2016 TOYOTA TACOMA towing

1834-1. Before driving
4
Driving
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train components
(such as an engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing), Toyota rec-
ommends that you do not tow a trailer until the vehicle has been driven for
over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km), you can start
towing. However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the vehicle at a speed
of less than 50 mph (80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle
acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent maintenance due
to the additional load. (See “Owner’s Warranty Information Booklet” or
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide”/“Owner’s Manual Supplement”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after approximately
600 miles (1000 km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds, passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can
adversely affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradually to
reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes, your vehicle
and trailer should stabilize. (if enabled, Trailer Sway Control can also help to
stabilize the vehicle and trailer.)
●After the trailer swaying has stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer.
Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle.
Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the speed at which trailer swaying occurred
is beyond the limit of your particular vehicle-trailer combination.
Drive at a lower speed to prevent instability. Remember that swaying of the
towing vehicle-trailer increases as speed increases.

1844-1. Before driving
WARNING
■Trailer towing precautions
To tow a trailer safely, use extreme care and drive the vehicle in accordance
with the trailer’s characteristics and operating conditions. Failure to do so
could cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury. Vehicle stability
and braking performance are affected by trailer stability, brake setting and
performance, and the hitch. Your vehicle will handle differently when towing
a trailer.
■To avoid accident or injury
●Do not exceed the TWR, unbraked TWR, GCWR, GVWR or GAWR.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 2000 lb. (907 kg), a sway control device
with sufficient capacity is required.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing
hitch with sufficient capacity is required.
●Adjust the tongue weight within the appropriate range. Place heavier loads
as close to the trailer axle as possible.
●Do not exceed 65 mph (104 km/h), the posted towing speed limit or the
speed limit for your trailer as set forth in your trailer owner’s manual,
whichever is lowest. Slow down sufficiently before making a turn, in cross-
winds, on wet or slippery surface, etc., to help avoid an accident. If you
experience a vehicle-trailer instability from reducing a certain speed, slow
down and make sure you keep your vehicle speed under the speed of
which you experience the instability.
●Do not make jerky, abrupt or sharp turns.
●Do not apply the brakes suddenly as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery sur-
faces.
●Do not exceed the trailer hitch assembly weight, gross vehicle weight,
gross axle weight and trailer tongue weight capacities.
●Do not use cruise control when towing. (if equipped)
●Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long
downhill grades.
●Vehicle-trailer instability is more likely on steep long downhills. Before
descending steep or long downhill grades, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts when descending steep or long downhill
grades. Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result
in reduced braking efficiency.
●Do not tow a trailer when the temporary spare tire is installed on your vehi-
cle.

1854-1. Before driving
4
Driving
WARNING
■Hitch
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities established by the
hitch manufacturer. Even though the vehicle may be physically capable of
towing a higher weight, the operator must determine the maximum weight
rating of the particular hitch assembly and never exceed the maximum
weight rating specified for the trailer-hitch. Exceeding the maximum weight
rating set by the trailer-hitch manufacturer can cause an accident resulting
in death or serious personal injuries.
■When towing a trailer
Toyota recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any applicable fed-
eral and state/provincial regulations.
●If the gross trailer weight exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer brakes are
required. Toyota recommends trailers with brakes that conform to all appli-
cable federal and state/provincial regulations.
●Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic system, as this will lower the vehi-
cle’s braking effectiveness.
●Never tow a trailer without using a safety chain securely attached to both
the trailer and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the coupling unit or hitch
ball, there is danger of the trailer wandering into another lane.
NOTICE
■When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recommended by your Toyota dealer. Do not install
the trailer hitch on the bumper; this may cause body damage.
■Do not directly splice trailer lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights. Directly splicing trailer lights may damage
your vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.

1864-1. Before driving
Dinghy towing
Your vehicle is not designed to be dinghy towed (with 4 wheels
on the ground) behind a motor home.
NOTICE
■To avoid serious damage to your vehicle
Do not tow your vehicle with the four wheels on the ground.

2194-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
WARNING
■To avoid operating the cruise control by mistake
Switch the cruise control off using the “ON-OFF” button when not in use.
■Situations unsuitable for cruise control
Do not use cruise control in any of the following situations.
Doing so may result in loss of control and could cause an accident resulting
in death or serious injury.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On winding roads
●On slippery roads, such as those covered with rain, ice or snow
●On steep hills
Vehicle speed may exceed the set speed when driving down a steep hill.
●When your vehicle is towing a trailer or during emergency towing

2404-5. Using the driving support systems
■The Blind Spot Monitor function is operational when
●The BSM main switch is set to on.
●Vehicle speed is greater than approximately 10 mph (16 km/h)
■The Blind Spot Monitor function will detect a vehicle when
●A vehicle in an adjacent lane overtakes the vehicle.
●Another vehicle enters the detection area when it changes lanes.
■Conditions under which the Blind Spot Monitor function will not detect a
vehicle
The Blind Spot Monitor function is not designed to detect the following types
of vehicles and/or objects:
●Small motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.
*
●Vehicles traveling in the opposite direction
●Guardrails, walls, signs, parked vehicles and similar stationary objects
*
●Following vehicles that are in the same lane*
●Vehicles driving 2 lanes across from your vehicle*
*
: Depending on conditions, detection of a vehicle and/or object may occur
■Conditions under which the Blind Spot Monitor function may not func-
tion correctly
●The Blind Spot Monitor function may not detect vehicles correctly in the fol-
lowing conditions:
• During bad weather such as heavy rain, fog, snow, etc.
• When ice or mud, etc., is attached to the rear bumper
• When driving on a road surface that is wet due to rain, standing water,
etc.
• When there is a significant difference in speed between your vehicle and
the vehicle that enters the detection area
• When a vehicle is in the detection area from a stop and remains in the
detection area as your vehicle accelerates
• When driving up or down consecutive steep inclines, such as hills, a dip
in the road, etc.
• When multiple vehicles approach with only a small gap between each
vehicle
• When vehicle lanes are wide, and the vehicle in the next lane is too far
away from your vehicle
• When the vehicle that enters the detection area is traveling at about the
same speed as your vehicle
• When towing anything such as trailer, boat, etc.
• When there is a significant difference in height between your vehicle and
the vehicle that enters the detection area
• Directly after the BSM main switch is set to on
• When items such as a bicycle carrier are installed on the rear of the vehi-
cle

2434-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function is operational when
●The BSM main switch is set to on.
●The shift lever is in R.
●Vehicle speed is less than approximately 5 mph (8 km/h).
●Approaching vehicle speed is between approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) and
18 mph (28 km/h).
■Conditions under which the Rear Cross Traffic Alert function will not
detect a vehicle
The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function is not designed to detect the following
types of vehicles and/or objects.
●Small motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc.
*
●Vehicles approaching from directly behind
●Guardrails, walls, signs, parked vehicles and similar stationary objects
*
●Vehicles moving away from your vehicle
●Vehicles approaching from the parking spaces next to your vehicle
*
●Vehicles backing up in the parking space next to your vehicle*
*
: Depending on conditions, detection of a vehicle and/or object may occur.
■Conditions under which the Rear Cross Traffic Alert function may not
function correctly
The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function may not detect vehicles correctly in the
following conditions.
●When ice or mud, etc., is attached to the rear bumper
●During bad weather such as heavy rain, fog, snow, etc.
●When multiple vehicles approach continuously
●Shallow angle parking
●When a vehicle is approaching at high speed
●When parking on a steep incline, such as hills, a dip in the road, etc.
●Directly after the BSM main switch is set to on
●Directly after the engine is started with the BSM main switch on
●When towing a trailer
●Vehicles that the sensors cannot detect
because of obstacles

3936-3. Using the storage features
6
Interior features
Rear (Access Cab models [vehicles without rear seats])
Turn the knob counterclockwise
and open the lid.
Under the rear seats (Access Cab models [vehicles with rear
seats])
Pull up the lever and raise the
bottom cushion up.
WARNING
■Items unsuitable for the bottle holders
Do not place anything other than a bottle in the bottle holders.
Other items may be thrown out of the holders in the event of an accident or
sudden braking and cause injury.
NOTICE
■Items that should not be stowed in the bottle holders
Put the cap on before stowing a bottle. Do not place open bottles in the bot-
tle holders, or glasses and paper cups containing liquid. The contents may
spill and glasses may break.
Storage boxes
1