2012 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Owners Manual

65
1-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
1
Before driving
4RUNNER_U
CAUTION
■
Caution while driving
● Keep the back door closed.
If the back door is left open, it may hit nearby objects while driving or lug-
gage may be unexpectedly thrown out, causing an accident.
In addition, exhaust gases may enter the vehicle, causing death or a seri-
ous health hazard. Make sure to close the back door before driving.
● Before driving the vehicle, make sure that the back door is fully closed. If
the back door is not fully closed, it may open unexpectedly while driving,
causing an accident.
● Never let anyone sit in the luggage compartment. In the event of sudden
braking or a collision, they are susceptible to death or serious injury.
● Do not get on the rear step bumper.
■ When children are in the vehicle
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
● Do not leave children alone in the luggage compartment.
If a child is accidentally locked in the luggage compartment, they could
have heat exhaustion.
● Do not allow a child to open or close the back door.
Doing so may cause the back door to move unexpectedly, or cause the
child’s hands, head, or neck to be caught by the closing back door, which
may result in death or serious injury of the child.
■ Operating the back door
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause parts of the body to be caught, resulting in death
or serious injury.
● Remove any heavy loads, such as snow and ice, from the back door
before opening it. Failure to do so may cause the back door to fall closed
again after it is opened.

66 1-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
4RUNNER_U
CAUTION
●When opening or closing the back door, thoroughly check to make sure
the surrounding area is safe.
● If anyone is in the vicinity, make sure they are safe and let them know that
the back door is about to open or close.
● Use caution when opening or closing the back door in windy weather as it
may move abruptly in strong wind.
● Do not pull on the back door damper stay to close the back door, and do
not hang on the back door damper stay.
Doing so may cause hands to be caught or the back door damper stay to
break, causing an accident.
● If a bicycle carrier or similar heavy object is attached to the back door, it
may fall closed again after being opened, causing someone’s hands, head
or neck to be caught and injured. When installing an accessory part to the
back door, using a genuine Toyota part is recommended.
●The back door may fall if it is not
opened fully. It is more difficult to open
or close the back door on an incline
than on a level surface, so beware of
the back door unexpectedly opening or
closing by itself. Make sure that the
back door is fully open and secure
before using the luggage compartment.
● When closing the back door, take extra
care to prevent your fingers etc. from
being caught.
● When closing the back door, make sure
to press it lightly on its outer surface. If
the back door handle is used to fully
close the back door, it may result in
hands or arms being caught.
CTH12AS035
CTH12AS037

67
1-2. Opening, closing and locking the doors
1
Before driving
4RUNNER_U
NOTICE
■
To prevent damage to th e back door components
Do not allow more than one person to get on the rear step bumper at a time.
■ Back door damper stays
The back door is equipped with damper stays that hold the back door in
place.
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause damage to the back door damper stay, resulting
in malfunction.
●Do not attach any foreign objects, such
as stickers, plastic sheets, or adhesives
to the damper stay rod.
● Do not touch the damper stay rod with
gloves or other fabric items.
● Do not attach any accessories other
than genuine Toyota parts to the back
door.
● Do not place your hand on the damper
stay or apply lateral forces to it.
CTH12AS036

68
4RUNNER_U
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
Front seats
Manual seat Seat position adjustment
lever
Vertical height adjustment
lever (driver’s side only)
Seatback angle adjustment
lever
Lumber support adjustment
switch (driver’s side only)
CTH13AS055

69
1-3. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
4RUNNER_U
Active head restraints
When the occupant’s lower back
presses against the seatback
during a rear-end collision, the
head restraint moves slightly for-
ward and upward to help reduce
the risk of whiplash to the seat
occupant.
Power seat Seat position adjustment
switch
Seatback angle adjustment
switch
Seat cushion (front) angle
adjustment switch (driver’s
side only)
Vertical height adjustment
switch (driver’s side only)
Lumber support adjustment
switch (driver’s side only)
CTH13AS010
CTH13AS011

70 1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
4RUNNER_U
■The auto away function for exiting the driver seat
If the seat is already close to the rearmost position, the auto away function
may not operate when the driver exits the vehicle.
■ Active head restraints
Even small forces applied to the seatback may cause the head restraint to
move. Pushing up a locked head restraint forcibly may appear the head
restraint inner structure. These do not indicate problems.
CTH13AS012
Inner
structure During
rear-end
collision

71
1-3. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
4RUNNER_U
CAUTION
■Seat adjustment
● To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during a collision, do not
recline the seat more than necessary.
If the seat is too reclined, the lap belt may slide past the hips and apply
restraint forces directly to the abdomen, or your neck may contact the
shoulder belt, increasing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of
an accident.
Adjustments should not be made while driving as the seat may unexpect-
edly move and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
● After adjusting the seat, make sure that the seat is locked in position.

72
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
4RUNNER_U
Rear seats
Vehicles without third row seats
■Rear seat
Pull up the seatback angle
adjustment lever until the lock
is released.
CTH13AS081