2009 TOYOTA 4RUNNER tow

57
1-3. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
NOTICE
■Before tumbling, folding up or removing the seats
The seat belts and buckles must be stowed.
■ Removed third seats (vehicles with third seats)
Avoid putting heavy loads on the seat. The metallic tips of the seat leg may
be damaged, and you may be unable to correctly reinstall the seat.

62 1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
■Adjusting the height of the head restraints
■ Adjusting the rear seat head restra ints (vehicles without third seats) or
center second seat head restraint an d third seat head restraints (vehi-
cles with third seats)
Always raise the head restraint one level from the stowed position when
using.
CAUTION
■ Head restraint precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the head restraints. Failure to
do so may result in death or serious injury.
●Use the head restraints designed for each respective seat.
● Adjust the head restraints to the correct position at all times.
● Do not drive with the head restraints removed.
Make sure that the head restraints are
adjusted so that the center of the head
restraint is closest to the top of your ears.

67
1-3. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■Wearing a seat belt
●Do not recline the seat any more than necessary to achieve a proper seat-
ing position. The seat belt is most effective when the occupants are sitting
up straight and well back in the seats.
● Do not wear the shoulder belt under your arm.
● Always wear your seat belt low and snug across your hips.
■ Adjustable shoulder anchor
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of your
shoulder. The belt should be kept away from your neck, but not falling off
your shoulder. Failure to do so could reduce the amount of protection in an
accident and cause death or serious injuries in a collision. ( P. 64)
■ Seat belt pretensioners
●Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s weight, which prevents the sensor
from detecting the passenger’s weight properly. As a result, the seat belt
pretensioner for the front passenger’s seat may not activate in the event of
a collision.
● If the pretensioner has activated, the seat belt becomes locked: it cannot
be further extended, nor will it return to the stowed position. The seat belt
cannot be used again and must be replaced at your Toyota dealer.
■ Child restraint lock function belt precaution
Do not allow children to play with the child restraint lock function belt. If the
belt becomes twisted around a child’s neck, it will not be possible to pull the
belt out leading to choking or other serious injuries that could result in death.
If this occurs and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used
to cut the belt.
■ Seat belt damage and wear
●Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate, or buckle to be
jammed in the door.
● Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat
belt cannot protect an occupant from death or serious injury.

102 1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
●The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts
properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.
● 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 the driver’s airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm)
of inflation, placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from your driver airbag pro-
vides you with a clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your breastbone. If you now sit less than 10
in. (250 mm) away, you can change your driving position in several 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 10 in.
(250 mm) 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,
non-slippery 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 recommended by NHTSA above, while still
maintaining control of the foot pedals and steering wheel, and your view of
the instrument panel controls.

104 1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or
lean against the dashboard.
● Do not allow a child to stand in front of
the SRS front passenger airbag unit or
sit on the knees of a front passenger.
● Do not drive the vehicle while the driver
or passenger has items resting on their
knees.
● Do not lean against the door, the roof
side rail or the front, side and rear pil-
lars.
● Do not allow anyone to kneel on the
passenger seat toward the door or put
their head or hands outside the vehicle.

When driving2
131
2-1. Driving proceduresDriving the vehicle............ 132
Engine (ignition) switch .... 140
Automatic
Transmission.... 143
Turn signal lever .............. 145
Parking brake ................... 146
Horn ................................. 147
2-2. Instrument cluster Gauges and meters ......... 148
Indicators and warning lights .............................. 151
Accessory meter .............. 155
2-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ............... 158
Fog light switch ................ 162
Windshield wipers and washer ........................... 163
Rear window wiper and washer ........................... 165 2-4. Using other driving systems
Cruise control ................... 166
Electronically modulated air suspension ................ 169
AUTO LSD system (2WD models and
Multi-mode 4WD
models) .......................... 175
Four-wheel drive system (4WD models) ................ 177
Active traction control system (L4 mode on
4WD models) ................. 182
Rear differential lock system ........................... 184
Downhill Assist Control .... 186
Driving assist systems ..... 188
2-5. Driving information Off-road precautions ........ 198
Cargo and luggage .......... 203
Vehicle load limits ............ 211
Winter driving tips ............ 213
Trailer towing ................... 216
Dinghy towing .................. 228

133
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
■
Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because visibility will be reduced, the
windows may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
● Drive carefully when it starts to rain, because the road surface will be
especially slippery.
● Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain,
because there may be a layer of water between the tires and the road
surface, preventing the steering and brakes from operating properly.
■ Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle, the following precautions are recommended
to observe:
●For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
● For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.
● For the first 1000 miles (1600 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in the low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
■ Drum-in disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of
brake system needs bedding-down of the brake shoes periodically or when-
ever the parking brake shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Toyota
dealer perform the bedding down.
■ Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability
of the correct fuel. ( P. 473)
■ Normal characteristics afte r turning off the engine
Approximately five hours after the engine is turned off, you may hear sound
coming from under the vehicle for several minutes. This is the sound of a
fuel evaporation leakage check and, it does not indicate a malfunction.

159
2-3. Operating the lights and wipers
2
When driving
Turning on the high beam headlights
With the headlights on, push
the lever forward to turn on the
high beams.
Pull the lever back to the center
position to turn the high beams
off.
Pull the lever toward you to
turn on the high beams.
Release the lever to turn them off.
You can flash the high beams
with the headlights on or off.
Vehicles with automatic light control system The side marker, park-
ing, tail, license plate
and instrument panel
lights turn on.
The headlights and all
lights listed above turn
on.
The headlights and all
lights listed above turn
on and off automati-
cally. (When the
engine switch is in the
ON position)
U.S.A. Canada