2008 TOYOTA MATRIX tow

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LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH KEY
Insert the key into the keyhole and turn
it.
To lock: Turn the key clockwise.
If you turn the key fully clockwise, the
glass hatch will open. (See “Glass hatch”
on page 25 in this Section.)
To unlock: Turn the key counterclockwise.
To open the back door, pull the lock re-
lease lever.
Operating the power door lock switch or
wireless remote control transmitter simul-
taneously locks or unlocks the back door.
(See “—Locking and unlocking doors” on
page 15 and “Side doors” on page 18 in
this Section.)When closing the back door, the inside
handle can be used to make the reach
easier.
To close the back door, lower it and press
down on it. After closing the back door,
try pulling it up to make sure it is secure-
ly closed.
See “—Stowage precautions” on page 211
in Section 2 for precautions when loading
luggage.
CAUTION
Keep the back door and glass hatch
closed while driving. This not only
keeps the luggage from being thrown
out but also prevents exhaust gases
from entering the vehicle.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the back door
and glass hatch dampers, do not ap-
ply any force, paint or let any other
foreign matter on them.
Back door

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CLOSING THE GLASS HATCH
Lower the glass hatch and push the
lower center of it until it is locked.
When you open the back door with the
glass hatch opened, the glass hatch will
be closed. After closing the back door,
you should check the glass hatch fully
closed.
See “—Stowage precautions” on page 211
in Section 2 for precautions when loading
luggage.
CAUTION
Keep the back door and glass hatch
closed while driving. This not only
keeps the luggage from being thrown
out but also prevents exhaust gases
from entering the vehicle.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the back door
and glass hatch dampers, do not ap-
ply any force, paint or let any other
foreign matter on them.
TVIP is a theft deterrent system. If
someone attempts to damage or break
into your vehicle, the system sounds
the alarm while flashing the lights.SETTING THE SYSTEM
You can set the system as follows.1. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
The indicator light will start flashing when
the key is removed from the ignition
switch. (See “Engine immobilizer system”
on page 12 for details.) 2. Have all passengers get out of the vehicle.
3. Close all the side doors, back door and glass hatch securely.
Toyota vehicle intrusion
protection system (TVIP)

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To open the hood:1. Pull the hood lock release lever. The hood will spring up slightly.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure that the hood
is closed and securely locked. Other-
wise, the hood may open unexpected-
ly while driving and an accident may
occur.
2. In front of the vehicle, pull up theauxiliary catch l ever and lift the
hood.3. Hold the hood open by inserting the support rod into the slot.
To insert the support rod into the slot,
move it straight up. If it is moved to the
side or toward the inside of the vehicle,
it may become detached.
Before closing the hood, check to see that
you have not forgotten any tools, rags,
etc. and return the support rod to its
clip—this prevents rattles. Then lower the
hood and make sure it locks into place.
If necessary, press down gently on the
front edge to lock it.
Hood

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While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow any passengers to sit on
top of a foldeddown seatback, or
in the luggage compartment or car-
go area. Persons not properly
seated and/or not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be killed
or severely injured in the event of
emergency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow any
passengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Otherwise,
death or severe injuries can occur
in the event of emergency braking
or a collision.
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with
considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if
the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (“NHTSA”) advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag
is the first 50—75 mm (2—3 in.) of
inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your driver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of safety.
This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your
breastbone. If you sit less than 250
mm (10 in.) away now, you can
change your driving position in sever-
al ways:
Move your seat to the rear as far
as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Slightly recline the back of the
seat. Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the 250
mm (10 in.) distance, even with the
driver seat all the way forward, sim-
ply by reclining the back of the
seat somewhat. If reclining the back
of your seat makes it hard to see
the road, raise yourself by using a
firm, nonslippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
If your steering wheel is adjustable,
tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of
your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as rec-
ommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot
pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.
Seats Front seats—
—Front seat precautions

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You can use the front passenger ’s seat-
back as a temporary table only when the
vehicle is stopped.
CAUTION
To avoid death or serious injury:
Do not set up the seatback table
while the vehicle is moving.
Do not sit on the seatback table.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the seat, avoid
putting heavy loads on the temporary
table.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, make sure the seat-
back is securely locked by pushing
forward and rearward on the top of
the seatback. Failure to do so will
prevent seat belt from operating prop-
erly.
Lower the head restraints to the lowest
position. Pull up the lock release button
and fold the seatback down.
Each seatback can be folded separately.
This will enlarge the luggage compartment
as far as the seatbacks. See “—Stowage
precautions” on page 211 in Section 2 for
precautions when loading luggage.
Folddown rear seat

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This function will be cancelled when you
turn the ignition switch to the “ON” posi-
tion.
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it. With interval adjuster: The “INT” band lets
you adjust the wiping time interval when
the wiper lever is in the intermittent posi-
tion (position 1). Twist the band upward to
increase the time between sweeps, and
downward to decrease it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 293 in
Section 7
−3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Windshield wipers and washer

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Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop−and− go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” on page 234 in
Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
Tachometer Odometer and two trip meters

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(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The “O/D OFF” indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The “O/D OFF” indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will automatically be on.Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be enabled because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 133 in this
Section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 216 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
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 turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
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.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 97 km/h (60 mph), and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.