brakes TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2005 N210 / 4.G Owners Manual

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(a) Brake System Warning Light and
Buzzer
This light comes on in the following cases
when the ignition key is in the “ON” posi-
tion.
When the parking brake is applied...
This light comes on for a few seconds
when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position on even after the parking
brake is released.
When the brake fluid level is low...
CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level is
low.
When the hydraulic brake booster
fails...
If the hydraulic booster causes a problem
resulting in poor braking performance, the
warning light comes on and buzzer sounds
continuously. Have your vehicle checked at your
Toyota dealer in the following cases:
The light does not come on even if the
parking brake is applied when the igni-
tion key is in the “ON” position.
The light does not come on even if the
ignition key is turned on with the park-
ing brake released.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
CAUTION
If any of the following conditions oc-
curs, immediately stop your vehicle at
a safe place and contact your Toyota
dealer.
The light does not turn off even
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running.
The warning buzzer comes on to-
gether with the warning light.
In either case, this can indicate that
the brakes may not work properly
and your stopping distance will be-
come longer. Depress the brake
pedal firmly and bring the vehicle
to an immediate stop.
The brake system warning light re-
mains on together with the “ABS”
warning light.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely un-
stable during braking.
Any of the following conditions may oc-
cur, but do not indicate the malfunc-
tion:
The light may stay on for about 60
seconds after the ignition key is turned
to the “ON” position. It is normal if it
turns off after a while.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the warning light and
buzzer. It is normal if the light turns off
and the buzzer stops sounding after a
few seconds.
You may hear a small sound in the
engine compartment after the engine is
started or the brake pedal is depressed
repeatedly. This is a pump pulsating
sound of the brake system, and it is
not a malfunction.

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NORMAL DRIVING MODE
Leave the system on during ordinary
driving so that it can operate when
needed.
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the trac-
tion control system is in the self −check
mode, but does not indicate a malfunction.
When the traction control system is oper-
ating, the following conditions occur:
The system controls the spinning of the
rear wheels. At this time, the slip indi-
cator light blinks.
You may feel vibration or noise in your
vehicle, caused by operation of the
brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the traction
control system, the “AUTO LSD” system,
the vehicle stability control system and
the hill −start assist control system such
as on slippery roads. If the brake actuator
temperature becomes too high while any
of the systems is operating, a buzzer will
start to sound intermittently to indicate
that the traction control system can no
longer operate. In this case, immediately
stop your vehicle at a safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the
buzzer sound changes from intermittent to
continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.) At the time the slip indicator light will
come on and the traction control system
temporarily stops operating in order to
protect the brake actuator. (Although the
traction control system does not operate,
there is no problem to continue your driv-
ing.) The system will be automatically re-
stored after a short time and the slip indi-
cator light goes out.

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Leave the system on during the ordi-
nary driving so that it can operate
when needed.
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the ac-
tive traction control system is in the self −
check mode, but does not indicate a mal-
function.
When the active traction control system is
operating, the following conditions occur:
The system controls the spinning of the
4 wheels. At this time, the slip indica-
tor light blinks.
You may feel vibration or noise in your
vehicle, caused by operation of the
brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the active
traction control system, the vehicle stabil-
ity control system, the downhill assist con-
trol system and the hill −start assist control
system such as on sli ppery roads. If the
brake actuator temperature becomes too
high while any of the systems is operat-
ing, a buzzer will start to sound intermit-
tently to indicate that the active traction
control system can no longer operate. In
this case, immediately stop your vehicle at
a safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the
buzzer sound changes from intermittent to
continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.) At the time, the slip indicator light will
come on and the active traction control
system temporarily stops operating in or-
der to protect the brake actuator. (Al-
though the active traction control system
does not operate, there is no problem to
continue your driving.) The system will be
automatically restored after a short time
and the slip indicator light goes out.

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The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the “AUTO
LSD” system, the traction control system
and the vehicle stability control system
such as on slippery roads. If the brake
actuator temperature becomes too high
while any of the systems is operating, a
buzzer will start to sound intermittently to
indicate that the “AUTO LSD” system can
no longer operate. In this case, immedi-
ately stop your vehicle at a safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the
buzzer sound changes from intermittent to
continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.)
At the time the slip indicator light will
come on and the “AUTO LSD” system
temporarily stops operating in order to
protect the brake actuator. (Although the
“AUTO LSD” system does not operate, it
is no problem to continue driving.) The
system will be automatically restored after
a short time and the slip indicator light
goes off.
“VSC TRAC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the following.
“AUTO LSD” system
Traction control system
Vehicle stability control system
When the system is normal and the igni-
tion key is turned to “ON”, the light will
come on and will go off after a few sec-
onds.
It is not a malfunction that the warning
light may stay on for 60 seconds after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”. Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if it
goes out after a few seconds.
If the “VSC TRAC” warning light and slip
indicator light comes on while driving, the
“AUTO LSD” system does not work. How-
ever, as the brakes operate normally when
applied, it is no problem to continue your
driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition key is turned to “ON”.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.
NOTICE
Do not drive with the “AUTO LSD”
switch continuously turned on.

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The vehicle stability control system
helps provide integrated control of the
systems such as antilock brake sys-
tem, traction control, engine control,
etc. This system automatically controls
the output of the brakes or engine to
help prevent the vehicle from skidding
when cornering on a slippery road sur-
face or operating steering wheel abrupt-
ly.
This vehicle stability control activates
when the vehicle speed is more than 15
km/h (9 mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the sys-
tem is in the self−check mode, but does
not indicate a malfunction.CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the ve-
hicle stability control system. Even
if the vehicle stability control sys-
tem is operating, you must always
drive carefully and attentively to
avoid serious injury. Reckless driv-
ing will result in an unexpected ac-
cident. If the slip indicator light
blinks and an alarm sounds, special
care should be taken while driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacturer, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use the tires other
than specified, or different type or
size, the vehicle stability control
system may not function correctly.
When replacing the tires or wheels,
contact your Toyota dealer. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” on
page 384 in Section 72.)
If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light blinks and an
alarm sounds intermittently. Special care
should be taken while driving.
If the brake pedal is depressed while the
vehicle stability control system is active,
the brake pedal will become hard at an
earlier position than usual. However, the
brakes will respond to the pedal force if
depressed further.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition key is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on,
contact your Toyota dealer.
Vehicle stability control
system

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This brake system has 2 independent hy-
draulic circuits. If either circuit should fail,
the other will still work. However, the ped-
al will be harder to press, and your stop-
ping distance will increase. Also, the
brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a
single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses brake fluid pres-
surized by the pump to power −assist the
brakes. If the brake booster fails during
driving, the brake system warning light
comes on and buzzer sounds continuous-
ly. In this case, the brakes may not work
properly. If they do not work well, depress
the brake pedal firmly. If the brake system
warning light comes on, immediately stop
your vehicle and contact your Toyota deal-
er.
It is not a malfunction that the brake sys-
tem warning light may stay on for 60 sec-
onds after the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position. Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the brake system warning
light and buzzer. It is normal if the light
turns off and the buzzer stops sounding
after a few seconds.
You may hear a small sound in the engine
compartment after the engine is started or
the brake pedal is depressed repeatedly.
This is a pump pulsating sound of the
brake system, and it is not a malfunction.
CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your brake fluid
pressure reserve.
Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hard, much harder than nor-
mal. And your braking distance will
increase.
ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
(with “ABS” warning light)
The antilock brake system is designed
to help prevent lockup of the wheels
during a sudden braking or braking on
slippery road surfaces. This assists in
providing directional stability and steer-
ing performance of the vehicle under
these circumstances.
Effective way to press the ABS brake
pedal:
When the anti −lock brake system
function is in action, you may feel the
brake pedal pulsating and hear a noise.
In this situation, to let the anti −lock
brake system work for you, just hold the
brake pedal down more firmly. Do not
pump the brake in a panic stop. This
will result in reduced braking performan-
ce.
The anti −lock brake system becomes op-
erative 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).
Brake system

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CAUTION
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
together with the brake system warn-
ing light, immediately stop your ve-
hicle at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely unsta-
ble during braking.
Either of the following conditions may
occur, but do not indicate a malfunc-
tion:
The light may stay on for about 60
seconds after the ignition key is turned
to the “ON” position. It is normal if it
turns off after a while.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if it
turns off after a few seconds.
DRUMINDISC TYPE PARKING BRAKE
SYSTEM
Your vehicle has a drum −in −disc type
parking brake system. This type of brake
system n eeds bedding −down of the brake
shoes periodically or whenever the parking
brake shoes and/or drums are replaced. Have your Toyota dealer perform the bed-
ding−
down.
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 145 in Sec-
tion 1 −6.
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.
Brake pad wear limit
indicators

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Ti r e relat ed ter m
Meaning
Accessory weight
the combined weight (in excess of those standard items which may be
replaced) of automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that these items
are available as factory
−installed equipment (whether installed or not)
Cold tire inflation pressure
tire inflation pressure when the vehicle has been parked for at least 3
hours or more, or it has not been driven more than 1.5 km or 1 mile
under that condition
Curb weight
the weight of a motor vehicle wi th standard equipment including the
maximum capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so equipped, air
conditioning and additional weight optional engine
Intended outboard sidewall
(A) the sidewall that contains a whitewall, bears white lettering or bears manufacturer, brand, and/or model name molding that is higher or
deeper than the same molding on th e other sidewall of the tire, or
(B) the outward facing sidewall of an asymmetrical tire that has a particular side that must always face outward when mounted on a vehicle
Maximum inflation pressurethe maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be inflated and it
is shown on the sidewall of the tire
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
t he sum of —
(a) curb weight;
(b) accessory weight;
(c) vehicle capacity weight; and
(d) production options weight
—Glossary of tire terminology

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Meaning
Normal occupant weight68 kg (150 lb.) times the number of occupants specified in the second
column of Table 1 that follows
Occupant distributiondistribution of occupants in a vehicle as specified in the third column of Table
1 that follows
Production options weight
the combined weight of those installed regular production options weighing
over 2.3 kg (5 lb.) in excess of those standard items which they replace,
not previously considered in curb weight or accessory weight, including
heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy duty battery, and special
trim
Recommended inflation pressurecold tire inflation pressure recommended by a manufacturer
Rima metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon which the tire beads
are seated
Rim diameter (Wheel diameter)nominal diameter of the bead seat
Rim size designationrim diameter and width
Rim type designationthe industry of manufacturer ’s designation for a rim by style or code
Rim widt hnominal distance between rim flanges
Vehicle capacity weight
(Total load capacity)the rated cargo and luggage load plus 68 kg (150 lb.) times the vehicle’s desig-
nated seating capacity
Vehicle maximum load on the tirethe load on an individual tire that is determined by distributing to each axle
its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight and dividing by two

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Before starting the engine, be sure to fol-
low the instructions in “(a) Before crank-
ing”.
Normal starting procedure
The multiport fuel injection system/sequen-
tial multiport fuel injection system in your
engine automatically controls the proper
air−fuel mixture for starting. You can start
a cold or hot engine as follows:
With your foot off the accelerator pedal,
turn the ignition key to “START” position,
then release it.
Engine should be warmed up by driving,
not in idle. For warming up, drive with
smoothly turning engine until engine cool-
ant temperature is within normal range.
If the engine stalls...
Simply restart it, using the correct proce-
dure given in normal starting.
If the engine will not start...
See “If your vehicle will not start” on page
330 in Section 4.NOTICE
 Do not race a cold engine.
 If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, have the
engine checked immediately.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharp− edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage such
as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy road. Other-
wise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and place the transmis-
sion in “P”. If necessary, block the
wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
(b) Starting the engine Tips for driving in various
conditions