2009 TOYOTA MATRIX traction control

20
CAUTION
■General precautions while driving
Driving under the influence: Never drive your vehicle when under the influ-
ence of alcohol or drugs that have impaired your ability to operate your vehi-
cle. Alcohol and certain drugs delay reaction time, impair judgment and
reduce coordination, which could lead to an accident that will hurt or kill you,
your occupants or others.
Defensive driving: Always drive defensively. Anticipate mistakes that other
drivers or pedestrians might make and be ready to avoid accidents.
Driver distraction: Always give your full attention to driving. Anything that dis-
tracts the driver, such as adjusting controls, talking on a cellular phone or
reading can result in a collision with resulting death or serious injury to you,
your occupants or others.
■General precaution regarding children’s safety
Never leave children unattended in the vehicle, and never allow children to
have or use the key.
Children may be able to start the vehicle or shift the vehicle into neutral.
There is also a danger that children may injure themselves by playing with
the cigarette lighter, the windows, or other features of the vehicle. In addi-
tion, heat build-up or extremely cold temperatures inside the vehicle can be
fatal to children.

135
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following sys-
tems operate automatically in response to various driving situations.
Be aware, however, that these systems are supplementary and
should not be relied upon too heavily when operating the vehicle.
■ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Restrains the vehicle from slipping when driving on slick road surfaces
or in the event of sudden braking.
■Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake pedal is
depressed, when the system detects a panic stop situation.
■VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) (if equipped)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning
on slippery road surfaces.
■TRAC (Traction Control) (if equipped)
Maintains drive power and prevents the front wheels from spinning
when starting the vehicle or accelerating on slippery roads.
■EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to turn
the steering wheel.
■Active torque control 4WD system (if equipped)
Automatically switches from front-wheel drive to AWD (All-Wheel Drive)
according to driving conditions, helping to ensure reliable handling and
stability. Examples of conditions where the system will switch to AWD
are when cornering, going uphill, starting off or accelerating, and when
the road surface is slippery due to snow or rain etc.

413 6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
■Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a speci-
fied government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1-1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions
of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due
to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
■Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C,
and they represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking
(straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turn-
ing) traction.
■Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, represent-
ing the tire's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a speci-
fied indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passen-
ger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the labo-
ratory test wheel than the minimum required by law.

428
Abbreviation list
Abbreviation/Acronym list
ABBREVIATIONSMEANING
A/C Air Conditioner
ABS Anti-lock Brake System
ACC Accessory
ALR Automatic Locking Retractor
CRS Child Restraint System
ECU Electronic Control Unit
EDR Event Data Recorder
ELR Emergency Locking Retractor
GAWR Gross Axle Weight Rating
GVWR Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
I/M Emission inspection and maintenance
LED Light Emitting Diode
MMT Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl
M + S Mud and Snow
MTBE Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether
OBD On Board Diagnostics
SRS Supplemental Restraint System
TIN Tire Identification Number
TPMS Tire Pressure Warning System
TRAC Traction Control
VIN Vehicle Identification Number
VSC Vehicle Stability Control

436 Alphabetical index
Tachometer............................... 119
Tail lights
Replacing light bulbs ............. 332
Switch.................................... 125
Wattage ................................. 404
Theft deterrent system
Engine immobilizer system .....60
Theft prevention labels..............62
Tie-down belts .......................... 255
Tire inflation pressure ............. 312
Tire information
Glossary ................................ 414
Size ....................................... 411
Tire identification number ...... 410
Uniform tire quality
grading ................................ 412Tires
Chains ................................... 144
Checking ............................... 303
If you have a flat tire.............. 362
Inflation pressure .................. 312
Inflation pressure sensor....... 304
Replacing .............................. 362
Rotating tires ......................... 303
Size ....................................... 400
Snow tires ............................. 144
Spare tire .............................. 362
Tonneau cover ......................... 257
Tools ......................................... 362
Total load capacity .................. 143
Towing
Dinghy towing ............... 156, 157
Trailer towing ........................ 148
TRAC ......................................... 136
Traction control ....................... 136
Trip meter ................................. 119
Turn signal lights
Replacing light bulbs ............. 332
Switch ................................... 117
Wattage................................. 404T