TOYOTA TACOMA 2006 Owners Manual (in English)

1612006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
(o) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer acts as a reminder to remove
the key when you open the driver’s door
with the ignition key in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position.CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to “ON”, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light should
come on.
The following service reminder indica-
tors go off after a few seconds:
Engine oil replacement reminder light
“ABS” warning light
“VSC TRAC” warning light
“VSC OFF” indicator light
“AUTO LSD” indicator light
Low tire pressure warning light
Slip indicator light
Downhill assist control system indicator
light
The SRS warning light goes off after
about 6 seconds.
With the vehicle stability control sys-
tem—
There may be the case that the “ABS”
warning light (brake assist system
warning light), “VSC TRAC” warning
light, slip indicator light or “VSC OFF”
indicator light stay on for about 60 sec-
onds after the ignition key is turned to
the “ON” position. It is normal if they
go out after a while.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.

1622006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)

1632006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch164
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\
. . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 165
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Manual transmission 173
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Four −wheel drive system 175
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
Traction control system 179
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
“AUTO LSD” system 181
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . .
Vehicle stability control system 183
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Downhill assist control system 186
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hill −start assist control system 188
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear differential lock system 191
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tire pressure warning system 192
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake 199
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 199
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Clutch start cancel switch 202
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
SECTION 1 7

1642006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
LS17001a
“START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the “ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see page 297 in Section
3.
“ON”—Engine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
“ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position and open the driver’s
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.“LOCK”—Engine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn the key
from “ACC” to the “LOCK” position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be put in the “P”
position before pushing the key.
Vehicles with engine immobilizer system—
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobilizer system is automatically set. (See
“Engine immobilizer system” on page 15
in Section 1−
2.)
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the “LOCK” position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
Approximately five hours after the engine
is turned off, you may hear sound coming
from underneath the deck for several min-
utes. This is normal operation and does
not indicate a malfunction. (See “Leak
detection pump” on page x.)
It is not a malfunction if the needles on
all meters and gauges move slightly when
the key is turned to the “ACC”, “ON” or
“START” position.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the “ON”
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch

1652006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and key re-
moval
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (shifting into overdrive
possible)
4: Engine braking (shifting into overdrive
not possible)
3, 2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission (5speed)
LS17002
With the brake pedal depressed.
(The ignition switch must be in
“ON” position.)
Shift normally.

1662006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
(b) Normal driving1. 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 switch knob
is in “L4” (low −speed position, four −wheel
drive), the driving pattern selector setting
has no effect on gear shift timing. (See
“Four −wheel drive system” on page 175 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 use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. If the engine
coolant temperature is low or when the
front drive control switch knob is in “L4”
(low −speed position, four −wheel drive), the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even in the “D” position. (See
“Four −wheel drive system” on page 175 in
this Section for information of the front
drive control.)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.
(c) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Shift into the “4” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to fourth gear
and engine braking will be enabled.
Shift into the “3” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to third gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled. PreRunner 133 km/h (83 mph) . . . . . . Four
−wheel drive models
Front drive control switch knob at
“H2” or “H4” 133 km/h (83 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front drive control switch knob at
“L4” 51 km/h (32 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
PreRunner 88 km/h (55 mph) . . . . . . . . .
Four −wheel drive models
Front drive control switch knob at
“H2” or “H4” 88 km/h (55 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front drive control switch knob at
“L4”
34 km/h (21 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1672006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.
PreRunner 42 km/h (26 mph). . . . . . . . .
Four −wheel drive models
Front drive control switch knob at
“H2” or “H4” 42 km/h (26 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front drive control switch knob at
“L4” 16 km/h (10 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from “D” to “4”, engine braking
will not be enabled because the cruise
control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 199 in this
Section.CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin.
(d) Using “3”, “2” and “L” positions
The “3”, “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “3”, “2” or “L”,
you can start the vehicle in motion as
with the lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “3” or “2”, the
vehicle will start in first gear and automat-
ically shift to third gear or second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
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:
PreRunner
“3” 138 km/h (86 mph). . . . . . .
“2” 95 km/h (59 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 55 km/h (34 mph) . . . . . . . .
Fourwheel drive models Front drive control switch knob at
“H2” or “H4”—
“3” 138 km/h (86 mph) . . . . . . .
“2” 95 km/h (59 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 55 km/h (34 mph) . . . . . . . .
Front drive control switch knob at
“L4”— “3” 54 km/h (33 mph) . . . . . . . .
“2” 37 km/h (23 mph) . . . . . . . .
“L” 21 km/h (13 mph) . . . . . . . .

1682006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“3”, “2” or “L” position. This may
cause severe automatic transmis-
sion damage from overheating. To
prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or
hard towing.(e) 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.
(f) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down, fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
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.
(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between fourth gear and
overdrive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “4” posi-
tion. Be sure to shift the selector lever
to the “D” position immediately after-
ward.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use “D” position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.

1692006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
(h) If you cannot shift the selector le-ver out of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the “P” position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see “If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 337 in Section 4.

1702006 TACOMA from Jan.’06 Prod. (OM35871U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and key re-
moval
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (shifting into overdrive
possible)
3: Engine braking (shifting into overdrive
not possible)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission (4speed)
LS17003
With the brake pedal de-
pressed (The ignition switch
must be in “ON” position.)
Shift normally.