
is distributed evenly between the
front and rear axles.
If loading long or wide cargo, never
exceed the vehicle overall length or
width. (See “Dimensions and
weights” on page 446 in Section 8
for information on your vehicle
overall length and width.)
Before driving, make sure the cargo
is securely fastened on the roof
luggage carrier.
Loading cargo on the roof luggage
carrier will make the center of the
vehicle gravity higher. Avoid high
speeds, sudden starts, sharp turns,
sudden braking or abrupt maneu-
vers, otherwise it may result in loss
of control or vehicle rollover due to
failure to operate this vehicle cor-
rectly.
If driving for a long distance, on
rough roads, or at high speeds,
stop the vehicle now and then dur-
ing the trip to make sure the cargo
remains in its place.
Do not exceed 54 kg (120 lb.) cargo
weight on the roof luggage carrier.
NOTICE
When loading the luggages, be careful
not to scratch the surface of the
moon roof.
3652007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
HITCHES
If you wish to install a trailer hitch, you
should consult with your Toyota dealer.
Use only a hitch recommended by the
hitch manufacturer and the one which
conforms to the total trailer weight re-
quirement.
According to the hitch receiver type,
the maximum gross trailer weight and
hitch that can be used differs. Refer to
the above illustrations to confirm the
hitch receiver type for your vehicle.
If you wish to install an aftermarket
hitch, the hitch must be bolted securely
to the vehicle frame and installed ac-
cording to the hitch manufactures’ in-
structions.
The hitch ball and king pin should have
a light coat of grease.
Toyota recommends the ball mount as-
sembly be removed when not towing to
prevent injury and to prevent damage
in the event of a rear end collision.
After removing the ball mount assem-
bly, install the grommet to the hitch to
prevent entry of dirt and mud.
CAUTION
Do not tow the vehicle using the
hooked portion of the weight carrying
hitch. The hooked portion may break
and cause serious injury or damage
to the vehicle.
NOTICE
Do not install weight distributing
hitch to weight carrying hitch re-
ceiver because it will be damaged
your vehicle.
Do not use axle mounted hitches as
they can cause damage to the axle
housing, wheel bearings, wheels or
tires. Also, never install a hitch
which may interfere with the normal
function of an Energy Absorbing
Bumper, if so equipped.
CY30003
1 Trailer ball load rating
2 Ball diameter
3 Shank length
4 Shank diameter
3702007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
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.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.
Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this by
making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to pre-
pare yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room befo-
re changing lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking effi-
ciency, do not put the transmission in
“D”.
Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle’s engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
30 C [85 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull off the road
and stop in a safe spot. Refer to “If
your vehicle overheats” on page 378 in
Section 4.
Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
Put the transmission in “P”. Avoid park-
ing on a slope with a trailer, but if it
cannot be avoided, do so only after
performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un- der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release your brakes slowly until the
blocks absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into “P” and turn off the engine.
3712007 4Runner from Aug. ’06 Prod. (OM35866U)
When restarting out after parking on a
slope:1. With the transmission in “P” position, start the engine. Be sure to keep the
brake pedal depressed.
2. Shift into gear.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blo cks. Stop and apply
your brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blo cks.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing vehicle
trailer combination usually in-
creases as the speed increases, ex-
ceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may
cause loss of control.
Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
Improving fuel economy is easy—just take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
425 in Section 7 −2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm up idling. Once
the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Put the selector lever into the “D”
when engine braking is not required.
Driving with the selector lever in “4”
will reduce the fuel economy. (For de-
tails, see “Automatic transmission” on
page 159 in Section 1 −7.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer