TOYOTA COROLLA 2004 E120 / 9.G Owners Manual

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
93
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
(k) Low Windshield Washer Fluid LevelWarning Light
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see “Adding washer fluid” on page 243 in
Section 7 −3.)
(l) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver ’s door with
the ignition key in the “ACC” or “LOCK”
position.
(m) Light Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer will sound if the headlight
switch is left on and the driver’s door is
opened with the key removed from the
ignition switch. CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light and low windshield
washer fluid level warning light*)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to “ON”, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light should
come on. The “ABS” warning light goes
off after a few seconds. The SRS
warning light goes off after about 6
seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.
*: When equipped

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
94
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
95
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock96
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 97
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
Manual transmission 100
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Parking brake 101
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 102
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 7

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
96
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 169 in Section
3.
“ON”—Engine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
“ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position and open the driver’s
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.“LOCK”—Engine 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 “ACC” to the “LOCK” position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be put in the “P”
position before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the “LOCK” 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 “ON”
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
97
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Selector lever
P:Parking, engine starting and key
removal
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock
release button in.
(The ignition switch must be in
“ON” position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in.
Shift normally. Overdrive
switchSelector lever

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
98
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either a third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The “O/D OFF” indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The “O/D OFF” indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will be on automatically.Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be enabled because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 102 in this
Section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 170 in
Section 3. The transmission must be in
“P” or “N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 105 km/h (65 mph), and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 49 km/h (30 mph), and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
99
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be enabled because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 102 in this
Section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(e) Using “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
“2” 118 km/h (73 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . . . . . . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, “D” position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(f) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(g) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever up fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
(h) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope, the
overdrive should be turned off. Be sure
to turn the switch on immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
100
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.
(i) If you cannot shift the selector le-ver out of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
“P” position even though the brake pedal
is depressed, use the shift lock override
button. For instructions, see “If you cannot
shift automatic transmission selector lever”
on page 199 in Section 4.
The shift pattern is conventional as
shown above.
Press the clutch pedal down fully while
shifting, and then release it slowly. Do not
rest your foot on the pedal while driving,
because it will cause clutch trouble. And
do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle
when stopped on an uphill grade—use the
parking brake.
Recommended shifting speeds
The transmission is fully synchronized and
upshifting or downshifting is easy.
For the best compromise between fuel
economy and vehicle performance, you
should upshift or downshift at the following
speeds: Low altitude
—1219 m (4000 ft.) or lower
Gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (14)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 37/40
∗ 1(22/24∗1)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64/45∗ 2(39/27∗2)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72/64∗ 2(44/39∗2)
∗1: Under cold engine conditions∗2: For constant −speed cruise or
constant −speed cruise after deceleration
High altitude
—Higher than 1219 m (4000 ft.) Upshifting
Gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 24 (14)
2 to 3 40 (24)
3 to 4 64 (39)
4 to 5 72 (44)
Downshifting Gear km/h (mph)
2 to 1 24 (14)
3 to 2 40 (24)
4 to 3 64 (39)
5 to 4 72 (44)
Downshift to the appropriate gear if accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds.
Manual transmission

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
101
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
Upshifting too soon or downshifting too
late will cause lugging, and possibly ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause ex-
cessive engine wear and high fuel
consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
gear:Gear km/h (mph)1 57 (35)
2 95 (59)
3 139 (86)
4 180 (111)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going
faster than the maximum allowable
speed for the next lower gear.
Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Parking brake

’04 Corolla_U (L/O 0306)
102
2004 COROLLA from Oct. ’03 Prod. (OM12859U)
When parking, firmly apply the parking
brake to avoid inadvertent creeping.
To set: Pull up the lever. For better hold-
ing power, first depress the brake pedal
and hold it while setting the parking
brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly (1),
press the lock release button (2), and low-
er (3).
To remind you that the parking brake is
set, the parking brake reminder light in
the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure the parking
brake is fully released and the park-
ing brake reminder light is off.
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) even with your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained up
or down grades within the limits of engine
performance, although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or
down the grades. On steeper hills, a
greater speed change will occur so it is
better to drive without the cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snowcovered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate the cruise control, press the
“CRUISE ON−OFF” button. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the
instrument panel shows that you can now
set the vehicle at a desired cruising
speed. Another press will turn the system
completely off.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control en-
gagement, keep the “CRUISE
ONOFF” switch off when not using
the cruise control.
Cruise control