ABS TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2012 N280 / 5.G Owners Manual

198 2-2. Instrument cluster
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CAUTION
■If a safety system warning light does not come on
Should a safety system light such as the ABS or SRS warning light not come
on when you start the engine, this could mean that these systems are not
available to help protect you in an accident, which could result in death or
serious injury. Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately
if this occurs.

224 2-4. Using other driving systems
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■Sensor detection information
● Certain vehicle conditions and the surrounding environment may affect
the ability of a sensor to correctly detect an obstacle. Particular instances
where this may occur are listed below.
• There is dirt, snow or ice on a sensor.
• A sensor is frozen.
• A sensor is covered in any way.
• The vehicle is leaning considerably to one side.
• On an extremely bumpy road, on an incline, on gravel, or on grass
• The vicinity of the vehicle is noisy due to vehicle horns, motorcycle
engines, air brakes of large vehicles, or other loud noises producing
ultrasonic waves.
• There is another vehicle equipped with parking assist sensors in the vicinity.
• A sensor is coated with a sheet of spray or heavy rain.
• A bumper or sensor receives a strong impact.
• The vehicle is approaching a tall or right-angled curb.
• In harsh sunlight or intense cold weather
• A non-genuine Toyota suspension (lowered suspension etc.) is installed.
In addition to the examples above, there are instances in which, because of
their shape, signs and other objects may be judged by a sensor to be closer
than they are.
● The shape of the obstacle may prevent a sensor from detecting it. Pay
particular attention to the following obstacles:
• Wires, fences, ropes, etc.
• Cotton, snow and other materials that absorb sound waves
• Sharply-angled objects
• Low obstacles
• Tall obstacles with upper sections projecting outwards in the direction
of your vehicle

249
2-4. Using other
driving systems
2
When driving
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Using the rear differential lock system
Before using the rear differential lock system:
Stop the vehicle, shift the shift lever to N and shift the front-
wheel drive control lever into L4 to see if this is sufficient. If
this has no effect, additionally use the rear differential lock
system.
Be sure the wheels have stopped spinning.
Press the rear differential lock switch.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
After the rear differential is locked, the indicator will come on.
Unlock the rear differential as soon as the vehicle moves.
To unlock the rear differential, press the switch again.
■ Locking the rear differential
The following systems do not operate when the rear differential is locked. It
is normal operation for the ABS warni ng light and VSC off indicator to be on
at this time.
•ABS
• Multi Terrain ABS
• Brake assist system
•VSC
• Hill-start assist control
■ The rear differential lock is disengaged when
The front-wheel drive control lever is shifted to H2 or H4.
Never forget to turn off the switch after using this feature.
■ After unlocking the rear differential
Check that the indicator goes off.
■ If the rear differential lock indicator flashes rapidly
There may be a malfunction in the rear differential lock system. Have the
vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4

266
2-4. Using other driving systems
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Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following sys-
tems operate automatically in res ponse to various driving situations.
Be aware, however, that these systems are supplementary and
should not be relied upon too h eavily when operating the vehicle.
■ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the brakes are applied suddenly, or if
the brakes are applied while driving on a slippery road surface
■Multi Terrain ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) (if equipped)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the brakes are applied suddenly, or if
the brakes are applied while driving on a slippery road surface, or in off-
road conditions (such as rough roads, sand and mud)
The Multi Terrain ABS operates in syn chronization with the Multi-terrain
Select.
■ Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake pedal is
depressed when the system detects a panic stop situation
■VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning
on slippery road surfaces
■TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power and prevent the drive wheels from spin-
ning when starting the vehicle or accelerating on slippery roads
■Hill-start assist control (if equipped)
Helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling backward when starting on an
incline or slippery slope
■LSD (Limited Slip Differential) (if equipped)
Transfers drive power to the rear tires when front tires spin, and vice
versa, in order to improve traction

272 2-4. Using other driving systems
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■When the “TRAC OFF” indicator li ght comes on even if the VSC off
switch has not been pressed
TRAC, hill-start assist control, downhill assist control and Crawl Control can-
not be operated. Contact your Toyota dealer.
■ Hill-start assist control operation conditions
● The shift lever is in D or S.
● The brake pedal is not depressed.
● The rear differential is unlocked (if equipped).
■ If the brake system overheats
The hill-start assist control will cease operation and a buzzer will sound to
alert the driver. At this time, the “TRAC OFF” indicator will come on. Stop the
vehicle in a safe place. (There is no problem with continuing with normal
driving.)
The system will be automatically restored after a short time.
■ Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, Multi Terrain ABS (if
equipped), brake assist, VSC, TRAC and hill-start assist control (if
equipped) systems
● A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the engine is
started or just after the vehicle begins to move. This sound does not indi-
cate that a malfunction has occurred in any of these systems.
● Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are
operating. None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
• The brake pedal may pulsate slightly after the ABS or Multi Terrain
ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly after the ABS or Multi Terrain ABS is activated.
■ Reactivation of the TRAC/VSC systems after turning off the engine
Turning off the engine after turning off the TRAC/VSC systems will automati-
cally reactivate them.

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2-4. Using other
driving systems
2
When driving
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■Reactivation of the VSC system linked to vehicle speed (2WD models)
When the TRAC system is turned off and the AUTO LSD system is turned
on, the VSC system will turn on when vehicle speed increases. However,
when the TRAC and VSC systems are turned off, the systems will not turn
on even when vehicle speed increases.
■ Reactivation of the TRAC/VSC systems (4WD models)
If the TRAC/VSC systems are turned off, the systems will not turn on even
when vehicle speed increases.
CAUTION
■The ABS and Multi Terrain ABS do not operate effectively when
● Tires with inadequate gripping ability are used (such as excessively worn
tires on a snow covered road).
● The vehicle hydroplanes while driving at high speed on wet or slick roads.
■ Stopping distance when the ABS or Multi Terrain ABS is operating may
exceed that of normal conditions
The ABS and Multi Terrain ABS are not designed to shorten the vehicle’s
stopping distance. Always maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front
of you in the following situations:
● When driving on dirt, gravel or snow-covered roads
● When driving with tire chains
● When driving over bumps in the road
● When driving over roads with potholes or roads with uneven surfaces
■ TRAC may not operate effectively when
Directional control and power may not be achievable while driving on slip-
pery road surfaces, even if the TRAC system is operating.
Do not drive the vehicle in conditions where stability and power may be lost.
■ Hill-start assist control does not operate effectively when
Do not overly rely on the hill-start assist control. The hill-start assist control
may not operate effectively on steep inclines and roads covered with ice.

274 2-4. Using other driving systems
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CAUTION
■When the VSC is activated
The slip indicator light flashes. Always drive carefully.
Reckless driving may cause an accident. Exercise particular care when the
indicator light flashes.
■ When TRAC/VSC systems are turned off
Be especially careful and drive at a speed appropriate to the road condi-
tions. As these are systems to ensure vehicle stability and driving force, do
not turn the TRAC/VSC systems off unless necessary.
■ Replacing tires
Make sure that all tires are of the specified size, brand, tread pattern and
total load capacity. In addition, make sure that the tires are inflated to the
recommended tire inflation pressure level.
The ABS, Multi Terrain ABS and VSC will not function correctly if different
tires are fitted on the vehicle.
Contact your Toyota dealer for further information when replacing tires or
wheels.
■ Handling of tires and the suspension
Using tires with any kind of problem or modifying the suspension will affect
the driving assist systems, and may cause a system to malfunction.

305
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
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●
Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the
trailer’s wheels when parking. Ap ply the parking brake firmly, and
put the transmission in P. Avoid pa rking on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after performing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blo cks under both the vehicle’s
and trailer’s wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in pl ace, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
● When restarting after parking on a slope:
With the transmission in P, start the engine. Be sure to keep
the brake pedal pressed.
Shift into a forward gear. If reversing, shift into R.
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or
back away from the wheel blocks. Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4

380 3-2. Using the audio system
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Party mode switchYou can switch the sounds quality types by pressing the switch.
Base mode
Party mode
In party mode, the sound volume
from the speakers on the back
door is bigger than in base mode.
(The output from the speakers on
the rear doors will be transferred
to the back door speakers.)
CTH32AS048
■Trademark owned by SRS Labs, Inc. (type B, C and Display Audio)
The audio systems utilize SRS FOCUS
® and SRS TruBass® audio
enhancement technologies, under license from SRS Labs, Inc., in all modes
except AM radio mode.
FOCUS, TruBass, SRS and
symbols are trademarks of SRS Labs,
Inc.
FOCUS and TruBass technologies are incorporated under license from
SRS Labs, Inc.
TruBass
® enhances the perception of bass frequencies to provide deep, rich
bass response from any size speaker.
SRS FOCUS
® raises the audio image from non-optimally placed speakers
up to the natural listening height at ear level.

529
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
4RUNNER_U
■
Brake fluid can absorb moisture from the air
Excess moisture in the brake fluid can cause a dangerous loss of braking
efficiency. Use only newly opened brake fluid.
CAUTION
■When filling the reservoir
Take care as brake fluid can harm your hands and eyes and damage painted
surfaces.
If fluid gets on your hands or in your eyes, flush the affected area with clean
water immediately.
If you still experience discomfort, see a doctor.
NOTICE
■If the fluid level is low or high
It is normal for the brake fluid level to go down slightly as the brake pads
wear out or when the fluid level in the accumulator is high.
If the reservoir needs frequent refilling, there may be a serious proble\
m.