tow TOYOTA TACOMA 2003 Owners Manual (in English)

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CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following.
Before you close the power win-
dows, always make sure there is
nobody around the power windows.
You must also make sure the
heads, hands and other parts of the
bodies of all occupants are kept
completely inside the vehicle. If
someone’s neck, head or hands get
caught in a closing window, it
could result in a serious injury.
When anyone closes the power win-
dows, make sure he or she oper-
ates the windows safely.
When small children are in the ve-
hicle, never let them use the power
window switches without supervi-
sion. Use the window lock switch to
prevent them from making unex-
pected use of the switches.
Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the power window switches and
get trapped in a window. Unat-
tended children can be involved in
serious accidents.
To open the quarter window, pull the
latch handle toward you and swing it
fully out.
When closing the window, make sure it is
completely closed.
Quarter windows
(xtracab models)

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To unlock the rear window, pull the
latch handle toward you.
When closing the window, make sure it is
completely closed.To open the tailgate, pull the handle up.
The support cables will hold the tailgate
horizontal.
See “Luggage stowage precautions” in
Section 2 for precautions in loading lug-
gage.
After closing the tailgate, try pulling it to-
ward you to make sure it is securely
locked.
NOTICE
Avoid driving with the tailgate open.
To lower the tailgate fully, release the
support brackets from the lugs as
shown above.
NOTICE
Lower the tailgate gently when it is
unhooked.
 Make sure the tailgate is securely
caught by the support brackets be-
fore closing the tailgate.
Rear window Tailgate

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1. Type A—To open the fuel filler door, pull the
door toward out as shown.
Ty p e B —
To open the fuel filler door, insert
the key and turn it counterclockwise.
When refueling, turn off the engine.
CAUTION
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames when refueling.
The fumes are flammable.
When opening the cap, do not re-
move the cap quickly. In hot weath-
er, fuel under pressure could cause
injury by spraying out of the filler
neck if the cap is suddenly re-
moved.
Do not fill a fuel container on a
plastic truck bed liner, a rubber
truck bed mat, or any other insulat-
ing material. A static electricity
charge could cause a spark and fire
hazard. The proper procedure is to
place an approved fuel container on
the ground away from the truck for
filling.
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Ty p e C
2. To remove the fuel tank cap, turnthe cap slowly counterclockwise,
then pause slightly before removing
it. After removing the cap, hang it
on the cap hanger (type A and C) or
hook it on the inside of the fuel
filler door (type B).
It is not unusual to hear a slight swoosh
when the cap is opened. When insta lling,
turn the cap clockwise till you hear a
click.
If the cap is not tightened securely, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on.
Make sure the cap is tightened securely.

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Pull the seatback lock release lever and
fold down the seatback.
Hold the lever until you have swung the
seatback forward slightly.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, observe the follow-
ing precautions in order to prevent
personal injury in a collision or sud-
den stop:
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
Failure to do so will prevent the
seat belt from operating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.To raise the bottom cushion, pull it up.
To lower the bottom cushion, push it
down.
See “Luggage stowage precautions” in
Section 2 for precautions in loading lug-
gage.
CAUTION
When returning the bottom cushion to
its original position, make sure the
seat belts are not twisted or caught
under the bottom cushion and are ar-
ranged in their proper position and
are ready to use.
—Folding seatback
(regular cab models)Swingup jump seats
(xtracab models)

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To release the belt, press the bucklere-
lease button.The buckles can be fixed when not in
use.
When taking out the buckle from the hold-
er, pull on the belt webbing to remove the
buckle from the lower portion.If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer so
that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available
at your Toyota dealer.CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following precautions.
Failure to follow these instructions
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seat belt restraint system in case of
vehicle accident, increasing the
chance of personal injury.
Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt without
it.
—Stowing the rear seat
buckles (xtracab models)
—Seat belt extender

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CAUTION
When using the lower anchorages
for the child restraint system, be
sure that there are no irregular ob-
jects around the anchorages or that
the seat belt is not caught.
Push and pull the child restraint
system in different directions to be
sure it is secure. Follow all the
installation instructions provided by
its manufacturer.
After securing the child restraint
system, never recline the seat.
Do not install a child restraint sys-
tem on the rear seat if it interferes
with the lock mechanism of the
front seats. This can cause death or
serious injury to the child and front
passenger in case of sudden brak-
ing or a collision.
To change the steering wheel angle:
Hold the steering wheel, pull the lock
release lever toward you, tilt the steer-
ing wheel to the desired angle and re-
lease the lever.
When the steering wheel is in a low posi-
tion, it will spring up as you release the
lock release lever.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so may cause the driver to mishan-
dle the vehicle and an accident may
occur resulting in death or serious
injuries.
After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down to make
sure it is locked in position.
Tilt steering wheel

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To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you and release it.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” in Section 73.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the “ON” position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Slow
Position 2Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it.
To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you and release it.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see “Adding washer fluid” in Section 73. In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch the
glass.
Windshield wipers and washer
(mist type)

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The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the ignition switch is
on. The engine operating temperature
will vary with changes in weather and
engine load.
If the needle moves into the red zone,
your engine is too hot. If your vehicle
overheats, stop your vehicle and allow the
engine to cool.
Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stopandgo traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” in Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
Tachometer

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(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The “O/D OFF” indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The “O/D OFF” indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will be on automatically.Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by pushing and
releasing the overdrive switch, engine
braking will not be enabled because the
cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” in this section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” in Section 3. The
transmission must be in “P” or “N”.
When the front drive control lever is in
“L4” (lowspeed position, fourwheel
drive), the driving pattern selector setting
has no effect on gear shift timing. (See
“Fourwheel drive system” in this section
for information of the front drive control
lever.)
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc. Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low or
when the front drive control lever is in
“L4” (lowspeed position, fourwheel
drive), the transmission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even with the overdrive
on. (See “Fourwheel drive system” in this
section for information of the front drive
control lever.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.

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NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
Twowheel drive models except Pre
Runner 2RZFE engine “2” 122 km/h (75 mph) . . . . . . .
“L” 64 km/h (39 mph) . . . . . . . .
Fourwheel drive models Front drive control lever in “H2” or
“H4”—
3RZFE engine“2” 113 km/h (70 mph) . . . . . . .
“L” 62 km/h (38 mph) . . . . . . . .
5VZFE engine “2” 119 km/h (73 mph) . . . . . . .
“L” 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . . . .
Front drive control lever in “L4”—
3RZFE engine“2” 44 km/h (27 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 24 km/h (14 mph) . . . . . . . .
5VZFE engine “2” 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 25 km/h (16 mph) . . . . . . . .
Pre Runner models
3RZFE engineRegular cab“2” 119 km/h (73 mph) . . . . .
“L” 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . .
Xtracab and double cab “2” 113 km/h (70 mph) . . . . .
“L” 62 km/h (38 mph) . . . . . .
5VZFE engine “2” 119 km/h (73 mph) . . . . . . .
“L” 65 km/h (40 mph) . . . . . . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing for a
long time in the “2” or “L” posi-
tion. This may cause severe auto-
matic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such dam-
age, use “D” position for hill climb-
ing or hard towing.(f) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(g) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Pull the parking brake lever fully to securely apply the parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down, shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.