TOYOTA TACOMA 2008 Owners Manual (in English)

141
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Lights and Wipers
Headlights and turn signals142
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Emergency flashers 144
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Instrument panel light control 144
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Front fog lights 145
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Interior light 145
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Personal lights 146
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Windshield wipers and washer 146
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SECTION 1 5

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS15001b
For the U.S.A.
LS15002b
For Canada
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate and
instrument panel lights
For Canada—The tail light indicator (green
light) on the instrument panel will tell you
that the tail lights are on.
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
above
For the U.S.A.—The headlight low beam
indicator light (green light) on the instru-
ment panel will tell you that the low
beams are on.
Automatic light cut off system
The lights automatically turn off when the
driver ’s door is opened with the engine
switch in the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
To turn them on again, turn the engine
switch to the “ON” position or actuate the
headlight switch.
If you are going to park for over one
week, make sure the headlight switch is
off.NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on
for a long period when the engine is
not running.
Headlights and turn signals

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
Daytime running light (DRL) system (on
some models)
The Daytime Running Light (DRL) system
can make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day. The
DRL system can be helpful in many differ-
ent driving conditions, but they can be
especially helpful in the short periods after
dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your front turn
signal lights come on when:
The engine switch is on with the en-
gine running.
The knob is in the “OFF” position or
position 1.
The parking brake is released.
To turn off the DRL system, twist the knob
to position 2 or turn the engine switch off.
LS15003b
HighLow beams— For high beams, turn
the headlights on and push the lever away
from you (position 1). Pull the lever to-
ward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will
tell you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)—Pull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with the knob turned to “OFF”.

LS15004b
TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The engine switch must be in the “ON”
position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal
bulb is burned out.

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS15005
To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn
other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traffic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as pos-
sible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat-
ing.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the switch on
longer than necessary when the en-
gine is not running.
LS15006
To adjust the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights, turn the dial.
Emergency flashersInstrument panel light control

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS15007
To turn on the front fog lights, push
the switch. They will come on when the
headlights are turned on.
LS15008a
To turn on the interior light, slide the
switch.
The interior light switch has the following
positions:
“ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
“OFF”—Turns the light off.
“DOOR”—Turns the light on when any
door is opened. The light goes off when
all the doors are closed.
To prevent the battery being discharged,
the light will automatically turn off when
the key is removed and the door is left
opened with the switch at the “DOOR”
position for 20 minutes or more.ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM
When the switch is in the “DOOR” posi-
tion and any door is opened, the light will
come on. After all the doors are closed,
the light remains on for about 15 seconds
before fading out.
However, in the following cases, the light
goes out immediately:
All the doors are closed when the en-
gine switch is in the “ACC” or “ON”
position.
The engine switch is turned to the
“ACC”, “ON” or “START” after all the
doors are closed.
All the doors are closed and locked
when the light is still on. (vehicles with
the power door lock system only)
Vehicles with the power door lock sys-
tem—
When all the doors are unlocked using
either the key or the wireless remote con-
trol transmitter simultaneously, the interior
light will come on and remain on for about
15 seconds before fading out.
Front fog lights Interior light

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS15009
To turn on the personal lights, push the
lens. To turn the lights off, push the
lens once again.
LS15010c
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The engine switch must be in the “ON”
position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
For a single sweep of the windshield,
push the lever up and release it. The “INT TIME” band lets you adjust the
wiping time interval when the wiper lever
is in the intermittent position (position 1).
Twist the band upward to increase the
time between sweeps, and downward to
decrease it.
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” on page 391 in
Section 7
−3.
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.
Personal lights Windshield wipers and washer
(type A)

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
When waxing your vehicle, make sure that
the washer nozzles do not become
blocked. If a nozzle becomes blocked,
contact your Toyota dealer to have the
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE
If a nozzle becomes blocked, do not
try to clear it with a pin or other
object. The nozzle will be damaged.
LS15011d
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The engine switch 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” on page 391 in
Section 7 −3. 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.
When waxing your vehicle, make sure that
the washer nozzles do not become
blocked. If a nozzle becomes blocked,
contact your Toyota dealer to have the
vehicle serviced.
NOTICE
If a nozzle becomes blocked, do not
try to clear it with a pin or other
object. The nozzle will be damaged.
Windshield wipers and washer
(type B)

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)

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2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Gauges, Meters and Service reminder indicators
Fuel gauge150
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Engine coolant temperature gauge 150
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Tachometer 151
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Odometer and two trip meters 151
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Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers 153
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SECTION 1 6

150
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS16001a
Low fuel
level
warning
light
The gauge indicates the approximate
quantity of fuel remaining in the tank
when the engine switch is on.
Nearly full—Needle at “F”
Nearly empty—Needle at “E”
It is a good idea to keep the tank over
1/4 full.
The needle moves when braking, acceler-
ating or making turns. This is caused by
the movement of the fuel in the tank.
If the fuel level approaches “E” or the low
fuel level warning light comes on, fill the
fuel tank as soon as possible.On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the fuel gauge
needle may fluctuate or the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
If the fuel tank is completely empty, the
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Fill
the fuel tank immediately.
The indicator lamp goes off after driving
several times. If the indicator lamp does
not go off, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible.
LS16002
The gauge indicates the engine coolant
temperature when the engine 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:
Fuel gauge
Engine coolant temperature
gauge