126 1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
SRS airbag precautions
• 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, simply 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 above, while still maintain-
ing control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view of the instru-
ment panel controls.
The SRS front passenger airbag also deploys with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious injury especially if the front passenger is very
close to the airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the air-
bag as possible with the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or
seriously injured by a deploying airbag. An infant or child who is too small
to use a seat belt should be properly secured using a child restraint sys-
tem. Toyota strongly recommends that all infants and children be placed in
the rear seats of the vehicle and properly restrained. The rear seats are
safer for infants and children than the front passenger seat. (P. 133)
Do not sit on the edge of the seat or
lean against the dashboard.
127 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
SRS airbag precautions
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 allow the front seat occupants to
hold items 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.
Do not attach anything to or lean any-
thing against areas such as the dash-
board, steering wheel pad or lower
portion of the instrument panel.
These items can become projectiles
when SRS driver, front passenger and
knee airbags deploy.
129 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
SRS airbag precautions
If the areas where the SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel
pad and front and rear pillar garnishes, are damaged or cracked, have
them replaced by any authorized Toyota dealer or repairer, or another duly
qualified and equipped professional.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain shield airbag are designed only to
be a supplement to the primary protection provided by the seat belt. They
do not do away with the need to fasten seat belts. It is also important to
wear your seat belt to help avoid injuries that can result when an occupant
is not seated in a proper upright position.
Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or perform any of the following modifications
without consulting any authorized Toyota dealer or repairer, or another duly
qualified and equipped professional.
The SRS airbags may malfunction or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing
death or serious injury.
Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags.
Repairs, modifications, removal or replacement of the steering wheel,
instrument panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear
pillars or roof side rails.
Repairs or modifications of the front fender, front bumper, or side of the
occupant compartment.
Installation of a grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow plows,
winches.
Modifications to the vehicle's suspension system.
Installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios and CD
players.
Installation of electronic devices such as an RF-transmitter and CD play-
ers.
Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability.
158 2-1. Driving procedures
Starting off on a steep uphill
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
Make sure that the parking brake is set and shift the shift lever
to D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
Vehicles with a manual transmission
With the parking brake firmly set and the clutch pedal fully
depressed, shift the shift lever to 1.
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.
Engine speed while driving (vehicles with an automatic transmission)
In the following conditions, the engine speed may become high while driving.
This is due to automatic up-shifting control or down-shifting implementation
to meet driving conditions. It does not indicate sudden acceleration.
The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill
When the accelerator pedal is released
When driving on curves
When the brake pedal is firmly depressed
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
160 2-1. Driving procedures
REV indicator (if equipped)
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.
Firmly depress the brake pedal because engine speed may increase
immediately after starting the engine, when the air conditioning system is
operating, when turning the steering wheel, etc., thereby causing creeping
to become stronger. Apply the parking brake as necessary.
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. This allows you to depress the brake and acceler-
ator 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 stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot
parts may cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
When the set engine speed is reached
the REV indicator comes on and a buzzer
sounds to inform the driver. (P. 205)
(When the engine speed enters the red
zone, the REV indicator flashes regard-
less of settings.)
161 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
On vehicles with an automatic transmission, do not let the vehicle roll
backward 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 trunk is 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 any authorized Toyota dealer
or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional immedi-
ately.
On vehicles with a manual transmission, 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.
On vehicles with a manual transmission, do not release the clutch pedal
too quickly. Doing so may propel the vehicle forward, possibly causing an
accident.
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. 428
162 2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
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. 182, 188)
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,
resulting in death or serious injury.
Always check that all passengers' arms, heads or other parts of their body
are not outside the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.
When driving on slippery road surfaces
Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and
reduce your ability to control the vehicle, resulting in an accident.
Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shifting, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an accident.
After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make
sure that the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent
the brakes from functioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet
and not functioning properly, steering control may be affected, resulting in
an accident.
When shifting the shift lever
On vehicles with an automatic transmission, be careful not to shift the shift
lever with the accelerator pedal depressed. Shifting the shift lever to a
gear other than P or N may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the
vehicle that may cause an accident and result in death or serious injury.
Do not place items in the shift lever's surrounding area. It may cause incor-
rect operation.
If the shift boot is pulled out during cleaning, return it to its previous posi-
tion. If the shift boot is left pulled out, the shift lever may become difficult to
operate.
168 2-1. Driving procedures
NOTICE
Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for
an extended period of time.
Doing so may damage the power steering motor.
When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid
damaging the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
On vehicles with an automatic transmission, do not race the engine for
more than 5 seconds in any position except the N or P position when the
brake is applied or when chocks are used in the wheels. This may cause
the transmission fluid to overheat.
If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering
wheel firmly and gradually depress the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle.
It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
The vehicle will make abnormal sounds or vibrations.
The vehicle will lean abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire (P. 384, 393)
When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded after heavy rain etc. Doing so may
cause the following serious damage to the vehicle:
Engine stalling
Short in electrical components
Engine damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be
sure to have any authorized Toyota dealer or repairer, or another duly quali-
fied and equipped professional check the following:
Brake function
Changes in quantity and quality of oil and fluid used for the engine, trans-
mission, differential, etc.
Lubricant condition for the propeller shaft, bearings and suspension joints
(where possible) and the function of all joints, bearings, etc.