Page 336 of 592
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.
Page 396 of 592
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.
Page 401 of 592
4016-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
4RUNNER (U)
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• The accelerator pedal should move smoothly(without uneven pedal effort or catching).
Automatic transmis-
sion “Park” mecha-
nism• When parked on a slope and the shift lever is in P,is the vehicle securely stopped?
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have appropriate clearancefrom the floor? ( P. 527)
• Does the brake pedal have the correct amount of
free play? ( P. 527)
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to one side when the
brakes are applied.
• The brakes should work effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get too close to the floor when the brakes are applied.
Head restraints• Do the head restraints move smoothly and locksecurely?
Indicators/buzzers• Do the indicators and buzzers function properly?
Lights • Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake pedal move smoothly?
• When parked on a slope and the parking brake is
on, is the vehicle securely stopped?
Seat belts• Do the seat belts operate smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be damaged.
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the correct amountof free play?
• There should not be any strange sounds coming
from the steering wheel.
Page 406 of 592
4066-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4RUNNER (U)
WARNING
The engine compartment contains many mechanisms and fluids that may
move suddenly, become hot, or become electrically energized. To avoid death
or serious injury, observe the following precautions.
■When working on the engine compartment
● Keep hands, clothing and tools away from the moving fan and eng ine
drive belt.
● Be careful not to touch the engine, radiator, exhaust manifold, etc. right
after driving as they may be hot. Oil and other fluids may also be hot.
● Do not leave anything that may burn easily, such as paper and r ags, in the
engine compartment.
● Do not smoke, cause sparks or expose an open flame to fuel or t he bat-
tery. Fuel and battery fumes are flammable.
● Be extremely cautious when working on the battery. It contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.
■ Safety glasses
Wear safety glasses to prevent flying or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
from getting in your eyes.
NOTICE
■If you remove the air cleaner filter
Driving with the air cleaner filter removed may cause excessive engine wear
due to dirt in the air.
Page 434 of 592
4346-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4RUNNER (U)
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to parts of the drive train as well as
dangerous handling characteristics, which may lead to an accide nt
resulting in death o r serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different ma kes, models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of re markably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other th an those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently constructed tires (radial, bias-belted o r bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have b een used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not kn ow how they were used previous ly.
■When initializing the tire pressure warning system
Do not operate the tire pressure warning reset switch without first
adjusting the tire inflation pressure to the specified level. O therwise, the
tire pressure warning light may not come on even if the tire in flation
pressure is low, or it may come on when the tire inflation pres sure is
actually normal.
Page 465 of 592
4657-1. Essential information
7
When trouble arises
4RUNNER (U)
●Remove the seat belt first.
● If the door can be opened, open the door and exit the vehicle.
● If the door can not be opened, open the window using the power
window switch and exit the vehicle through the window.
● If the window can not be opened using the power window switch,
remain calm, wait until the water level inside the vehicle rise s to the
point that the water pressure i nside of the vehicle equals the water
pressure outside of the vehicl e, and then open the door and exi t the
vehicle.
If the vehicle is trapped in rising water
In the event the vehicle is submerged in water, remain calm and
perform the following.
WARNING
■ Using an emergency hammer* for emergency escape
The front side windows and rear side windows, as well as the re ar window
can be shattered with an emergency hammer
* used for emergency escape.
However, an emergency hammer can not shatter the windshield as it is lam-
inated glass.
*: Contact your Toyota dealer or aftermarket accessory manufactur er for
further information about an emergency hammer.
■ Escaping the vehicle from the window
There are cases where escaping the vehicle from the window is n ot possi-
ble due to seating position, passenger body type, etc.
When using an emergency hammer, consider your seat location and the
size of the window opening to ensure that the opening is accessible and
large enough to escape.
Page 469 of 592
4697-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
4RUNNER (U)
When using a flat-bed truck to transport the vehicle, use tire strapping
belts. Refer to the owner's manual of the flat-bed truck for th e tire
strapping method.
Vehicles with a smart key system: In order to suppress vehicle move-
ment during transportation, set the parking brake and turn the engine
switch off.
Vehicles without a smart key system: In order to suppress vehic le
movement during transportation, set the parking brake and turn the
engine switch to the “LOCK” position.
If a tow truck is not available in an emergency, your vehicle m ay be
temporarily towed using cables or chains secured to the emergen cy
towing hooks. This should only be attempted on hard surfaced roads
for at most 80 km (50 miles) at under 30 km/h (18 mph).
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer and operate the brakes . The
vehicle’s wheels, drive train, a xles, steering and brakes must be in
good condition.
NOTICE
■ Towing with a sling-type truck
Using a flatbed truck
Emergency towing
Do not tow with a sling-type truck to pre-
vent body damage.
Page 475 of 592
4757-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
4RUNNER (U)(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
Malfunction indicator lamp Indicates a malfunction in:
• The emission control system;
• The electronic engine control system;
• The electronic throttle control system; or
• The electronic automatic transmission control sys-
tem
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
SRS warning light
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• The front passenger occupant classification system;or
• The seat belt pretensioner system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
(U.S.A.)
(Canada) ABS warning light
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The ABS; or
• The brake assist system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Slip indicator
Indicates a malfunction in:
• The VSC system;
• Trailer Sway Control system;
• The TRAC system;
• The active traction control system;
• The AUTO LSD system;
• The downhill assist control system;
• The hill-start assist control system; or
• The Crawl Control system
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
(Flashes rapidly)
Rear differential lock indi cator light (if equipped)
Indicates a malfunction in the rear differential lock sys-
tem
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer
immediately.
Warning lightWarning light/Details/Actions