ground clearance TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2003 N210 / 4.G Owners Manual

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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, it 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.
Onpavement and offroad
driving tips
This vehicle belongs to the ut ility vehicle class. Utility ve-
hicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. This vehicle will handle and maneuver
differently from an ordinary passenger car because it is
designed for offroad use also. In addition, this vehicle
has a higher ground clearance and center of gravity than
that of an ordinary passenger car. This vehicle design fea-
ture causes this type of vehicle to be more likely to rol-
lover. 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” on page 242 in Section 2 and “Offroad driving pre-
cautions” on page 263 in Section 3.

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This vehicle belongs to the ut ility ve-
hicle class, which has higher ground
clearance and narrower tread in relation
to the height of its center of gravity to
make it capable of performing in a wide
variety of offroad applications. Specific
design characteristics give it a higher
center of gravity than ordinary passen-
ger cars. This vehicle design feature
causes this type of vehicle to be more
likely to rollover. And, utility vehicles
have a significantly higher rollover rate
than other types of vehicles. An advan-
tage of the higher ground clearance is
a better view of the road allowing you
to anticipate problems. It is not de-
signed for cornering at the same
speeds as ordinary passenger cars any
more than lowslung sports cars de-
signed to perform satisfactorily under
offroad conditions. Therefore, sharp
turns at excessive speeds may cause
rollover.CAUTION
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of serious
personal injury or damage to your ve-
hicle:
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers, if at all possible. Failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control or vehicle
rollover causing death or serious
injury.
Loading cargo on the roof luggage
carrier will make the center of the
vehicle gravity higher. Avoid high
speeds, sudden starts, sharp turns,
sudden braking or abrupt maneu-
vers, otherwise it may result in loss
of control or vehicle rollover due to
failure to operate this vehicle cor-
rectly.
Offroad vehicle precautions

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7. Raise the vehicle high enough so
that the spare tire can be installed.
Remember you will need more ground
clearance when putting on the spare tire
than when removing the flat tire.
To raise the vehicle, insert the jack handle
end into the jack (it is a loose fit) and
turn it clockwise with the handle.
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when the
vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
8. Remove the wheel nuts and change tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least the
top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle
the tire and press it back over the other
bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-
rosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metaltometal contact at the
mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to
loosen and eventually cause a wheel to
come off while driving.
—Changing wheels

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TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
CAUTION
Vehicles with rear height control air
suspension: When your vehicle is
towed, put the vehicle height in the
“N” (normal) mode and push the
“HEIGHT CONTROL OFF” switch to
turn off the rear height control air
suspension. Otherwise, the vehicle
height may be changed in the auto-
matic leveling function, resulting in
accident. For details, see “Rear
height control air suspension” on
page 158 in Section 16.
Twowheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front—
Use a towing dolly under the rear wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle from the front
with the rear wheels on the ground,
as this may cause serious damage to
the transmission.
From rear—Place the ignition key in the
“ACC” position.
NOTICE
 When lifting wheels, take care to
ensure adequate ground clearance
for towing at the opposite end of
the raised vehicle. Otherwise, the
bumper and/or underbody of the
towed vehicle will be damaged dur-
ing towing.
 Do not tow with the key removed or
in the “LOCK” position, as the
steering lock mechanism is not
strong enough to hold the front
wheels straight while towing.
(b) Using flat bed truck Fourwheel drive models—
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
FULLTIME FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
MODELS
Use a towing dolly under the wheels not
lifted by the truck.
MULTIMODE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
MODELS
From front—
Use a towing dolly under the rear wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow a vehicle from the front
with the rear wheels on the ground,
as this may cause serious damage to
the transmission.
From rear—
We recommend using a tow-
ing dolly under the front wheels. If you do
not use a towing dolly, place the ignition
key in the “ACC” position, put the trans-
mission in “N” and the multimode control
switch knob in “H2”.

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NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to
ensure adequate ground clearance
for towing at the opposite end of
the raised vehicle. Otherwise, the
bumper and/or underbody of the
towed vehicle will be damaged dur-
ing towing.
 Do not tow with the key removed or
in the “LOCK” position when tow-
ing from the rear without a towing
dolly. The steering lock mechanism
is not strong enough to hold the
front wheels straight.
(b) Using flat bed truck
(c) Towing with sling
type truck
All models—
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This may
cause body damage.
Front
Rear
—Emergency towing

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REPLACING YOUR TIRES
When replacing a tire, use a tire of the
same size and construction, and the
same or greater load capacity as the
originally installed tires. Also, on four
wheel drive models, all the tires must
be the same brand and have the same
tread patterns.
Using any other size or type of tire may
seriously affect handling, ride, speedome-
ter/odometer calibration, ground clearance,
and clearance between the body and tires
or snow chains.
CAUTION
Observe the following instructions.
Otherwise, an accident may occur re-
sulting in death or serious injuries.
Do not mix radial, bias belted, or
biasply tires on your vehicle, as
this may cause dangerous handling
characteristics resulting in loss of
control.
Do not use tires other than the
manufacturer ’s recommended size,
as this may cause dangerous han-
dling characteristics resulting in
loss of control.
Fourwheel drive models:
Do not use tires of different brands,
sizes, construction or tread pat-
terns, as this may cause dangerous
handling characteristics resulting in
loss of control.
Toyota recommends all four tires, or at
least both front or rear tires be re-
placed as a set.
See “If you have a flat tire” on page 283
in Section 4 for tire change procedure.
When a tire is replaced, the wheel
should always be balanced.
An unbalanced wheel may affect vehicle
handling and tire life. Wheels can get out
of balance with regular use and should
therefore be balanced occasionally.
When replacing a tubeless tire, the air
valve should also be replaced with a
new one.
To equalize the wear and help extend
tire life, Toyota recommends that you
rotate your tires according to the main-
tenance schedule. (For scheduled main-
tenance information, please refer to the
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide” or
“Owner ’s Manual Supplement”.) Howev-
er, the most appropriate timing for tire
rotation may vary according to your
driving habits and road surface condi-
tions.
See “If you have a flat tire” on page 283
in Section 4 for tire change procedure.
Rotating tires

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TIRE CHAIN SELECTION
Use the tire chains of correct size.
Regulations regarding the use of tire
chains vary according to location or
type of road, so always check the local
regulations before installing chains.
CHAIN INSTALLATION
Install the chains on the rear tires as
tightly as possible. Do not use tire
chains on the front tires. Retighten
chains after driving 0.5—1.0 km
(1/4—1/2 mile).
When installing chains on your tires, care-
fully follow the instructions of the chain
manufacturer.
If wheel covers are used, they will be
scratched by the chain band, so remove
the covers before putting on the chains.
CAUTION
Do not exceed 50 km/h (30 mph) or
the chain manufacturer ’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
Drive carefully avoiding bumps,
holes, and sharp turns, which may
cause the vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or lockedwheel
braking, as use of chains may ad-
versely affect vehicle handling.
When driving with chains installed,
be sure to drive carefully. Slow
down before entering curves to
avoid losing control of the vehicle.
Otherwise an accident may occur.
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR WHEELS
If you have wheel damage such as
bending, cracks or heavy corrosion, the
wheel should be replaced.
If you fail to replace a damaged wheel,
the tire may slip off the wheel or cause
loss of handling control.
WHEEL SELECTION
When replacing wheels, care should be
taken to ensure that the wheels are re-
placed by ones with the same load ca-
pacity, diameter, rim width, and offset.
Correct replacement wheels are available
at your Toyota dealer.
A wheel of a different size or type may
adversely affect handling, wheel and bear-
ing life, brake cooling, speedometer/odom-
eter calibration, stopping ability, headlight
aim, bumper height, vehicle ground clear-
ance, and tire or snow chain clearance to
the body and chassis.
Replacing wheels