Page 183 of 592

1834-1. Before driving
4
Driving
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
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 drink 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 accidentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.
● Do not attach adhesive discs to the windshield or windows. Do not 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 coated 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 accident.
● Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the engine is running or i mmediately
after turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
● 4WD models: If the shift lever is moved before the “4LO” indica tor turns
on/off, the transfer mode may not be shifted completely. The transfer mode
disengages both the front and rear driveshafts from the powertrain and
allows the vehicle to move regardless of the shift position. (At this time, the
indicator blinks and the buzzer sounds.)
Therefore, the vehicle is free to roll even if the automatic transmission is in
P. You or someone else could be seriously injured. You must complete the
shifting of the transfer mode. ( P. 317)
Page 184 of 592

1844-1. Before driving
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■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 parked 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 may cause
one side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. 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 should be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance will 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.
If this happens, do not continue to drive the vehicle. Have you r brakes
fixed immediately.
■ If the vehicle becomes stuck (4WD models)
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 accident.
Page 185 of 592

1854-1. Before driving
4
Driving
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
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.
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals at the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■ When parking the vehicle
Always set the parking brake, and shift the shift lever to P. Failure to do so
may cause the vehicle to move or the vehicle may accelerate sud denly 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 possible to avoid
damaging the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
■ If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering
wheel firmly and gradually depress the brake pedal to slow down the vehi-
cle.
● It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
● The vehicle will make abnormal sounds or vibrations.
● The vehicle will behave abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire ( P. 493)
Page 207 of 592

2074-1. Before driving
4
Driving
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
●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 safer trailer hookup, the
trailer ball setup must be the proper
height for the coupler on the trailer.
Coupler
Trailer ball
STO41ADU06
Page 214 of 592
2144-2. Driving procedures
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
Engine (ignition) switch
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is in P.
Firmly depress the brake pedal.
and a message will be dis-
played on the multi-information dis-
play.
If it is not displayed, the engine
cannot be started.
Press the engine switch shortly
and firmly.
When operating the engine switch,
one short, firm press is enough. It
is not necessary to press and hold
the switch.
The engine will crank until it starts
or for up to 30 seconds, whichever
is less.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the engine is completely
started.
The engine can be started from
any engine switch mode.
Performing the following opera tions when carrying the elec-
tronic key on your person starts the engine or changes engine
switch modes.
Starting the engine
1
2
3
4
Page 215 of 592
2154-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
Stop the vehicle.
Set the parking brake (P. 226), and shift the shift lever to P.
Press the engine switch.
Release the brake pedal and chec k that the display on the instru-
ment cluster is off.
OFF
The emergency flashers can be
used.
ACC
Some electrical components such
as the audio system can be used.
“ACCESSORY” will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
ON
All electrical components can be
used.
“IGNITION ON” will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
*: If the shift lever is in a position other than P when turning off the
engine, the engine switch will be
turned to ACC, not to off.
Stopping the engine
Changing engine switch modes
1
2
3
4
Page 220 of 592
2204-2. Driving procedures
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U
Automatic transmission
While the engine switch is in ON, move the shift lever with the
brake pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the
vehicle is completely stopped.
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noises, set the shift le ver in the D
position for normal driving.
*2: Selecting shift ranges using S mode restricts the upper limit of the possible
gear ranges, controls engine braking forces, and prevents unnec essary
upshifting
Shifting the shift lever
Shift position purpose
Shift positionObjective or function
PParking the vehicle/starting the engine
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2 ( P. 221)
Page 223 of 592
2234-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
SEQUOIA_OM_USA_OM0C047U■
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
First, check whether the brake pedal is being depressed.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted with your foot on the brak e pedal, there may
be a problem with the shift lock system. Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
The following steps may be used as an emergency measure to ensu re that
the shift lever can be shifted.
Releasing the shift lock:
Set the parking brake.
Turn the engine switch to OFF.
Depress the brake pedal.
Pry the cover up with a flathead screw-
driver or equivalent tool.
To prevent damage to the cover, cover
the tip of the screwdriver with a rag.
Press the shift lock override button.
The shift lever can be shifted while the
button is pressed.
1
2
3
4
5