TOYOTA TACOMA 1996 Owners Manual

Part 9Reporting safety defects for U.S. ownersUniform tire quality grading(except vehicles with 31 x 10.5R
15LT tires)
187
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS FOR U.S. OWNERS, UNIFORMTIRE GRADING ANDCAMPER
INFORMATION
Reporting safety defects for U.S. owners
Uniform tire quality grading
Camper information
If you believe that your vehicle has
a defect which could cause a crash
or could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (Toll-free: 1- 800-331-4331).
If NHTSA receives similar
complaints, it may open an
investigation, and if it finds that a
safety defect exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involvedin individual problems between
you, your dealer, or Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline
toll-free at 1-800-424-9393 (or
366-0123 in Washington D.C.
area) or write to: NHTSA. U.S.
Department of Transportation.
Washington D.C. 20590. You can
also obtain other information
about motor vehicle safety from
the Hotline.
This
information has been prepared in ac-
cordance with regulations issued by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration of the U.S. Department of Trans-
portation. It provides the purchasers and/
or prospective purchasers of Toyota
vehicles with information on uniform tire
quality grading.
Your Toyota dealer will help answer any
questions you may have as you read this information.
DOT quality gradesÐAll passenger
vehicle tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition tothese grades. These quality grades are
molded on the sidewall.
Treadwear ÐThe treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the wear
rate of the tire when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and a half
(1-1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from thenorm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.

188Traction A, B, C
ÐThe traction grades,
from highest to lowest, are A, B, and C,
and they represent the tire's ability to stop
on wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified govern-
ment test surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. A tire marked C may have poor trac-
tion performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking (straight
ahead) traction tests and does not include
cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature A, B, C ÐThe temperature
grades are A (the highest), B, and C, rep-
resenting the tire's resistance to the gen-
eration of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled condi- tions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to degener- ate and reduce tire life, and excessive
temperature can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure. The grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car tires
must meet under the Federal Motor Ve-
hicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B
and A represent higher levels of perfor-mance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law. Warning: The temperature grade for this
tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or excessive load- ing, either separately or in combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tirefailure. This
information has been prepared in ac-
cordance with regulation issued by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration of the U.S. Department of Trans-
portation. It provides the purchasers and/
or prospective purchasers of Toyota
vehicles with information on truck-camp-
er loading. Your Toyota dealer will help an-
swer any questions you may have as you
read this information.
Camper informationÐ

189
AB
Two-wheel
drive models
Normal cab models 1397 mm 838 mm 55.0 in. 33.0 in.
Xtra-cab models 2RZ-FE engine 1397 mm 1016 mm 55.0 in. 33.0 in.
5VZ-FE engine 1193 mm 1066 mm 47.0 in. 42.0 in.
Four-wheel
drive models 1397 mm 838 mm
55.0 in. 33.0 in. The figures given in the illustration indi-
cate the recommended center of gravity zone.
CAUTION
If a load is too far back, it can cause
dangerous handling. If it is too far
forward, the front axle may be over-loaded.!
Cargo weight rating
Two-wheel drive models Normal cab modelsWith 2 occupants 500 kg (1100 lb.)
With 3 occupants 430 kg (950 lb.)
Xtra-cab models With 2 occupants 500 kg (1100 lb.)
With 3 occupants 430 kg (950 lb.)
With 5 occupants 295 kg (650 lb.)
ÐCargo weight rating and
proper matching
ÐCenter of gravity location

190Four-wheel drive models
Normal cab models
With 2 or 3 occupants 500 kg (1100 lb.)
Xtra-cab models With 2 or 3 occupants 500 kg (1100 lb.)
With 5 occupants 317 kg (700 lb.) When the truck is used to carry a slide-in
camper, the total cargo load of the truck
consists of the manufacturer's camper
weight figure,
the weight of installed addi-
tional camper equipment not included in
the manufacturer's camper weight figure,
the weight of camper cargo, and the
weight of passengers in the camper.
The total cargo load should not exceed
the truck's cargo weight rating and the
camper 's center of gravity should fall with-
in the truck's recommended center of
gravity zone when installed.
CAUTION
Be carefulÐoverloading can cause
dangerous braking and handling
problems, and can damage your ve-
hicle and its tires.!
Secure loose items to prevent weight
shifts that could affect the balance of your
vehicle. When the truck camper is loaded, drive to a scale and weigh on the front and
on the rear wheels separately to deter-
mine axle loads. Individual axle loads
should not exceed either of the Gross
Axle Wei ght Ratings (GAWR). The total of
the axle loads should not exceed the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
The GAWR and GVWR are indicated on
the Certification Label. See Your T oyota's
identificationº in Part 2 for the Certification
Label location.
ÐGross axle and vehicle weight ratings

191
GAWR
Two-wheel drive modelsFront 1000 kg (2200 lb.)
Rear 1135 kg (2500 lb.)
Four-wheel drive models Front 1200 kg (2650 lb.)
Rear 1270 kg (2800 lb.) GVWR
Two-wheel drive models
Normal cab models1920 kg (4250 lb.)
Xtra-cab models 2040 kg(4500 lb.)
Four-wheel drive models 3RZ-FE engine 2270 kg(5000 lb.)
5VZ-FE engine 2315 kg(5100 lb.)
If weight ratings are exceeded, shift or re- move items to bring all weights below theratings.

192