automatic transmission TOYOTA SOLARA 2003 Owners Manual (in English)

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
22003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
1. Side defroster outlets
2. Side vents
3. Instrument cluster
4. Center vents
5. Trunk lid open switch
6. Electric moon roof switch and personal
light
7. Garage door opener, garage door opener box or aux iliary box
8. Glove box
9. Power door lock switches
10. Power window switches 11. Seat heater switches
12. Cup holders
13. Cup holder or rear ashtray
14. Parking brake lever
15. Automatic transmission selector lever or manual transmission gear shift lever
16. Auxiliary box
17. Hood lock release lever
18. Window lock switch
Instrument panel overview
 Coupe

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
32003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
1. Side defroster outlets
2. Side vents
3. Instrument cluster
4. Garage door opener
5. Convertible top latch handles
6. Center vents
7. Trunk lid open switch
8. Personal lights
9. Glove box
10. Power door lock switches
11. Power window switches
12. Quarter window switch
13. Cup holders
14. Cup holder or rear ashtray
15. Parking brake lever
16. Convertible top control switch
17. Automatic transmission selector lever
18. Auxiliary box
19. Hood lock release lever
20. Window lock switch

Convertible

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
62003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
Brake system warning light∗
1
Driver ’s seat belt reminder light∗1
Discharge warning light∗1
Malfunction indicator lamp∗1
Low engine oil pressure warning light∗1
or
Antilock brake system warning light∗1
Open door warning light∗1
Rear light failure warning light∗1
SRS warning light∗1
Low windshield washer fluid level warning
light∗1
Traction control system off indicator/warning
light∗1
Front passenger ’s seat belt reminder light∗1
Overdriveoff indicator light
Headlight high beam indicator light Turn signal indicator lights
or
Automatic transmission indicator lights
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 02003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, etc., and drive directly to
the nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine
drive belt is broken or loose.
(e) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on when the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position and
goes off after the engine starts. This
means that the warning light system is
operating properly.
If the lamp remains on, or the lamp
comes on while driving, first check the
followings.
Empty fuel tank
If the fuel tank is empty, refuel immedi-
ately.
Loose fuel tank cap
If the fuel tank cap is loose, securely
tighten it.
These cases are temporary malfunctions.
The malfunction indicator lamp will go off
after taking several driving trips. If the lamp will not go off even after the
several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
If the fuel tank is not empty or the fuel
tank cap is not loose...
There is a problem somewhere in the
engine, emission control system, elec-
tronic throttle control system, automatic
transmission electrical system, or warn-
ing light system itself.
Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
2AZFE engine—
If the engine speed does not increase with
the accelerator pedal depressed down,
there may be a problem somewhere in
your electronic throttle control system.
At this time, vibration may occur. Howev-
er, if you depress the accelerator pedal
more firmly and slowly, you can drive your
vehicle at low speeds. Have your vehicle
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
Even if the abnormality of the electronic
throttle control system is corrected during
low speed driving, the system may not be
recovered until the engine is stopped and
the ignition key is turned to “ACC” or
“LOCK” position.
CAUTION
Be especially careful to prevent erro-
neous pedal operation.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) programs
Your vehicle may not pass a state
emission inspection if the malfunction
indicator lamp remains on. Contact your
Toyota dealer to check your vehicle’s
emission control system and OBD
(OnBoard Diagnostics) system before
taking your vehicle for the inspection.
For details, see “Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) programs” in Section 6.
(f) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level
in the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up
the tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 32003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch,Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock 11 4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 11 5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Manual transmission 11 8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Traction control system 120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
Parking brake 122
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 122
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 6

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 42003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see 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.
Vehicles with engine immobiliser system—
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobiliser system is automatically set. (See
“Engine immobiliser system” in Section
12.)
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

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 52003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
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
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
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. Selector lever
Overdrive
switch

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 62003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either 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” in this section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” 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 the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
2AZFE engine 106 km/h (65 mph) . . . .
1MZFE engine 122 km/h (75 mph) . . . .
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.
2AZFE engine 52 km/h (32 mph). . . . .
1MZFE engine 54 km/h (33 mph) . . . . .

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 72003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing off 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” 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:
2AZFE engine
“2” 115 km/h (71 mph) . . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 64 km/h (40 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . .
1MZFE engine “2” 125 km/h (77 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 69 km/h (42 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.

’03 SOLARA_U (L/O 0207)
11 82003 MY SOLARA (OM33573U)
(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.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Do not hold the vehicle on an up-
grade with the accelerator pedal. It
can cause the transmission to over-
heat. Always use the brake pedal or
parking brake.
(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”
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.
Manual transmission