brake TOYOTA MATRIX 2009 E140 / 2.G User Guide

102 2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
●Vehicles with an automatic transmission: Always keep a foot on the brake
pedal while the engine is running to prevent an accident caused by the
vehicle moving.
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in
the vehicle when it is in the sun. Doing so may result in the following.
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a
fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and
plastic material of eye glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the
interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehi-
cle's electrical components.
●Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to P (vehicles with an
automatic transmission), stop the engine and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the engine is running.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipe while the engine is running or immediately
after turning the engine off. Doing so may cause burns.
●Do not leave the engine running in an area with snow build-up, or where it
is snowing. If snowbanks build up around the vehicle while the engine is
running, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle. This may lead
to death or a serious health hazard.
■Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmful carbon monoxide (CO) that is colorless and
odorless. Inhaling exhaust gases may lead to death or a serious health haz-
ard.
●If the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area, stop the engine. In a closed
area, such as a garage, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle.
This may lead to death or a serious health hazard.
●The exhaust should be checked occasionally. If there is a hole or crack
caused by corrosion, damage to a joint or abnormal exhaust noise, be
sure to have the vehicle inspected and repaired by your Toyota dealer.
Failure to do so may allow exhaust gases to enter the vehicle, resulting in
death or a serious health hazard.

103 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, you may accidentally move the shift
lever or depress the accelerator pedal, which could cause an accident or fire
due to engine overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly
ventilated area, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle, leading to
death or a serious health hazard.
■When braking the vehicle
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously. Braking distance
increases when the brakes are wet, and may cause one side of the vehicle
to brake differently than the other side. Also the parking brake may not
securely hold the vehicle.
●If the power brake assist function does not operate, do not follow other
vehicles closely and avoid downhills or sharp turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but it will require more force on the
pedal than usual. Braking distance may also increase.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted
brakes.
●The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems: If one of the
systems fails, the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal
should be depressed more firmly than usual and braking distance
becomes longer.
Do not drive your vehicle with only a single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck or bogged (AWD models)
Do not spin the wheels recklessly when any of the tires is up in the air, or
stuck in sand or mud, etc. This may damage the drive system components
or propel the vehicle forward (or in another direction) and cause an accident.

104 2-1. Driving procedures
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
Manual transmission
●Do not shift gears unless the clutch pedal is fully depressed. After shifting,
do not release the clutch abruptly. Doing so may damage the clutch, tran-
saxle and gears.
●Do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving.
Doing so may cause clutch trouble.
●Do not use any gears other than the first gear when starting off and mov-
ing forward.
Doing so may damage the clutch.
●Do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle when stopping on an uphill grade.
Doing so may damage the clutch.
●Do not shift into reverse when the vehicle is still moving. Doing so may
damage the clutch, transaxle and gears.
Automatic transmission
Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake ped-
als together to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■When parking the vehicle (vehicles with an automatic transmission)
Always put the shift lever in P. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to
move or the vehicle may accelerate suddenly if the accelerator pedal is acci-
dentally depressed.
■Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for a
long time. Doing so may damage the power steering motor.
●When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid
damaging the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.

105 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
NOTICE
■If you hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible.
Rotor damage can result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads
and/or those of the brake discs are exceeded.
■If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering
wheel firmly and gradually press the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
●The vehicle will make abnormal sounds.
●The vehicle will behave abnormally.
Replace a flat tire with a new one. (→P. 365)
■When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded after heavy rain etc. Doing so may
cause the following serious damage to the vehicle.
●Engine stalling
●Short in electrical components
●Engine damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be
sure to have your Toyota dealer check the following.
●Brake function
●Changes in quantity and quality of engine oil, and transaxle fluid etc.
●Lubricant condition for the bearings and suspension joints (where possi-
ble) and the function of all joints, bearings, etc.

106
2-1. Driving procedures
Engine (ignition) switch
■Starting the engine
Automatic transmission
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is set in P.
Sit in the driver’s seat and firmly depress the brake pedal.
Turn the engine switch to the “START” position and start
the engine.
1.8 L 4-cylinder (2ZR-FE) engine: The engine will crank until it
starts or for up to 25 seconds, whichever is less. If you turn the
engine switch, the engine will keep cranking for about 30 seconds
maximum.
Continue depressing the brake pedal until the engine is com-
pletely started.
Manual transmission
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is set in N.
Firmly depress the clutch pedal.
Turn the engine switch to the “START” position and start
the engine.
1.8 L 4-cylinder (2ZR-FE) engine: The engine will crank until it
starts or for up to 25 seconds, whichever is less. If you turn the
engine switch, the engine will keep cranking for about 30 seconds
maximum.
Continue depressing the brake pedal until the engine is com-
pletely started.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP1
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STEP3
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110
2-1. Driving procedures
Automatic transmission (if equipped)
Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■Shifting the shift lever
Standard type
Multi-mode type
While the engine switch is in the “ON” position, depress the
brake pedal and move the shift lever.

118
2-1. Driving procedures
Parking brake
NOTICE
■Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components
overheating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake
wear.
Sets the parking brake
Fully set the parking brake
while depressing the brake
pedal.
Releases the parking brake
Slightly raise the lever and
lower it completely while press-
ing the button.
U.S.A. Canada

126 2-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Turning on the high beam headlights
With the headlights on, push
the lever forward to turn on the
high beams.
Pull the lever back to the center
position to turn the high beams
off.
Pull the lever toward you to
turn on the high beams.
Release the lever to turn them off.
You can flash the high beams
with the headlights on or off.
■Daytime running light system
To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers, the headlights turn on
automatically whenever the engine is started and the parking brake is
released.
The brightness of headlights will automatically change depending on the
darkness of the surroundings. The other exterior lights and instrument panel
lights automatically turn on or off.
■Daytime running light system sensor
The sensor may not function properly if
an object is placed on the sensor, or any-
thing that blocks the sensor is affixed to
the windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor
detecting the level of ambient light and
may cause the daytime running light sys-
tem to malfunction.

133 2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
■Cruise control can be set when
●Automatic transmission:
The shift lever is in D or 3 (standard type), or in D, 4 or 5 range of S
(multi-mode type).
●Vehicle speed is above 25 mph (40 km/h).
■Accelerating
The vehicle can be accelerated normally.
■Canceling and resuming regular acceleration
Cancel
Pull the lever towards you to
cancel cruise control.
The speed setting is also can-
celed when the brakes are
applied or the clutch pedal
(manual transmission) is
depressed.
Resume
To resume cruise control and
return to the set speed, push
the lever up.

135
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
Driving assist systems
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following sys-
tems operate automatically in response to various driving situations.
Be aware, however, that these systems are supplementary and
should not be relied upon too heavily when operating the vehicle.
■ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Restrains the vehicle from slipping when driving on slick road surfaces
or in the event of sudden braking.
■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) (if equipped)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning
on slippery road surfaces.
■TRAC (Traction Control) (if equipped)
Maintains drive power and prevents the front wheels from spinning
when starting the vehicle or accelerating on slippery roads.
■EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to turn
the steering wheel.
■Active torque control 4WD system (if equipped)
Automatically switches from front-wheel drive to AWD (All-Wheel Drive)
according to driving conditions, helping to ensure reliable handling and
stability. Examples of conditions where the system will switch to AWD
are when cornering, going uphill, starting off or accelerating, and when
the road surface is slippery due to snow or rain etc.