weight TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2003 N210 / 4.G Owners Manual

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Do not allow a child to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the front door or the area
of the seat, front pillar or roof side
from which the side airbag and cur-
tain shield airbag deploy even if he/
she is seated in the child restraint
system. It is dangerous if the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint” on page
73 in this Section.
Do not lean against the door when
the vehicle is in use, since the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate with considerable speed and
force. Otherwise, you may be killed
or seriously injured. Special care
should be taken especially when
you have a small child in the ve-
hicle.
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, distributing your weight evenly
in the seat. Do not apply excessive
weight to the outer side of the front
seats with a side airbag, and to the
front pillar, rear pillar and roof side
rail with a curtain shield airbag.
Do not get your head closer to the
area where the side airbag and cur-
tain shield airbag inflate, since
these airbags inflate with consider-
able speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured. Special care should be taken
especially when you have a small
child in the vehicle.

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(b) Driver’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
and Buzzer
This light and buzzer remind you to
buckle up the driver’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes and
buzzer come on if the driver’s seat belt
is not fastened. Unless the driver fastens
the belt, the light keeps on flashing and
the buzzer sounds for about 4 to 8 se-
conds.
(c) Front Passenger ’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
This light reminds you to buckle up the
front passenger ’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the front passenger seat
and does not fasten the seat belt. Howev-
er, if a front passenger uses an additional
seat cushion, the light may not flash even
when the seat belt is not buckled up.
If luggage or other load is placed on the
front passenger seat, depending on its
weight and how it is placed on the seat,
builtin sensors in the seat cushion may
detect the pressure, causing the reminder
light to come on. (d) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being
discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging
system.
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) Low Engine Oil Pressure Warning
Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate low oil level, and the oil level
must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the
warning light on—even for one block.
It may ruin the engine.

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The roof luggage carrier consists of
roof rails (1) attached to the roof and
sliding cross rails (2).
To adjust the positions of cross rails, do
this.
1. Turn the knobs counterclockwise to loosen the cross rails.
2. Slide the cross rails to the desired position for loading the luggages of
various sizes.
3. After adjusting, be sure to tighten the cross rails by turning knobs clockwise.
Follow the manufacturer ’s instructions and
precautions when installing the attach-
ments or their equivalent.
Paint mark
When there is no luggage on the roof
luggage carrier, Toyota recommends that
the front and rear cross rails be secured
in the positions indicated in the illustra-
tion, according to the following procedure.
This may diminish wind noise during driv-
ing. 1. Turn the knobs counterclockwise to loosen the cross rails.
2. Slide the ends of the cross rails to the paint mark.
3. Be sure to tighten the cross rails by turning knobs clockwise.
CAUTION
When you load cargo on the roof lug-
gage carrier, observe the following:
Place the cargo so that its weight
is distributed evenly between the
front and rear axles.
If loading long or wide cargo, never
exceed the vehicle overall length or
width. (See “Dimensions and cargo
load” on page 352 in Section 8 for
information on your vehicle overall
length and width.)
Before driving, make sure the cargo
is securely fastened on the roof
luggage carrier.
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.
Roof luggage carrier

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If driving for a long distance, on
rough roads, or at high speeds,
stop the vehicle now and then dur-
ing the trip to make sure the cargo
remains in its place.
Do not exceed 54 kg (120 lb.) cargo
weight on the roof luggage carrier.
NOTICE
When loading the luggages, be careful
not to scratch the surface of the
moon roof.
Use a floor mat of the correct size.
If the floor carpet and floor mat have 2
holes, then they are designed for use with
locking clips. Fix the floor mat with lock-
ing clips into the holes in the floor carpet.CAUTION
Make sure the floor mat is properly
placed on the floor carpet. If the floor
mat slips and interferes with the
movement of the pedals during driv-
ing, it may cause an accident.
Floor mat

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Have your Toyota dealer perform the bed-
dingdown.
BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM
When you slam the brakes on, the
brake assist system judges as an emer-
gency stop and provides more powerful
braking for a driver who cannot hold
down the brake pedal firmly.
When you slam the brakes on, more pow-
erful braking will be applied. At this time,
you may hear a sound in the engine
compartment and feel the vibrations of the
brake pedal. This does not indicate a mal-
function.
The brake assist system becomes opera-
tive after the vehicle has accelerated to
a speed in excess of approximately 10
km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle decelerates to a speed below
approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
For an explanation of this system’s warn-
ing light, see “Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers” on page 117 in Sec-
tion 15.
The brake pad wear limit indicators on
your disc brakes give a warning noise
when the brake pads are worn to where
replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise
while driving, have the brake pads
checked and replaced by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. Expensive ro-
tor damage can result if the pads are not
replaced when necessary. When stowing luggage or cargo in the
vehicle, observe the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the luggage
compartment when at all possible. Be
sure all items are secured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far for-
ward as possible helps maintain bal-
ance.
For better fuel economy, do not carry
unneeded weight.
CAUTION
To prevent luggage or packages
from sliding forward during braking,
do not stack anything in the lug-
gage compartment higher than the
seatbacks. Keep luggage or pack-
ages low, as close to the floor as
possible.
Do not exceed 66 kg (145 lb.) of
cargo load in the luggage compart-
ment.
Do not place anything on the flat-
tened seat or it may slide forward
during braking.
Brake pad wear limit
indicators
Luggage stowage pr
ecautions

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Your vehicle is designed primarily as a
passengerandloadcarrying vehicle. Tow-
ing a trailer will have an adverse effect on
handling, performance, braking, durab ility
and driving economy (fuel consumption,
etc.). Your safety and satisfaction depend
on the proper use of correct equipment
and cautious driving habits. For your safe-
ty and the safety of others, you must not
overload your vehicle or trailer. Ask your
local Toyota dealer for further details be-
fore towing.
CAUTION
Vehicles with rear height control air
suspension: When disconnecting a
trailer, put the vehicle height in the
“LO” (low) 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.
WEIGHT LIMITS
Before towing, make sure the total trail-
er weight, gross combination weight,
gross vehicle weight, gross axle weight
and trailer tongue load are all within
the limits.
The total trailer weight and tongue load
can be measured with platform scales
found at a highway weighing station, build-
ing supply company, trucking company,
junk yard, etc.
For weight carrying hitch
Also for weight distributing hitch
Tr ailer to win g

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CAUTION
The maximum gross trailer weight
(trailer weight plus cargo weight)
must never exceed the following for
vehicle with equipped. For details,
contact your Toyota dealer.
According to the hitch receiver
type, the maximum gross trailer
weight and hitch that can be used
differs. Refer to the above illustra-
tions to confirm the hitch receiver
type for your vehicle.
For weight carrying hitch
2268 kg (5000 lb.)
Also for weight distributing hitch 1GRFE engine
Twowheel drive models 3039 kg (6700 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models
2903 kg (6400 lb.)
2UZFE engine Twowheel drive models
3311 kg (7300 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models 3175 kg (7000 lb.)
If towing a trailer and cargo weigh-
ing over 2268 kg (5000 lb.), Toyota
recommends to use a weight dis-
tributing hitch.
If towing a trailer and cargo weigh-
ing over 907 kg (2000 lb.), it is
necessary to use a sway control
device with sufficient capacity. The
combination of the gross trailer
weight added to the total weight of
the vehicle, occupants and vehicle
cargo must never exceed a total of
the following.
For weight carrying hitch1GRFE engine
4354 kg (9600 lb.)
2UZFE engine 4422 kg (9750 lb.)
Also for weight distributing hitch 1GRFE engine 5034 kg (11100 lb.)
2UZFE engine 5443 kg (12000 lb.)
Exceeding the maximum weight of
the trailer, the vehicle, or the ve-
hicle and trailer combination, can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.
Trailer hitch assemblies have differ-
ent weight capacities established by
the hitch manufacturer. Even though
the vehicle may be physically capa-
ble of towing a higher weight, the
operator must determine the maxi-
mum weight rating of the particular
hitch assembly and never exceed
the maximum weight rating speci-
fied for the trailerhitch. Exceeding
the maximum weight rating set by
the trailer hitch manufacturer can
cause an accident resulting in seri-
ous personal injuries.

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The gross vehicle weight must not
exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR) indicated on the
Certification Label. The gross vehi-
cle weight is the sum of weights of
the unloaded vehicle, driver, pas-
sengers, luggage, hitch and trailer
tongue load. It also includes the
weight of any special equipment
installed on your vehicle.
The load on either the front or rear
axle resulting from distribution of
the gross vehicle weight on both
axles must not exceed the front and
rear Gross Axle Weight Ratings
(GAWR) listed on the Certification
Label.
Total trailer weight Tongue load
Tongue load
Total trailer weight 
100 = 10%
The trailer cargo load should be
distributed so that the tongue load
is 10% of the total trailer weight,
not exceeding the maximum load of
the following.
For weight carrying hitch
227 kg (500 lb.)
Also for weight distributing hitch 1GRFE engine
Twowheel drive models 303 kg (670 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models
290 kg (640 lb.)
2UZFE engine Twowheel drive models
331 kg (730 lb.)
Fourwheel drive models 317 kg (700 lb.)
Never load the trailer with more
weight in the back than in the
front. About 60% of the trailer load
should be in the front half of the
trailer and the remaining 40% in the
rear.

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HITCHES
If you wish to install a trailer hitch, you
should consult with your Toyota dealer.
Use only a hitch recommended by the
hitch manufacturer and the one which
conforms to the total trailer weight re-
quirement.
According to the hitch receiver type,
the maximum gross trailer weight and
hitch that can be used differs. Refer to
the above illustrations to confirm the
hitch receiver type for your vehicle.
If you wish to install an aftermarket
hitch, the hitch must be bolted securely
to the vehicle frame and installed ac-
cording to the hitch manufactures’ in-
structions.
The hitch ball and king pin should have
a light coat of grease.
Toyota recommends the ball mount as-
sembly be removed when not towing to
prevent injury and to prevent damage
in the event of a rear end collision.
After removing the ball mount assem-
bly, install the grommet to the hitch to
prevent entry of dirt and mud.
NOTICE
Do not install weight distributing
hitch to weight carrying hitch re-
ceiver because it will be damaged
your vehicle.
 Do not use axlemounted hitches as
they can cause damage to the axle
housing, wheel bearings, wheels or
tires. Also, never install a hitch
which may interfere with the normal
function of an Energy Absorbing
Bumper, if so equipped.
1 Trailer ball load rating
2 Ball diameter
3 Shank length
4 Shank diameter

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TRAILER BALL
Follow these easy steps to properly deter-
mine the correct trailer ball for your ap-
plication:
1. Determine the correct trailer ball size for the trailer coupler. Most couplers
are stamped with the required trailer
ball size. The sizes you will most likely
find stamped on the coupler are:
Trailer class
Typical trailer ball size
III and IV2 5/16 in.
II2in.
I1 7/8 in.
2. Select the appropriate trailer ball to match or exceed the gross trailer
weight rating of the trailer. The trailer
ball load rating should be printed on
the top of the ball.
3. When mounted in the ball mount, the threaded ball shank must protrude be-
yond the bottom of the lock washer
and nut at least 2 threads. The trailer
ball shank must be matched to the ball
mount hole diameter size.
NOTICE
Only use a ball mount attachment
specified for the Toyota 4runner.1 Coupler
2 Trailer ball
3 Ball mount attachment
MATCHING TRAILER BALL HEIGHT TO
TRAILER COUPLER HEIGHT
No matter which class of tow hitch ap-
plies, for a safe trailer hookup, the trailer
ball setup on must be the proper height
for the coupler on the trailer.
BRAKES AND SAFETY CHAINS
Toyota recommends trailers with
brakes that conform to any applica-
ble federal and state/provincial regu-
lations.
A safety chain must always be used
between the towing vehicle and the
trailer. Leave sufficient slack in the
chain for turns. The chain should
cross under the trailer tongue to
prevent the tongue from dropping to
the ground in case it becomes dam-
aged or separated. For correct safety
chain procedures, follow the hitch or
trailer manufacturer ’s recommenda-
tions.