TOYOTA TACOMA 2003 Owners Manual (in English)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
i2003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Foreword
Welcome to the growing group of valueconscious people who drive Toyotas. We are proud of the advanced engineering and
quality construction of each vehicle we build.
This Owner ’s Manual explains the operation of your new Toyota. Please read it thoroughly and have all the occupants
follow the instructions carefully. Doing so will help you enjoy many years of safe and troublefree motoring. For
important information about this manual and your Toyota, read the following pages carefully.
When it comes to service, remember that your Toyota dealer knows your vehicle best and is interested in your complete
satisfaction. He will provide quality maintenance and any other assistance you may require.
If there is not a Toyota dealer near you, or you need emergency assistance for any reason, please call the following number:
U.S. OWNERS:Toyota Customer Assistance Center Tollfree: 18003314331
CANADIAN OWNERS:Toyota Canada Customer Interaction Centre Tollfree: 1888TOYOTA8 (18888696828)
Please leave this Owner ’s Manual in this vehicle at the time of resale. The next owner will need this information also.
All information and specifications in this manual are current at the time of printing. However, because of Toyota’s policy of
continual product improvement, we reserve the right to make changes at any time without notice.
Please note that this manual applies to all models and explains all equipment, including options. Therefore, you may
find some explanations for equipment not installed on your vehicle.
©2002 TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, without the written permission of Toyo ta
Motor Corporation.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
ii2003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Important information about this manual
Safety and vehicle damage warnings
Throughout this manual, you will see safety and vehicle dam-
age warnings. You must follow these warnings carefully to
avoid possible injury or damage.
The types of warnings, what they look like, and how they are
used in this manual are explained as follows:
CAUTION
This is a warning against anything which may cause
injury to people if the warning is ignored. You are
informed about what you must or must not do in
order to reduce the risk of injury to yourself and
others.
NOTICE
This is a warning against anything which may cause
damage to the vehicle or its equipment if the warning
is ignored. You are informed about what you must or
must not do in order to avoid or reduce the risk of
damage to your vehicle and its equipment.
Safety symbol
When you see the safety symbol
shown above, it means: “Do not...”;
“Do not do this”; or “Do not let this
happen”.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
iii2003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Important information about your Toyota
New vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by the following Toyota limited
warranties: New vehicle warranty
 Emission control systems warranty
 Others
For further information, please refer to the “Owner’s War-
ranty Information Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manual Supple-
ment”.
Your responsibility for maintenance
It is the owner ’s responsibility to make sure that the speci-
fied maintenance is performed. Section 6 gives details of
these maintenance requirements. Also included in Section
6 is general maintenance. For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.
Accessories, spare parts andmodification of your Toyota
A wide variety of nongenuine spare parts and accessories
for Toyota vehicles are currently available in the market.
You should know that Toyota does not warrant these prod-
ucts and is not responsible for their performance, repair, or
replacement, or for any damage they may cause to, or
adverse effect they may have on, your Toyota vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modified with nongenuine
Toyota products. Modification with nongenuine Toyota
products could affect its performance, safety or durability,
and may even violate governmental regulations. In addi-
tion, damage or performance problems resulting from the
modification may not be covered under warranty.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
iv2003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Spark ignition system of yourTo y o t a
The spark ignition system in your Toyota meets all require-
ments of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment
Standard.
Installation of a mobiletwoway radio system
As the installation of a mobile twoway radio system in
your vehicle could affect electronic systems such as multi-
port fuel injection system/sequential multiport fuel injection
system, electronic throttle control system, cruise control
system, antilock brake system, SRS airbag system and
seat belt pretensioner system, be sure to check with your
Toyota dealer for precautionary measures or special
instructions regarding installation.
Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner devices in your
Toyota contain explosive chemicals. If the vehicle is
scrapped with the airbags and pretensioners left as they
are, this may cause an accident such as fire. Be sure to
have the systems of the SRS airbag and seat belt preten-
sioner removed and disposed of by a qualified service
shop or by your Toyota dealer before you dispose of your
vehicle.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
v2003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Onpavement and offroaddriving tips
(fourwheel drive models and Pre Runner)
This vehicle will handle and maneuver differently from an
ordinary passenger car because it is designed for offroad
use also. It has a significantly higher rollover rate than
other types of vehicles. In addition, this vehicle has a
higher ground clearance and center of gravity than that of
an ordinary passenger car. This vehicle design feature
causes this type of vehicle to be more likely to rollover.
Failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result in loss
of control, accidents or vehicle rollover causing death or
serious injury. Be sure to read “Offroad vehicle precau-
tions” in Section 2 and “Offroad driving precautions” in
Section 3.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
vi2003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
12003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Overview of instruments and controls
Instrument panel overview2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\

Instrument cluster overview 4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 1

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
22003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
1. Instrument cluster
2. Center vents
3. Personal lights or interior light
4. Side vents
5. Rear view mirror remote control levers
6. Glove box
7. Power door lock switches
8. Power window switches
9. Manual transmission gear shift lever orautomatic transmission selector lever
10. Rear console boxes
11. Cup holder
12. Power rear view mirror control switches
13. Front drive control lever
14. Tilt steering lock release lever
15. Hood lock release lever
16. Window lock switch
Instrument panel overview

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
32003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
1. Headlight and turn signal switch
2. Wiper and washer switches
3. Emergency flasher switch
4. Passenger airbag manual onoff switch
5. Air conditioning controls
6. Car audio
7. Ashtray
8. Cigarette lighter
9. Power outlets
10. Clock
11. Parking brake lever
12. Ignition switch
13. Cruise control switch
14. Rear differential lock switch
15. Instrument panel light control knob
16. Clutch start cancel switch (manual transmission) or driving pattern selector
button (automatic transmission)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
42003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
1. Engine coolant temperature gauge
2. Tachometer
3. Service reminder indicators andindicator lights 4. Speedometer
5. Fuel gauge
6. Trip meter reset knob
7. Odometer and two trip meters
Instrument cluster overview

With tachometer