2021 TOYOTA TACOMA transmission

1754-1. Before driving
4
Driving
WARNING
●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.
● On vehicles with an automatic transmission, always apply the pa rking
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.
■ When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift
lever or depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an acc ident or fire
due to engine overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is park ed in a poorly
ventilated area, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicl e, leading to
death or a serious health hazard.
■ When braking
● When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this ma y cause
one side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other sid e. Also, the
parking brake may not securely hold the vehicle.
● If the brake booster device does not operate, do not follow oth er vehicles
closely and avoid hills or shar p turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal sh ould be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance wi ll increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
● Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted
brakes.
● The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems; if one of the
systems fails, the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal
should be depressed more firmly than usual and the braking dist ance will
increase. Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■ If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels excessively when any of the tires is up in the air, or
the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline com-
ponents or propel the vehicle forward or backward, causing an a ccident.

1764-1. Before driving
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
● Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same tim e during
driving, as this may restrain the engine output.
Vehicles with an automatic transmission
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals at the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.
Vehicles with a manual transmission
● Do not shift gears unless the clutch pedal is fully depressed. After shifting,
do not release the clutch abruptly. Doing so may damage the clu tch, trans-
mission and gears.
● Do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving.
Doing so may cause clutch trouble.
● Do not use any gear other than the first gear when starting off and moving
forward.
Doing so may damage the clutch.
● Do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle when stopping on an uphill grade.
Doing so may damage the clutch.
● Do not shift the shift lever to R when the vehicle is still moving. Doing so
may damage the clutch, transmission and gears.
■ When parking the vehicle (vehicl es with an automatic transmission)
Always set the parking brake, and shift the shift lever to P. F ailure to do so
may cause the vehicle to move or the vehicle may move suddenly if the
accelerator pedal is accidentally depressed.
■ Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
● Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and ho ld it there for
an extended period of time.
Doing so may damage the power steering pump.
● When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possibl e to avoid
damaging the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.

1944-1. Before driving
●Slow down before making a turn, in crosswinds, on wet or slippe ry
surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can destabilize the trailer.
● Take care when passing other vehicles. Passing requires consider-
able distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget the lengt h of
your trailer, and be sure you have plenty of room before changi ng
lanes.
● Vehicles with an automatic transmission: To maintain engine bra k-
ing efficiency and charging system performance when using engin e
braking, do not use the transmission in D. If in the S mode, th e
transmission shift range posit ion must be in 5 or lower.
● Vehicles with a manual transmiss ion: To maintain engine braking
efficiency and charging system performance when using engine
braking, do not use the sixth gear.
● Instability happens more frequently when descending steep or lo ng
downhill grades. Before descending, slow down and downshift. Do
not make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long down-
hill grades.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or applying the bra kes
too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
● Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle’s engine may over-
heat on hot days (at temperatures over 85°F [30°C]) when drivin g
up a long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature gau ge
indicates overheating, immediately turn off the air conditionin g (if in
use), pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot.
(  P. 528)

1954-1. Before driving
4
Driving
●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 (automatic transmission) or in 1 or R (manual
transmission). 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 (automatic transmission) or 1 or R (manual transmi s-
sion) and turn off the engine.
● When restarting afte r parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P (autom atic transmission) or the clutch
pedal (manual transmission) depr essed, start the engine. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission, be sure to keep the
brake pedal pressed.
Shift into a forward gear. If reversing, shift into R.
Release the parking brake (and also the brake pedal on vehicles
with an automatic transmission), and slowly pull or back away
from the wheel blocks. S top and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4

1974-1. Before driving
4
Driving
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train com ponents
(such as an engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing ), Toyota rec-
ommends that you do not tow a trailer until the vehicle has bee n 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 veh icle 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 m aintenance due
to the additional load. (See “Owner’s Warranty Information Book let” 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 gra dually 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 combinat ion.
Drive at a lower speed to prevent instability. Remember that sw aying of the
towing vehicle-trailer increases as speed increases.

2014-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
Engine (ignition) switch (vehicles without a
smart key system)
Automatic transmission
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.
Manual transmission
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is set in N.
Firmly depress the clutch 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. (Vehicles
with an automatic transmission:
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.
Starting the engine
Changing the engine switch positions
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4

2024-2. Driving procedures
■Turning the key from “ACC” to “LOCK”
Shift the shift lever to P (automatic transmission) or N (manua l transmis-
sion).
■ If the engine does not start (vehicles with engine immobilizer system)
The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 78)
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 engine switch is in
the “ACC” or “LOCK” position to remind you to remove the key. Push in the key and turn it 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

2104-2. Driving procedures
Automatic transmission
Vehicles without a smart key system:While the engine switch is in the “ON” position, move the shiftlever with the brake pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that t he vehi-
cle is completely stopped.
Vehicles with a smart key system:
While the engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode, move the shiftlever with the brake pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that t he vehi-
cle is completely stopped.
: If equipped
Shifting the shift lever