length TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1998 Owners Manual

4RUNNER (1998)
Adjust the seat as needed (front
seats only) and sit up straight and
well back in the seat. To fasten
your belt, pull it out of the retractor
and insert the tab into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab
locks into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically ad-
justs to your size and the seat posi-
tion.
The retractor will lock the belt during
a sudden stop or on impact. It also
may lock if you lean forward too
quickly. A slow, easy motion will allow
the belt to extend, and you can move
around freely. If the seat belt cannot be pulled out
of the retractor, firmly pull the belt
and release it. You will then be able
to smoothly pull the belt out of the
retractor.
When a passenger 's shoulder belt is
completely extended and is then re-
tracted even slightly, the belt is locked
in that position and cannot be ex-
tended. This feature is used to hold
the child restraint system securely.
(For details, see ºChild restraintº in
this chapter.) To free the belt again,
fully retract the belt and then pull the
belt out once more.CAUTION

After inserting the tab, make
sure the tab and buckle are
locked and that the belt is not
twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc.
in the buckle as this may pre-
vent you from properly latching
the tab and buckle.
If the seat belt does not func-
tion normally, immediately con-
tact 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.
ÐFront and rear outside se
belts

4RUNNER (1998)
Lengthen
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat. To fasten your belt, insert the
tab into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab
locks into the buckle.
If the belt is not long enough for you,
hold the tab at a right angle to the
belt and pull on the tab.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make
sure the tab and buckle are
locked and that the belt is not
twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc.
in the buckle as this may pre-
vent you from properly latching
the tab and buckle.
If the seat belt does not func-
tion normally, immediately con-
tact 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.

4RUNNER (1998)
Too high
Adjust to a snug fit
Keep as low on hips as possible
Remove excess length of the belt
and adjust the belt position.
To shorten the belt, pull the free end
of the belt.
Position the lap belt as low as pos-
sible on your hipsÐnot on your waist,
then adjust it to a snug fit.
CAUTION
High- positioned and loose- fitting
lap belts could cause serious in-
juries due to sliding under the lap
belt during a collision or other
unintended result. Keep the lap
belt positioned as low on hips as
possible.

4RUNNER (1998)
If your seat belt cannot be fastened
securely because it is not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is
available from your Toyota dealer free
of charge.
Please contact your local Toyota deal-
er so that the dealer can order the
proper required length for the extend-
er. Bring the heaviest coat you expect
to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering
information is available at your Toyota
dealer.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extend-
er, observe the following. Failure
to follow these instructions could
result in less effectiveness of the
seat belt restraint system in case
of vehicle accident, increasing the
chance of personal injury. Never use the seat belt extend-
er if you can fasten the seat
belt without it.
Remember that the extender
provided for you may not be
safe when used on a different
vehicle, or for another person
or at a different seating posi-
tion than the one originally in-
tended for.
3SRS driver and front
passenger airbags

4RUNNER (1998)
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle
will handle differently than when
not towing. The three main causes
of vehicle- trailer accidents are driv-
er error, excessive speed and im-
proper trailer loading. Keep these in
mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation
of the lights and all vehicle- trailer
connections. After driving a short
distance, stop and recheck the
lights and connections. Before ac-
tually towing a trailer, practice turn-
ing, stopping and backing with a
trailer in an area away from traffic
until you learn the feel.
Backing with a trailer is difficult
and requires practice. Grip the bot-
tom of the steering wheel and
move your hand to the left to move
the trailer to the left. Move your
hand to the right to move the trail-
er to the right. (This procedure is
generally opposite to that when
backing without a trailer). Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you
when backing to reduce the risk of
an accident.
Because stopping distance may be
increased, vehicle- to- vehicle dis-
tance should be increased when
towing a trailer. For each 16 km/h
(10 mph) of speed, allow at least
one vehicle and trailer length bet-
ween you and the vehicle ahead.
Avoid sudden braking as you may
skid, resulting in jackknifing and
loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.
Avoid jerky starts or sudden accel-
eration. If your vehicle has a
manual transmission, prevent ex-
cessive clutch slippage by keeping
engine rpm low and not racing the
engine. Always start out in first
gear.
Avoid jerky steering and sharp
turns. The trailer could hit your ve-
hicle in a tight turn. Slow down
before making a turn to avoid the
necessity of sudden braking.
Remember that when making a
turn, the trailer wheels will be clos-
er than the vehicle wheels to the
inside of the turn. Therefore, com-
pensate for this by making a larger
than normal turning radius with y-
our vehicle.
Crosswinds and rough roads will
adversely affect handling of your
vehicle and trailer, causing sway.
Pay attention to the rear from time
to time to prepare yourself for be-
ing passed by large trucks or
buses, which may cause your ve-
hicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering
wheel and reduce speed immedi-
ately but gradually. Never increase
speed. Steer straight ahead. If you
make no extreme correction with
the steering or brakes, the vehicle
and trailer will stabilize.
Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires consider-
able distance. After passing a ve-
hicle, do not forget the length of
your trailer and be sure you have
plenty of room before changing
lanes.
In order to maintain engine braking
efficiency, do not use fifth gear
(manual transmission) or overdrive
(automatic transmission).

4RUNNER (1998)
Slow down and downshift be-
fore descending steep or long
downhill grades. Do not make
sudden downshifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or too frequent-
ly. This could cause the brakes
to overheat and result in re-
duced braking efficiency.Getting more kilometers/mileage from
a liter/gallon of fuel is easyÐjust take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle
last longer, too. Here are some specif-
ic tips on how to save money on both
fuel and repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the
correct pressure. Underinflation
causes tire wear and wastes fuel.
See Chapter 7- 2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts
a heavier load on the engine, caus-
ing greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm- up idling.
Once the engine is running smooth-
ly, begin drivingÐbut gently. Re-
member, however, that on cold win-
ter days this may take a little
longer.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into
high gear as quickly as possible.
Avoid long engine idling. If you
have a long wait and you are not
in traffic, it is better to turn off the
engine and start again later.
Avoid engine lug or overrevving.
Use a gear position suitable for the
road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up
and slowing down. Stop- and- go
driving wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping and
braking. Maintain a steady pace.
Try to time the traffic signals so
you only need to stop as little as
possible or take advantage of
through streets to avoid traffic
lights. Keep a proper distance from
other vehicles to avoid sudden
braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic
jams whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the
clutch or brake pedal. This
causes needless wear, overheating
and poor fuel economy.
Maintain a moderate speed on
highways. The faster you drive,
the greater the fuel consumption.
By reducing your speed, you will
cut down on fuel consumption.
Keep the front wheels in proper
alignment. Avoid hitting the curb
and slow down on rough roads.
Improper alignment not only causes
faster tire wear but also puts an
extra load on the engine, which, in
turn, wastes fuel.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, to
o