Page 182 of 592

1824-1. Before driving
4RUNNER (U)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When the vehicle is parked
● Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft d rink cans in
the vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may le ad to a
fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic material of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray ov er the
interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s
electrical components.
● Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a
place such as the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit acci dentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.
● Do not attach adhesive discs to the windshield or windows. Do n ot place
containers such as air fresheners on the instrument panel or da shboard.
Adhesive discs or containers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehi-
cle.
● Do not leave a door or window open if the curved glass is coate d with a
metallized film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunligh t may cause
the glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
● Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to P, stop the engine
and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the engine is running .
If the vehicle is parked with the shift lever in P but the park ing brake is not
set, the vehicle may start to move, possibly leading to an acci dent.
● Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the engine is running or i mmediately
after turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
Page 189 of 592

1894-1. Before driving
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
■When using the roof rails (if equipped)
●To use the roof rails as a roof luggage
carrier, you must fit the roof rails with
two or more genuine Toyota cross rails
or their equivalent.
●When there is no luggage on the roof
luggage carrier Toyota recommends
that the front and rear cross rails be
secured in the positions indicated in
the illustration. This may reduce wind
noise while driving.
WARNING
■Things that must not be carried in the luggage compartment
The following things may cause a fire if loaded in the luggage compart-
ment:
●Receptacles containing gasoline
●Aerosol cans
■Storage precautions
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may prevent the pedals from being depressed pr operly,
may block the driver’s vision, or may result in items hitting t he driver or
passengers, possibly causing an accident.
●Stow cargo and luggage in the luggage compartment whenever poss i-
ble.
●Do not stack cargo and luggage in the luggage compartment highe r
than the seatbacks.
●Do not place cargo or luggage in or on the following locations.
• At the feet of the driver
• On the front passenger or rea r seats (when stacking items)
• On the instrument panel
• On the dashboard
●Secure all items in the occupant compartment.
●When you fold down the rear seats, long items should not be pla ced
directly behind the front seats.
●Never allow anyone to ride in the luggage compartment. It is no t
designed for passengers. They should ride in their seats with t heir seat
belts properly fastened. Otherwise, they are much more likely t o suffer
death or serious bodily injury, i n the event of sudden braking, sudden
swerving or an accident.
Roof rails Cross rails
Page 199 of 592
1994-1. Before driving
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
Use the correct trailer ball for your application.Trailer ball load rating
Matches or exceeds the gross
trailer weight rating of the trailer.
Ball diameter
Matches the size of the trailer cou-
pler. Most couplers are stamped
with the required trailer ball size.
Shank length
Protrudes beyond the bottom of the lock washer and nut by at le ast 2
threads.
Shank diameter
Matches the ball mount hole diameter size.
Selecting trailer ball
1
2
Trailer classTypical trailer ball size
IV2 5/16 in.
II and III2 in.
I1 7/8 in.
3
4
Page 203 of 592

2034-1. Before driving
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
●Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the trai ler’s
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly, and put th e
transmission in P. Avoid parking on a slope, but if unavoidable , do
so only after perform ing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and
trailer’s wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in pl ace, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
● When restarting afte r parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P, start the engine. Be sure to keep t he
brake pedal pressed.
Shift into a forward gear. If reversing, shift into R.
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or
back away from the wheel bloc ks. Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
■ Matching trailer ball height to trailer coupler height
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
No matter which class of tow hitch
applies, for a more safe trailer hookup,
the trailer ball setup must be the proper
height for the coupler on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
1
2
Page 209 of 592
209
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
4-2. Driving procedures
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is set in P.
Firmly depress the brake pedal.
Turn the engine switch to the “S TART” position to start the engine.
“LOCK”
The steering wheel is locked and
the key can be removed. (The key
can be removed only when the
shift lever is in P.)
“ACC”
Some electrical components such
as the audio system can be used.
“ON”
All electrical components can be used.
“START”
For starting the engine.
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without a
smart key system)
Starting the engine
Changing the engine switch positions
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
Page 210 of 592
2104-2. Driving procedures
4RUNNER (U)
■Turning the key from “ACC” to “LOCK”
Shift the shift lever to P.
■ If the engine does not start
The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 76)
Contact your Toyota dealer.
■ When the steering lock cannot be released
■ Key reminder function
A buzzer sounds if the driver’s door is opened, while the engin e switch is in
the “LOCK” or “ACC” position to remind you to remove the key. Push in the key and turn to the “LOCK”
position.
When starting the engine, the engine
switch may seem stuck in the “LOCK”
position. To free it, turn the key while turn-
ing the steering wheel slightly left and
right.
1
2
Page 211 of 592

2114-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
WARNING
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver's seat. Do not depress the
accelerator pedal while starting the engine under any circumsta nces.
Doing so may cause an accident resulting in death or serious in jury.
■ Caution when driving
Do not turn the engine switch to the “LOCK” position while driving. If, in an
emergency, you must turn the engine off while the vehicle is mo ving, turn
the engine switch only to the “ACC” position to stop the engine. An accident
may result if the engine is stopped while driving.
NOTICE
■ To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the engine switch in the “ACC” or “ON” position fo r long peri-
ods of time without the engine running.
■ When starting the engine
● Do not crank the engine for more than 30 seconds at a time. This may
overheat the starter and wiring systems.
● Do not race a cold engine.
● If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.
Page 214 of 592

2144-2. Driving procedures
4RUNNER (U)
If the engine is stopped with the shift lever in a position other than P,
the engine switch will not be turned off but instead be turned to
ACCESSORY mode. Perform the following procedure to turn the
switch off:
Check that the park ing brake is set.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Check that “Turn Power Off” is displayed on the multi-informati on
display and then press the engine switch once.
Check that “Turn Power Off” on the multi-information display is
turned off.
■ Auto power off function
If the vehicle is left in ACCESSORY mode for more than 20 minut es or IGNI-
TION ON mode (the engine is not running) for more than an hour with the
shift lever in P, the engine switch will automatically turn off. However, this
function cannot entirely prevent battery discharge. Do not leav e the vehicle
with the engine switch in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON mode for lon g peri-
ods of time when the engine is not running.
■ Automatic engine shut off feature
●The vehicle is equipped with a feature that automatically shuts off the
engine when the shift lever is in P with the engine running for an extended
period.
● The engine will automatically shut off after approximately 1 hour if it has
been left running while the shift lever is in P.
● The timer for the automatic engine shut off feature will reset if the brake
pedal is depressed or if the shift lever is in a position other than P.
● After the vehicle is parked, if the door is locked with the door lock switch
(P. 113) from the inside or the mechanical key (P. 507) from the outside,
the automatic engine shut off feature will be disabled. The tim er for the auto-
matic engine shut off feature will be re-enabled if the driver’ s door is
opened.
■ Electronic key battery depletion
P. 106
■ Conditions affecting operation
P. 122
■ Notes for the entry function
P. 123
When stopping the engine with the shift lever in a position other
than P
1
2
3
4