stop start TOYOTA SEQUOIA HYBRID 2023 Owner's Manual

1874-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
4
Driving
4-1.Before driving
■Starting the hybrid system
 P. 2 1 2
■Driving
1 With the brake pedal
depressed, shift the shift
lever to D.
2 If the parking brake is set,
release the parking brake.
( P.222)
If the parking brake is in automatic
mode, the parking brake is release
automatically when shifting the shift
lever to any position other than P.
( P.223)
3 Gradually release the brake
pedal and gently depress the
accelerator pedal to acceler-
ate the vehicle.
■Stopping
1 With the shift lever in D,
depress the brake pedal.
2 If necessary, set the parking
brake.
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an
extended period of time, shift the
shift lever to P. ( P.217)
■Parking the vehicle
1 With the shift lever in D,
depress the brake pedal to
stop the vehicle completely. 2
Set the parking brake
( P.222), and shift the shift
lever to P. ( P.217)
Check the parking brake indicator
is illuminated.
3 Turn the power switch to OFF
to stop the hybrid system.
4 Lock the door, making sure
that you have the electronic
key on your person.
If parking on a hill, block the wheels
as needed.
■Starting off on a steep
uphill
1 With the brake pedal
depressed, shift the shift
lever to D.
The hill-start assist control will be
activated.
2Pull the parking brake switch
and parking brake is set man-
ually. ( P.222)
3 Release the brake pedal and
gently depress the accelera-
tor pedal to accelerate the
vehicle.
4 Press the parking brake
switch and parking brake is
released manually. ( P.222)
Parking brake automatic release
function. (P.224)
■For fuel-efficient driving
Keep in mind that Hybrid Electric
Vehicle are similar to conventional
vehicles, and it is necessary to
refrain from activities such as sud-
den acceleration. ( P.396)
Driving the vehicle
The following procedures
should be observed to
ensure safe driving:
Driving procedure

1884-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining,
because visibility will be reduced,
the windows may become fogged-
up, and the road will be slippery.
●Drive carefully whe n it starts to
rain, because the road surface will
be especially slippery.
●Refrain from high speeds when
driving on an expressway in the
rain, because there may be a
layer of water between the tires
and the road surface, preventing
the steering and brakes from
operating properly.
■Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the
engine speed may become high
while driving.
This is due to automatic up-shifting
control or down-shifting implementa-
tion to meet driving conditions. It
does not indicate sudden accelera-
tion.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving
uphill or downhill
●When the accelerator pedal is
released
●When the brake pedal is
depressed while “TOW HAUL”
mode or “TOW+” mode is selected
■Restraining the hybrid system
output (Brake Override System)
●When the accelerator and brake
pedals are depressed at the same
time, the hybrid system output
may be restrained.
●A warning messag e is displayed
on the multi-information display
while the system is operating.
■Breaking in your new Toyota
To extend the life of the vehicle,
observing the following precautions
is recommended:
●For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.
●For the first 1000 miles (1600 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
■Operating your v ehicle in a for-
eign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle
registration laws and confirm the
availability of the correct fuel.
(  P.550)
WARNING
Observe the following precau-
tions.
Failure to do so may result in
death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the
brake pedal while stopped with
the “READY” indica tor is illumi-
nated. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamil-
iar with the location of the brake
and accelerator pedals to avoid
depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the
brake pedal will result in sudden
acceleration that may lead to an
accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to dif-
ficulty in operating the pedals.
Make sure to operate the pedals
properly.

1914-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
4
Driving
WARNING
●If the vehicle is stopped on an
incline, in order to prevent acci-
dents caused by the vehicle roll-
ing forward or backward, always
depress the brake pedal and
securely apply the parking
brake as needed.
●Avoid revving or racing the
engine.
Running the engine at high
speed while the vehicle is
stopped may cause the exhaust
system to overheat, which could
result in a fire if combustible
material is nearby.
■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 fol-
lowing:
• 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
glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray
over the interior of the vehicle,
and may also caus e a short cir-
cuit in the vehicle’s electrical
components.
●Do not leave cigarette lighters in
the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter
is in a place such as the glove
box or on the floor, it may be lit
accidentally when luggage is
loaded or the seat is adjusted,
causing a fire.
●Do not attach adhesive discs to
the windshield or windows. Do
not place containers such as air
fresheners on the instrument
panel or dashboard. Adhesive
discs or containers may act as
lenses, causing a fire in the
vehicle.
●Do not leave a door or window
open if the curved glass is
coated with a metallized film
such as a silver-colored one.
Reflected sunlight may cause
the glass to act a s a lens, caus-
ing a fire.
●Always apply the parking brake,
shift the shift lever to P, stop the
hybrid system and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave the vehicle
unattended while the hybrid
system is operating.
If the vehicle is parked with the
shift lever in P but the parking
brake is not set, the vehicle may
start to move, possibly leading
to an accident.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes
while the “READY” indicator is
illuminated or immediately after
turning the hybrid system off.
Doing so may cause burns.
●4WD models: If the shift lever is
moved before the “4L” indicator
turns on/off, the transfer mode
may not be shifted completely.
The transfer mode disengages
both the front and rear drivesh-
afts from the p owertrain and
allows the vehicle to move
regardless of the shift position.
(At this time, the indicator blinks
and the buzzer sounds.)
Therefore, the vehicle is free to
roll even if the automatic trans-
mission is in P. You or someone
else could be seriously injured.
You must complete the shifting
of the transfer mode. ( P.369)

2064-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_enCoupler
Trailer ball
Use the wire harness located in
the rear end of the vehicle.
The tow lighting system is
designed for 64 watts/5 amps of
electrical current per side (right
and left) for the trailer brake/turn
light functions.
Please contact your Toyota
dealer with any questions or
concerns.
■Auto current cut-off function
In case of over current, the auto cut-
off function stops the power flowing
to the trailer light s to prevent dam-
age to the vehicle’s electrical sys-
tem.
This function is ac tivated when the
rated current of any of the following
trailer light circu it components is
exceeded:
●Stop/turn signal light (right): maxi-
mum 5 A
●Stop/turn signal light (left): maxi-
mum 5 A
■When the auto current cut func-
tion is activated
If a trailer light does not come on
due to the activatio n of the auto cur-
rent cut function, the light system
will need to be reset.
Follow the reset p rocedure shown
below.
●If a tail light does not come on,
turn off the headlight switch.
●If the right-side stop/turn signal
light does not come on, put the
turn signal in the off position or
remove foot from the brake pedal.
●If the left-side stop/turn signal light
does not come on, put the turn
signal in the off position or remove
foot from the b rake pedal.
If the emergency flashers do not
operate, press the emergency
flasher switch to turn them off.
After the light system is reset, oper-
ate the light switches again to see if
the lights operate normally.
If the lights do not operate normally,
have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer.
■Trailer lights operation check
function
Use the meter control switches to
start the function. ( P. 9 8 )
1 Press or to select .
Connecting trailer lights

2074-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
4
Driving
2 Press or to select “Trailer
Light Check”, and then press
.
3 Press to start the trailer light
check.
The light check operates in the cycle
of Brake lights  Left turn lights 
Right turn lights.
■The trailer light check is opera-
tional when
The trailer light check operates
when all of the following conditions
are met:
●The vehicle is stopped.
●The shift lever is shifted to P.
1 Remove the clips. 2
Pull the lower edge of the
hitch cover toward you and
remove the 10 craws.
■When installing the cover
Be sure to install the 10 claws, and
install the clips.
If a height control system is
installed in your vehicle, you
have to connect and disconnect
your trailer more carefully.
 Connecting
1 Set the height control of elec-
tronically modulated air sus-
pension system to “N” mode.
2 Turn off the hybrid system, or
set the electronically modu-
lated air suspension system
to manual mode. ( P.363)
NOTICE
■Do not directly splice trailer
lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights.
Directly splicing trailer lights may
damage your vehicle’s electrical
system and cause a malfunction.
Removing hitch coverConnecting and discon-
necting a trailer (vehicles
with electronically modu-
lated air suspension)

2094-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
4
Driving
 Practice turning, stopping and
reversing with the trailer
attached in an area away
from traffic until you become
accustomed to the feel of the
vehicle-trailer combination.
 Reversing with a trailer
attached is difficult and
requires practice. Grip the
bottom of the steering wheel
and move your hand to the
left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the
right to move the trailer to the
right. (This is generally oppo-
site to reversing without a
trailer attached.) Avoid sharp
or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when
reversing to reduce the risk of
an accident.
 As stopping distance is
increased when towing a
trailer, vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance should be increased.
For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one
vehicle and trailer length.
 Avoid sudden braking as you
may skid, resulting in the
trailer jackknifing and a loss of
vehicle control. This is espe-
cially true on wet or slippery
surfaces.
 Avoid jerky starts or sudden
acceleration.
 Avoid jerky steering and
sharp turns, and slow down
before making a turn. 
Note that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels
to the inside of the turn. Com-
pensate by making a wider
than normal turning radius.
 Slow down before making a
turn, in crosswinds, on wet or
slippery surfaces, etc.
Increasing vehicle speed can
destabilize the trailer.
 Take care when passing other
vehicles. Passing requires
considerable distance. After
passing a vehicle, do not for-
get the length of your trailer,
and be sure you have plenty
of room before changing
lanes.
 Instability happens more fre-
quently when descending
steep or long downhill grades.
Before descending, slow
down and downshift. Do not
make sudden downshifts
while descending steep or
long downhill grades.
 Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the
brakes too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in
reduced braking efficiency.
 Due to the added load of the
trailer, your vehicle’s hybrid
system may overheat on hot
days (at temperatures over
85°F [30°C]) when driving up
a long or steep grade. If the

2104-1. Before driving
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates overheating,
immediately turn off the air
conditioning (if in use), pull
your vehicle off the road and
stop in a safe spot. (P.543)
 Always place wheel blocks
under both the vehicle’s and
the trailer’s wheels when
parking. Apply the parking
brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid park-
ing on a slope, but if unavoid-
able, do so only after
performing the following:
1 Apply the brakes and keep
them applied.
2 Have someone place wheel
blocks under both the vehi-
cle’s and trailer’s wheels.
3 When the wheel blocks are in
place, release the brakes
slowly until the blocks absorb
the load.
4 Apply the parking brake
firmly.
5 Shift into P and turn off the
hybrid system.
 When restarting after parking
on a slope:
1 With the transmission in P,
start the hybrid system. Be
sure to keep the brake pedal
pressed.
2 Shift into a forward gear. If
reversing, shift into R. 3
If the parking brake is in man-
ual mode, release the park-
ing brake. ( P.222)
4 Release the brake pedal, and
slowly pull or back away from
the wheel blocks. Stop and
apply the brakes.
5 Have someone retrieve the
blocks.
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped
with any new power train compo-
nents (such as an engine, transmis-
sion, transfer [4WD models], rear
differential or wheel bearing), Toyota
recommends that y ou do not tow a
trailer until the vehicle has been
driven for over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for
over 500 miles (800 km), you can
start towing. However, for the next
500 miles (800 km), drive the vehi-
cle at a speed of less than 50 mph
(80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and
avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle
will require more fr equent mainte-
nance due to the additional load.
(See “Owner’s Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet” or “Scheduled Main-
tenance Guide” / “Owner’s Manual
Supplement”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the
towing ball and bracket after
approximately 600 miles (1000
km) of tra iler towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds,
passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.)
can adversely affect handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing
instability.

2144-2. Driving procedures
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
1Stop the vehicle completely.
2 Set the parking brake
( P.222), and shift the shift
lever to P.
Check the parking brake indicator
is illuminated.
3 Press the power switch
shortly and firmly.
The hybrid system will stop, and the
meter display will be extinguished.
4Release the brake pedal and
check that “ACCESSORY” or
“IGNITION ON” is not shown
on the meter.
■Automatic hybrid system shut
off feature
●The vehicle is equipped with a
feature that automatically shuts off
the hybrid system when the shift
lever is in P with the hybrid system
operating for an extended period.
●The hybrid system will automati-
cally shut off after approximately 1
hour if it has been left running
while the shift lever is in P.
●The timer for the automatic hybrid
system shut off feature will reset if
the brake pedal is depressed or if
the shift lever is in a position other than P.
●After the vehicle
is parked, if the
door is locked with the door lock
switch ( P.118) from the inside or
the mechanical key ( P.114) from
the outside, the automatic hybrid
system shut off feature will be dis-
abled. The timer for the automatic
hybrid syste m shut off feature will
be re-enabled if the driver’s door
is opened.NOTICE
■Symptoms indicating a mal-
function with the power
switch
If the power switch seems to be
operating somewh at differently
than usual, such as the switch
sticking slightly, there may be a
malfunction. Contact your Toyota
dealer immediately.
Stopping the hybrid sys-
temWARNING
■Stopping the hybrid system
in an emergency
●If you want to stop the hybrid
system in an emergency while
driving the vehicle, press and
hold the power s witch for more
than 2 seconds, or press it
briefly 3 times or more in suc-
cession. ( P.502)
However, do not touch the
power switch while driving
except in an emergency. Turn-
ing the hybrid s ystem off while
driving will not cause loss of
steering or braking control, but
the power assist to these sys-
tems will be lost. This will make
it more difficult to steer and
brake, so you should pull over
and stop the vehicle as soon as
it is safe to do so.
●If the power switch is operated
while the vehicle is running, a
warning message will be shown
on the multi-information display
and a buzzer sounds.
●To restart the hybrid system
after performing an emergency
shutdown, shift the shift lever to
N and then pre ss the power
switch.

2174-2. Driving procedures
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
4
Driving
*1: Shifting to the D position allows the system to select a gear suit-
able for the driving conditions.
Setting the shift lever to the D
position is recommended for nor-
mal driving.
*2: Selecting shift ranges using S mode restricts the upper limit of
the possible gear ranges, con-
trols engine brak ing force, and
prevents unnecessary upshifting.
■Driving on a downhill
On declines, there may be case
where the vehicle shifts down auto-
matically to obtain engine braking.
As a result of the downshifting, the engine speed may increase.
■To protect the a
utomatic trans-
mission
●If the tires spin continually when
the vehicle becomes stuck in mud,
dirt or snow, or if the accelerator
pedal is depressed and released
repeatedly while driving, the auto-
matic transmission temperature
may become too high and the
automatic transmission may be
damaged.
To avoid damaging the automatic
transmission, the system may
temporarily lock the gear. If the
automatic transmission tempera-
ture falls, the gear locking is can-
celed and the automatic
transmission is returned to the
normal operation.
●If the automatic tr ansmission fluid
temperature is high, “Transmis-
sion Oil Temp. High Stop in a Safe
Place and See Owner’s Manual”
will be displayed on the multi-
information display. Immediately
stop the vehicle in a safe place,
shift the shift lever to P and wait
until the warning message go off.
If the warning message go off, you
may start the vehicle again. If the
warning message do not go off,
contact your Toyota dealer.
■When driving with dynamic
radar cruise control with full-
speed range activated
Even when perform ing the following
actions with the intent of enabling
engine braking, engine braking will
not activate because dynamic radar
cruise control with full-speed range
will not be canceled.
●While driving in S mode, down-
shifting to 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 or 4.
(  P.219)
■Restraining sudden start (Drive-
Start Control)
 P.193
Automatic transmis-
sion
Select the shift position
depending on your pur-
pose and situation.
Shift position purpose
and functions
Shift posi-
tionObjective or function
P
Parking the vehi-
cle/starting the hybrid system
RReversing
N
Neutral (Condition in
which the po wer is not
transmitted)
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2
(  P.219)

2184-2. Driving procedures
Owners Manual_USA_M0C043_en
■AI-SHIFT
The AI-SHIFT automatically selects
the suitable gear according to driver
operation and driving conditions.
AI-SHIFT automatically operates
when the shift lever is in D or S.
While the power switch is in
ON and the brake pedal
depressed
*, shift the shift lever
while pushing the shift release
button on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever while
pushing the shift release button on the shift knob.
Shift the shift lever normally.
When shifting the shift lever
between P and D, make sure that
the vehicle is completely stopped.
*: For the vehicle to be able to be shifted from P, the brake pedal
must be depressed before the
shift release button is pushed. If
the shift release button is pushed
first, the shift lock will not be
released.
■Shift lock system
The shift lock system is a system to
prevent accidental operation of the
shift lever in starting.
The shift lever can be shifted from P
only when the power switch is in
ON, the brake pedal is depressed
and the shift release button is
pushed.
■If the shift lever cannot be
shifted from P
First, check whether the brake pedal
is being depressed.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted
even though the brake pedal is
depressed and the shift release but-
ton is pushed, the re may be a prob-
lem with the shift lock system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your Toyota
dealer immediately.
The following steps may be used as
an emergency measure to ensure
that the shift lev er can be shifted.
Releasing the shift lock:
1 Set the parking brake.
2 Turn the power switch off.
3 Depress the brake pedal.
4 Pry the cover up with a flathead
screwdriver or equivalent tool.
To prevent damage to the cover,
cover the tip of the screwdriver
with a rag.
WARNING
■When driving on slippery
road surfaces
Do not accelerate or shift gears
suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine brak-
ing may cause the vehicle to spin
or skid, resulting in an accident.
Shifting the shift lever