steering TOYOTA TACOMA 1998 Owners Manual

'98 Tacoma (U)
2
Instrument panel overview
1. Instrument cluster
2. Automatic transmission selector lever(column shift)
3. Center vents
4. Personal lights or interior light
5. Side vents
6. Glovebox
7. Power door lock switches
8. Power window switches
9. Manual transmission gear shift lever or automatic transmission selector lever
(floor shift)
10. Cup holder
11. Front drive control lever
12. Tilt steering lock release lever
13. Hood lock release lever
14. Power rear view mirror control switch

'98 Tacoma (U)19
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 3
Seats, Seat belts,
Steering wheel
and Mirrors
Seats
Front seats
Rear seats
Head restraints
Armrest
Seat belts
SRS driver and front passenger
airbags
Passenger airbag cutoff system
Child restraint
Tilt steering wheel
Outside rear view mirrors
Anti- glare inside rear view mirror
Seats
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION

Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a folded-
down seatback, or in the luggage
compartment. Persons not properly
seated and not properly restrained
by seat belts can be severely in-
jured in the event of emergency
braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
Adjust the driver's seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of
the driver.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
not to hit the seat against a pas-
senger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position, try
sliding it forward and backward to
make sure it is locked in position.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
The objects may interfere with the
seat-lock mechanism or unexpected-
ly push up the seat position adjust-
ing lever; the seat may suddenly
move, causing the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
Front seatsÐ
ÐSeat adjustment precautions

'98 Tacoma (U)
30
To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the ºPRESSº signs on
the buckle-release buttons of the ex-
tender and the seat belt are both facing
outward as shown.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
When releasing the seat belt, press on
the buckle-release button on the extender,
not on the seat belt. This helps prevent
damage to the vehicle interior and extend-
er itself.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the seat belt extender is not
twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in
the buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, immediately contact your
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot
protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection for the driver and
front passenger when added to the pri-
mary protection provided by the seat
belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS airbags work together with the
seat belts to help prevent or reduce injury
by inflating, in order to decrease the likeli-
hood of the driver 's or front passenger 's
head or chest directly hitting the steering
wheel or dashboard. When the passenger
airbag switch is in the ONº position, the
passenger airbag is activated even with
no passenger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt.SRS driver and
front passenger airbags

'98 Tacoma (U)31
CAUTION
A driver or front passenger too close
to the steering wheel or dashboard
during airbag deployment can be
killed or seriously injured. Toyota
strongly recommends that: The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
The passenger airbag system is
equipped with a cutoff switch and indi-
cator light. Turning the passenger air-
bag switch to the ONº position makes
the passenger airbag system operation-
al. Turning the passenger airbag switch
to the OFFº position disables the pas-
senger airbag system. The indicator
light on the passenger airbag switch
will come on when the passenger air-
bag system has been disabled.
See Passenger airbag cutoff systemº in
this chapter for detail.
CAUTION
Make sure that the indicator light is
off.
Do not turn off the passenger air-
bag system except when you use a
rear- facing child restraint system in
the front seat unavoidably.
When the passenger airbag switch
is turned off, the passenger airbag
will not inflate in a collision.

'98 Tacoma (U)33
Collision from the rear
Collision from the side Vehicle roll- over
The SRS airbags are not designed to
inflate if the vehicle is subjected to a
side or rear impact, if it rolls over, or
if it is involved in a low- speed frontal
collision.
The SRS airbag system mainly consists of
the following components and their loca-
tions are shown in the illustration.
1 SRS airbag warning light
2 Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
3 Passenger airbag cutoff switch
4 Airbag module for passenger (airbag and inflator)
5 Airbag sensor assembly
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor. In a severe frontal impact, sensors detect
deceleration and the system triggers the
airbag inflators. Then a chemical reaction
in the inflators momentarily fills the air-
bags with non- toxic gas to help restrain
the forward motion of the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
along with non- toxic gas. This does not
indicate a fire. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
minor skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happen in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is desi
gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swellings.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, dashboard) may be hot for several
minutes, but the airbags themselves will
not be hot. The airbags are designed to
inflate only once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the
vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a pas-
senger airbag the windshield may also be
damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.

'98 Tacoma (U)
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Do not put objects or your pets on
or in front of the dashboard or
steering wheel pad that houses the
airbag system. They might restrict
inflation or cause death or serious
injury as they are projected rear-
ward by the force of deploying air-
bags. Likewise, the driver and front
passenger should not hold things in
their arms or on their knees.
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components, such as
the steering wheel column cover,
front passenger airbag cover, front
passenger airbag, airbag sensor as-
sembly. Doing any of these may
cause sudden SRS airbag inflation
or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious inju-
ries.NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without consulting yourToyota dealer. Such changes can in- terfere with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic items suchas a mobile two- way radio, cassette
tape player or compact disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-tem
Modification of the front end struc-ture
Attachment of a grille guard (bullbar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment tothe front end
Repairs made on or near the front end structure, console, steering col-
umn, steering wheel or dashboard
near the front passenger airbag

'98 Tacoma (U)37
This SRS airbag system has a service
reminder indicator to inform the driver of
operating problems. If either of the follow-
ing conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to ser-
vice the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ºACCº or
ºONº position, or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS airbags have been inflated.
The front part of the vehicle (shaded
in the illustration) was involved in an
accident not of the extent to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate.
The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
Indicator light
This system is designed to disable the
passenger airbag in order to allow
usage, if necessary, of a rear- facing
child restraint system in the front seat.
Disable the passenger airbag only when
you put a rear facing child restraint
system on the front seat unavoidably.
Switch the system as follows:
Insert key into the keyhole and turn it.
To turn passenger airbag on: Turn the key
to the ONº position.
To turn passenger airbag off: Turn the key
to the OFFº position.
The indicator comes on when the passen-
ger airbag system is off. Passenger airbag cutoff
system

'98 Tacoma (U)57
Tilt steering wheel
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
To change the steering wheel angle:
Type AÐHold the steering wheel, pull
up the lock release lever, tilt the steer-
ing wheel to the desired angle and re-
lease the lever.
Type BÐHold the steering wheel, pull
the lock release lever toward you, tilt
the steering wheel to the desired angle
and release the lever.
When the steering wheel is in a low posi-
tion, it will spring up as you release the
lock release lever.
CAUTION

Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving.
After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down to make
sure it is locked in position.
Outside rear view mirrorsÐ
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger 's side.
It is a convex mirror with a curved sur-
face. Any object seen in a convex mirror
will look smaller and farther away than
when seen in a flat mirror.

'98 Tacoma (U)75
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 6
Ignition switch,
Transmission
and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Four- wheel drive system
Rear differential lock system
P ar k ing br ak e
Cruise control
Clutch start cancel switch
Ignition switch with steering lock
ºSTARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ºONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ºONºÐEngine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
ºACCºÐAccessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ºACCº or
ºLOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
ºLOCKºÐEngine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn the key
from ºACCº to the ºLOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be in the ºPº posi-
tion before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the ºLOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONº
position if the engine is not running.The battery will discharge and the ignition could be damaged.

'98 Tacoma (U)97
CAUTION
Do not use the rear differential lock
in the conditions other than above.
Large steering effort and careful cor-
nering control will be required.
Lock
Unlock
To lock the rear differential, push the
switch.
Be sure to stop the wheels before locking
the differential.
For easy locking, depress the clutch ped-
al, push the lock switch and slowly re-
lease the clutch pedal.
The indicator light will blink when the
switch is turned on. Wait a few seconds
for the system to complete operation. Af-
ter the differential is locked, the light will
stop blinking and remain on.
The anti-lock brake system does not oper-
ate when the rear differential is locked. It
is normal operation for the ºABSº warning
light to be on at this time.
CAUTION
Do not lock the differential until the
wheels have stopped spinning.
Otherwise, the vehicle may move in
an unexpected direction when the
differential lock is engaged, result-
ing in an accident. This may also
lead to possible damage to differen-
tial lock component parts.
Do not drive over 8 km/h (5 mph)
when the differential is locked.
To unlock the differential, push the
switch once again.
Unlock the differential as soon as the ve-
hicle moves out.
For easy unlocking, slightly turn the steer-
ing wheel in either direction while the ve-
hicle is in motion.
When the differential lock is disengaged,
the indicator light will go out.
Except for Pre Runner models '
The differential will also unlock if you shift
the front drive control lever out of ºL4º.
Never forget to turn off the switch after
using this feature.