3354-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
4RUNNER (U)
When driving your vehicle off-road, please observe the following pre-
cautions to ensure your drivin g enjoyment and to help prevent t he clo-
sure of areas to off-road vehicles:
● Drive your vehicle only in areas where off-road vehicles are pe rmit-
ted to travel.
● Respect private property. Get owner’s permission before enterin g
private property.
● Do not enter areas that are closed. Honor gates, barriers and s igns
that restrict travel.
● Stay on established roads. When c onditions are wet, driving tech-
niques should be changed or travel delayed to prevent damage to
roads.
■ Additional information for off-road driving
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining to driving your veh icle off-road,
consult the following organizations.
● State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
● State Motor Vehicle Bureau
● Recreational Vehicle Clubs
● U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
Off-road driving
3364-6. Driving tips
4RUNNER (U)
WARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk o f death, seri-
ous injury or damage to your vehicle:
● Drive carefully when off the road. Do not take unnecessary risk s by driving
in dangerous places.
● Do not grip the steering wheel spokes when driving off-road. A bad bump
could jerk the wheel and injure your hands. Keep both hands and espe-
cially your thumbs on the outside of the rim.
● Always check your brakes for effectiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
● After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc. , check that
there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stone, sand, etc. adherin g or trapped
on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the underbody. If the
vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to the underbody,
a breakdown or fire could occur.
● In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more l ikely to die
than a person wearing a seat belt. Therefore, the driver and al l passengers
should fasten their seat belts whenever the vehicle is moving.
● When driving off-road or in rugged terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns, strike objects, etc. This may c ause loss
of control or vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury. You are also
risking expensive damage to your vehicle’s suspension and chass is.
3966-1. Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)
■Caring for leather areas
Toyota recommends cleaning the interior of the vehicle at least twice a year to
maintain the quality of the vehicle’s interior.
■ Shampooing the carpets
There are several commercial foaming-type cleaners available. U se a sponge
or brush to apply the foam. Rub in overlapping circles. Do not use water.
Wipe dirty surfaces and let them dry. Excellent results are obt ained by keep-
ing the carpet as dry as possible.
■ Seat belts
Clean with mild soap and lukewarm water using a cloth or sponge . Also
check the belts periodically for excessive wear, fraying or cut s.
WARNING
■Water in the vehicle
● Do not splash or spill liquid in the vehicle.
Doing so may cause electrical components etc. to malfunction or catch
fire.
● Do not get any of the SRS components or wiring in the vehicle i nterior wet.
( P. 36)
An electrical malfunction may cause the airbags to deploy or no t function
properly, resulting in death or serious injury.
■ Cleaning the interior (esp ecially instrument panel)
Do not use polish wax or polish cleaner. The instrument panel m ay reflect
off the windshield, obstructing the driver’s view and leading t o an accident,
resulting in death or serious injury.
3976-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)
NOTICE
■Cleaning detergents
● Do not use the following types of detergent, as they may discol or the vehi-
cle interior or cause streaks or damage to painted surfaces:
• Non-seat portions: Organic substances such as benzene or gasol ine,
alkaline or acidic solutions, dye, and bleach
• Seats: Alkaline or acidic solutions, such as thinner, benzene, and alco-
hol
● Do not use polish wax or polish cleaner. The instrument panel’s or other
interior part’s painted surface may be damaged.
■ Preventing damage to leather surfaces
Observe the following precautions to avoid damage to and deterioration of
leather surfaces:
● Remove any dust or dirt from leather surfaces immediately.
● Do not expose the vehicle to direct sunlight for extended perio ds of time.
Park the vehicle in the shade, especially during summer.
● Do not place items made of vinyl, plastic, or containing wax on the uphol-
stery, as they may stick to the leather surface if the vehicle interior heats
up significantly.
■ Water on the floor
Do not wash the vehicle floor with water.
Vehicle systems such as the audio system may be damaged if wate r comes
into contact with electrical components such as the audio syste m above or
under the floor of the vehicle. Water may also cause the body to rust.
■ When cleaning the inside of the windshield
Do not allow glass cleaner to contact the lens. Also, do not to uch the lens.
( P. 246)
■ Cleaning the inside of the rear quarter windows and back window
● Do not use glass cleaner to clean the rear quarter windows and back win-
dow, as this may cause damage to the rear window defogger heate r wires
or antenna. Use a cloth dampened with lukewarm water to gently wipe the
window clean. Wipe the window i n strokes running parallel to the heater
wires or antenna.
● Be careful not to scratch or damage the heater wires or antenna .
398
4RUNNER (U)
6-2. Maintenance
General maintenance should be performed on a daily basis. This can
be done by yourself or by a Toyota dealer.
Scheduled maintenance should be performed at specified intervals
according to the maintenance schedule.
For details about maintenance items and schedules, refer to the “Sched-
uled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
You can perform som e maintenance procedures by yourself.
Please be aware that do-it-yourse lf maintenance may affect warranty
coverage.
The use of Toyota Repair Manuals is recommended.
For details about warranty coverage, refer to the separate “Own er’s War-
ranty Information Booklet” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.
■ Repair and replacement
It is recommended that genuine Toyota parts be used for repairs to ensure
performance of each system. If non-Toyota parts are used in rep lacement or if
a repair shop other than a Toyota dealer performs repairs, conf irm the war-
ranty coverage.
Maintenance requirements
To ensure safe and economical driving, day-to-day care and reg-
ular maintenance are essential. I t is the owner’s responsibility to
perform regular checks. Toyota recommends the following main-
tenance:
General maintenance
Scheduled maintenance
Do-it-yourself maintenance
4827-2. Steps to take in an emergency
4RUNNER (U)
WARNING
■If the tire pressure warning light comes on
Be sure to observe the following precautions. Failure to do so could
cause a loss of vehicle control and result in death or serious injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe place as soon as possible. Adjust t he tire
inflation pressure immediately.
●If the tire pressure warning light comes on even after tire inf lation pres-
sure adjustment, it is probable that you have a flat tire. Chec k the tires.
If a tire is flat, change it with the spare tire and have the f lat tire
repaired by the nearest Toyota dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and braking. If the vehicle tires dete riorate,
you could lose control of the steering wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air leakage should occur
The tire pressure warning system may not activate immediately.
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly
when cold and inflated to the inflation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire inflation p ressure
label (tire and load information label). (If your vehicle has t ires of a dif-
ferent size than the size indica ted on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label [tire and load information label], you should de termine
the proper tire inflation p ressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS -tire pressure warning system) that
illuminates a low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning light) when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated. Acco rdingly,
when the low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning ligh t) illumi-
nates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as possible , and
inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread lif e, and may
affect the vehicle’s handl ing and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) is not a sub-
stitute for proper tire maintena nce, and it is the driver’s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached
the level to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale (tire
pressure warning light).
4887-2. Steps to take in an emergency
4RUNNER (U)■
If “Oil Maintenance Required” is displayed (U.S.A. only)
Indicates that all maintenance is required to correspond to the driven distance
on the maintenance schedule*.
Comes on approximately 5000 miles (8000 km) after the message has been
reset.
(The indicator will not work properly unless the message has been reset.)
Perform the necessary maintenance. Please reset the message aft er the
maintenance is performed. ( P. 399)
*: Refer to the separate “Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or “Owner’ s Manual
Supplement” for the maintenance interval applicable to your veh icle.
■ If “Visit Your Dealer” is shown
The system or part shown on the multi-information display is ma lfunctioning.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
■ Warning buzzer
In some cases, the buzzer may not be heard due to being in a no isy location
or audio sound.
NOTICE
■ While the engine oil level warning is displayed
Continued engine operation with low engine oil will damage the engine.
5127-2. Steps to take in an emergency
4RUNNER (U)
■Starting the engine when t he battery is discharged
The engine cannot be started by push-starting.
■ To prevent battery discharge
●Turn off the headlights and the audio system while the engine is off.
● Turn off any unnecessary electrical components when the vehicle is running
at a low speed for an extended period, such as in heavy traffic .
■ Charging the battery
The electricity stored in the battery will discharge gradually even when the
vehicle is not in use, due to natural discharge and the draining effects of cer-
tain electrical appliances. If the vehicle is left for a long t ime, the battery may
discharge, and the engine may be unable to start. (The battery recharges
automatically during driving.)
■ When recharging or replacing the battery
●Vehicles with a smart key system: In some cases, it may not be possible to
unlock the doors using the smart key system when the battery is dis-
charged. Use the wireless remote control or the mechanical key to lock or
unlock the doors.
● The engine may not start on the first attempt after the battery has recharged
but will start normally after the second attempt. This is not a malfunction.
● Vehicles with a smart key system: The engine switch mode is memorized by
the vehicle. When the battery is reconnected, the system will r eturn to the
mode it was in before the battery was discharged. Before disconnecting the
battery, turn the engine switch off.
If you are unsure what mode the engine switch was in before the battery dis-
charged, be especially careful when reconnecting the battery.
● Make sure that the key is not inside the vehicle when rechargin g or replac-
ing the battery. The key may be locked in the vehicle if the al arm is acti-
vated. ( P. 80)