2012 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER Owners Manual

113
1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■
Do not use a seat belt extender
If a seat belt extender is used when installing a child restraint system, the
seat belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, which could cause
death or serious injury to the child or other passengers in the event of sud-
den braking, sudden swerving or an accident.
■ To correctly attach a child r estraint system to the anchors
When using the LATCH anchors, be sure that there are no foreign objects
around the anchors and that the seat belt is not caught behind the child
restraint. Make sure the child restraint system is securely attached, or it may
cause death or serious injury to the child or other passengers in the event of
sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

114 1-7. Safety information

When driving2
115
2-1. Driving proceduresDriving the vehicle............ 116
Engine (ignition) switch .... 127
Automatic Transmission... 130
Manual Transmission ....... 132
Turn signal lever .............. 134
Parking brake ................... 135
Horn ................................. 137
2-2. Instrument cluster Gauges and meters ......... 138
Indicators and warning lights .............................. 141
Accessory meter .............. 144
2-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch ............... 146
Windshield wipers and washer ........................... 148
Rear window wiper and washer ........................... 150
2-4. Using other driving systems Cruise control ................... 151
Intuitive parking assist...... 155
Rear view monitor system ........................... 160 Four-wheel drive system
(4WD models with
a manual
transmission) ................. 164
Four-wheel drive system (4WD models with
an automatic
transmission) ................. 167
Active traction control system ........................... 170
AUTO LSD system (2WD models) ................ 172
Rear differential lock system ........................... 174
Clutch start cancel switch (vehicles with a manual
transmission) ................. 177
Driving assist systems ..... 178
2-5. Driving information Off-road precautions ........ 183
Cargo and luggage .......... 188
Vehicle load limits ............ 192
Winter driving tips ............ 193
Trailer towing ................... 196
Dinghy towing .................. 214

116
2-1. Driving procedures
Driving the vehicle
The following procedures should be observed to ensure safe driv-
ing.
■ Starting the engine ( P. 127)
■ Driving
Automatic transmission
With the brake pedal depressed, shift the shift lever to D. ( P. 130)
Release the parking brake. ( P. 135)
Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the
accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
Manual transmission With the clutch pedal fully depressed, shift the shift lever to
1. ( P. 132)
Release the parking brake. ( P. 135)
Gradually release the clutch pedal. At the same time, gently
depress the accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
■ Stopping
Automatic transmission
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake.
When the vehicle is stopped for an extended period of time, shift
the shift lever to P or N. ( 
P. 1 3 0)
Manual transmission
With the clutch pedal fully depressed, depress the brake
pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake.
When the vehicle is stopped for an extended period of time, shift
the shift lever to N. ( P. 132)

117
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Starting on a steep uphill
Automatic transmission With the brake pedal depressed, firmly set the parking brake
and shift the shift lever to D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
Manual transmission
With the parking brake firmly set and the clutch pedal fully
depressed, shift the shift lever to 1.
■Parking the vehicle
Automatic transmission
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
Set the parking brake. ( P. 135)
Shift the shift lever to P. ( P. 130)
When parking on a hill, if necessary, block the wheels.
Turn the engine switch off to stop the engine.
Lock the door, making sure that you have the key on your
person.
Manual transmission
With the clutch pedal fully depressed, depress the brake
pedal.
Set the parking brake. ( P. 135)
Shift the shift lever to N. ( P. 132)
When parking on a hill, shift the shift lever to 1 or R. If necessary,
block the wheels.
Turn the engine switch off to stop the engine.
Lock the door, making sure that you have the key on your
person.

118 2-1. Driving procedures
Lightly depress the accelerator pedal at the same time as
gradually releasing the clutch pedal.
Release the parking brake.
■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. 484)

119
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■
When starting the vehicle
Vehicles with an automatic transmission: Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from
creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident
that could result in death or serious injury.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a diffi- culty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly, allowing you to depress the brake and accelerator
pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, result-
ing in an accident.
● Do not drive the vehicle over or st op the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. This may
cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
● Vehicles with an automatic transmission: Do not let the vehicle roll back-
wards while the shift lever is in a driving position, or roll forward while the
shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering
performance, resulting in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
● If the smell of exhaust is noticed inside the vehicle, open the windows and
check that the back door and glass hatch are closed. Large amounts of
exhaust in the vehicle can cause driver drowsiness and an accident,
resulting in death or a serious health hazard. Have the vehicle inspected
by your Toyota dealer immediately.
● On vehicles with an automatic transmission, do not shift the shift lever to P
while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle\
control.

120 2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not shift the shift lever to R while the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle\
control.
● Do not shift the shift lever to D (vehicles with an automatic transmission) or
1 (vehicles with a manual transmission) while the vehicle is moving back-
ward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle\
control.
● Moving the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the
engine from the transmission. Engine braking is not available when N is
selected.
● During normal driving, do not turn off the engine. Turning the engine off
while driving will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the
power assist to these systems will be lost. This will make it more difficult to
steer and brake, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as it
is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible
to stop the vehicle in the normal way: P. 479
● Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving
down a steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. ( P. 131133)
● When stopped on an inclined surface, use the brake pedal and parking
brake to prevent the vehicle from rolling backward or forward and causing
an accident.
● Do not adjust the position of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or
outside rear view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control that can cause accidents
that may result in death or serious injury.
● Always check that all passengers’ arms, heads or other parts of their bod-
ies are not outside the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.