four wheel drive TOYOTA TACOMA 2008 (in English) User Guide

178
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
If the indicator continues to blink even if
doing so, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible. There may be a trouble
in the four−wheel drive system.
CAUTION
Never operate the front drive control
switch knob if the wheels are slip-
ping. Stop the slipping or spinning
before operating.
SHIFTING BETWEEN “H2” AND “H4”
To shift from “H2” to “H4”, reduce the
vehicle speed to less than 100 km/h (62
mph) and turn the front drive control
switch knob fully clockwise.
If the four −wheel drive indicator light con-
tinues to blink when you operate the front
drive control switch knob from the “H2” to
the “H4” position, this reminds you that
the transfer mode is not securely in “H4”
mode. Drive straight ahead while acceler-
ating or decelerating.
If the four −wheel drive indicator light con-
tinues to blink and the buzzer sounds
when you operate the front drive control
switch knob from the “H2” to the “H4”
position, this reminds you that the transfer
mode is not in “H4” mode. Stop the ve-
hicle or reduce the vehicle speed to less
than 100 km/h (62 mph). Operate the
switch knob again.
CAUTION
Never operate the front drive control
switch knob if the wheels are slip-
ping. Stop the slipping or spinning
before operating.
To shift from “H4” to “H2”, turn the
front drive control switch knob fully coun-
terclockwise.
This can be done at any speed.
If the four −wheel drive indicator light con-
tinues to blink when you operate the front
drive control switch knob from the “H4” to
the “H2” position, this reminds you that
the transfer mode is not securely in “H2”
mode. Drive straight ahead while acceler-
ating or decelerating, or drive forward or
backward in a short distance.
If the indicator light continues to blink
even if doing so, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible. There may be
a trouble in the four −wheel drive system.
CAUTION
Never operate the front drive control
switch knob if the wheels are slip-
ping. Stop the slipping or spinning
before operating.
(c) Shifting procedure (with
automatic transmission)

179
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
SHIFTING BETWEEN “H4” AND “L4”
To shift from “H4” to “L4”.
(1) Bring the vehicle to a complete stopwith the brake pedal held down with
your foot.
(2) Shift the automatic transmission selec- tor lever into “N”.
(3) Push and turn the front drive control switch knob fully clockwise.
If the four −wheel drive indicator light
flashes and the buzzer sounds, try the
above steps again.
To shift from “L4” to “H4”.
(1) Bring the vehicle to a complete stop with the brake pedal held down with
your foot.
(2) Shift the automatic transmission selec- tor lever into “N”.
(3) Turn the front drive control switch knob counterclockwise.
If the four −wheel drive indicator light
flashes and the buzzer sounds, try the
above steps again. If the “4LO” (low speed four
−wheel drive)
indicator light continues to blink when you
operate the front drive control switch knob
to the “H4” or “L4” position, drive forward
or backward in a short distance, then stop
the vehicle completely, shift the automatic
transmission selector lever securely into
“N” and operate the switch knob again.
If the indicator continues to blink even if
doing so, contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible. There may be a trouble
in the four −wheel drive system.
CAUTION
Never operate the front drive control
switch knob if the wheels are slip-
ping. Stop the slipping or spinning
before operating.
The traction control system automatical-
ly helps prevent the spinning of rear
wheels (twowheel drive models) or 4
wheels (fourwheel drive models) when
the vehicle is started or accelerated on
slippery road surfaces.
When the engine switch is turned to “ON”,
the system automatically turns on.
CAUTION
Under certain slippery road condi-
tions, full traction of the vehicle and
power to the rear wheels (twowheel
drive models) or 4 wheels (fourwheel
drive models) cannot be maintained,
even though the traction control sys-
tem is in operation. Do not drive the
vehicle under any speed or maneuver-
ing conditions which may cause the
vehicle to lose traction control. In si-
tuations where the road surface is
covered with ice or snow, your ve-
hicle should be fitted with snow tires
or tire chains. Always drive at an ap-
propriate and cautious speed for the
present road conditions.
Traction control system

180
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS17007b
NORMAL MODE
Leave the system on during the ordi-
nary driving so that it can operate
when needed.
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the trac-
tion control system is in the self−check
mode, but does not indicate a malfunction. When the traction control system is oper-
ating, the following conditions occur:
The system controls the spinning of the
rear wheels (two
−wheel drive models)
or 4 wheels (four −wheel drive models).
At this time, the slip indicator light
blinks.
You may feel vibration or noise in your
vehicle, caused by operation of the
brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the engine switch is turned
to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the engine switch is turned
on, contact your Toyota dealer.
The brake actuator temperature increases
during continuous operation of the follow-
ing systems under conditions such as on
slippery roads.
Traction control system
“AUTO LSD” system
Downhill assist control system
Hill− start assist control system If the brake actuator temperature becomes
too high while any of the systems is oper-
ating, a buzzer will start to sound intermit-
tently to indicate that the traction control
system can no l
onger operate. In this
case, immediately stop your vehicle at a
safe place.
If the system continues to operate, the
buzzer sound changes from intermittent to
continuous. (The continuous buzzer
sounds for about 3 seconds.)
At the time, the slip indicator light will
come on and the traction control system
temporarily stops operating in order to
protect the brake actuator. (Although the
traction control system does not operate,
it is no problem to continue driving.) The
system will be automatically restored after
a short time and the slip indicator light
goes off.
With rear differential lock: However, it is
a normal operation for the light to be on
with rear differential locked. At this time,
the traction control system does not oper-
ate.

181
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS17027a
TRACTION CONTROL OFF MODE
(twowheel drive mode only)
When getting the vehicle out of mud or
newly fallen snow, etc., turn off the
traction control system. This system
that controls engine performance inter-
feres with the process of freeing rear
wheels 4 wheels (fourwheel drive mod-
els).
To turn off: Briefly push the “VSC OFF”
switch.
The “AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights
will come on.
The vehicle stability control system is al-
ways activated, even if the traction control
system is turned off.To turn on: Briefly push the “VSC OFF”
switch once again.
The “AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights
will go off.
If the engine is turned off while the
“AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights are
on and then restarted, the indicator lights
will turn off automatically.
When you push and hold the “VSC OFF”
switch for 3 seconds or more with the
vehicle stopped, turn off the vehicle stabil-
ity control system. See “Vehicle stability
control system” on page 185 in this Sec-
tion.
“AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights come
on for a few seconds when the engine
switch is turned to “ON”. If the indicator
lights do not come on when the engine
switch is turned to “ON”, contact your
Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
Do not drive with the traction control
system continuously turned off.
LS17010
“VSC OFF” warning light
The light flashing warns that there is a
problem somewhere in the following.
Traction control system
Vehicle stability control system
“AUTO LSD” system
Downhill assist control system
Hill
−start assist control system

183
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS17027a
To turn on the system, briefly push the
“VSC OFF” switch.
The “AUTO LSD” is activated under the
following condition. At this time, the
“AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights
will come on.
The driving mode is set in the two−
wheel drive mode (In the four −wheel
drive mode, the system does not
work.)
Driving at a speed under 100 km/h (62
mph)
To turn off the system, briefly push the
“VSC OFF” switch again and the “AUTO
LSD” and slip indicator lights will go off. If the engine is turned off while the
“AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights are
on and then restarted, the indicator light
will turn off automatically.
When you push and hold the “VSC OFF”
switch for 3 seconds or more with the
vehicle stopped, turn off the vehicle stabil-
ity control system. See “Vehicle stability
control system” on page 185 in this Sec-
tion.
LS17029a
Make sure the “AUTO LSD” and slip indi-
cator lights come on under the above con-
dition when you use the “AUTO LSD” sys-
tem.
The slip indicator light blinks when the
system is controlling the spinning of the
rear wheels.
The “AUTO LSD” and slip indicator lights
come on for a few seconds when the
engine switch is turned to “ON”. If the
indicator lights does not come on when
the engine switch is turned to “ON”, con-
tact your Toyota dealer.

186
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS17010
The vehicle stability control system au-
tomatically turns off, and the “VSC
OFF” indicator light is illuminated,
when either one of the following condi-
tions applies:
Four−wheel drive mode is set. (on
four −wheel drive models)
The rear differential is locked. (on mod-
els equipped with the rear differential
lock system)
The “VSC OFF” indicator light comes on
for a few seconds when the engine switch
is turned to “ON”, and then turns off. If
either one of the above conditions applies,
the indicator light is illuminated again.
LS17028a
When getting the vehicle out of mud or
newly fallen snow, etc., turn off the
vehicle stability control system. This
system that controls engine perfor-
mance interferes with the process of
freeing rear wheels (twowheel drive
models) or 4 wheels (fourwheel drive
models).
To turn off: First, push the “VSC OFF”
switch to turn off the traction control
system and check that the “AUTO LSD”
and slip indicator lights come on. Then,
push and hold the “VSC OFF” switch
for 3 seconds or more with the vehicle
stopped.
The “VSC OFF” and slip indicator lights
will come on. To turn on: Briefly push the “VSC OFF”
switch once again.
The “VSC OFF” and slip indicator lights
will go off.
If the engine is turned off while the “VSC
OFF” and slip indicator lights are on and
then restarted, the indicator lights will turn
off automatically.
When you briefly push the “VSC OFF”
switch, turn off the vehicle stability control
system. See “Traction control system” on
page 179 in this Section.
The “VSC OFF” and slip indicator lights
come on for a few seconds when the
engine switch is turned to “ON”. If the
indicator lights do not come on when the
engine switch is turned to “ON”, contact
your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
Do not drive with the vehicle stability
control system continuously turned
off.

192
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS17010
If there is any abnormality in the sys-
tem, the “VSC OFF” warning light will
flash.
If the system malfunctions, the “VSC OFF”
warning light will flash.
If the “VSC OFF” warning light flashes,
there may be an abnormality in any of the
following systems in addition to the hill−
start assist control system.
Downhill assist control system
Traction control system
“AUTO LSD” system
Vehicle stability control system “VSC OFF” warning light
When the system is normal and the en-
gine switch is turned to “ON”, the warning
light will come on and will go off after a
few seconds.
It is not a malfunction that the warning
light may stay on for 60 seconds after the
engine switch is turned to “ON”.
Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly
may turn on the light. It is normal if it
goes out after a few seconds.
If the warning light flashes while driving,
the system does not work. However, if the
brakes operate normally when applied, it
is no problem to continue your driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the engine switch is turned to
“ON”.
The warning light remains on after the
engine switch is turned to “ON”.
The warning light flashes while driving.
LS17011
The rear differential lock system is pro-
vided for use only when wheel spinning
occurs in a ditch or on a slippery or
ragged surface.
This differential lock system is effective in
case one of the rear wheels is spinning.
Four
−wheel drive models—
Before using the rear differential lock sys-
tem, first shift the four −wheel drive control
into “L4” to see if this is sufficient. If this
has no effect, additionally use the rear
differential lock system.
Rear differential lock system

194
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
To unlock the differential, push the
switch once again.
Unlock the differential as soon as the ve-
hicle moves out.
For easy unlocking, slightly turn the steer-
ing wheel in either direction while the ve-
hicle is in motion.
When the differential lock is disengaged,
the indicator light will go out.
Four−wheel drive models—
The differential will also unlock if you shift
the front drive control switch knob to the
“H2” or “H4” position. Never forget to turn
off the switch after using this feature.
To check the indicator bulb, turn the en-
gine switch to the “ON” position, but do
not start the engine.
CAUTION
Do not keep driving with the differen-
tial lock switch on.
The tire pressure warning system warns
you that the tire inflation pressure is
low.
The tire pressure warning system is not
a substitute for checking normal tire infla-
tion pressure. Check the tire inflation
pressure with a tire pressure gauge regu-
larly.
CAUTION
The warning system may not activate
immediately if blowout or sudden air
loss should occur.
LS17023
The tire pressure warning light comes on
when the engine switch is turned to the
“ON” position and goes off after a few
seconds. This means the tire pressure
warning system is operating properly. If
the tire inflation pressure becomes low,
the light comes on again. In this case,
adjusting the tire inflation pressure will
turn off the light after a few minutes. If
the light comes on after blinking for 1
minute, the tire pressure warning system
is not working properly.
Tire pressure warning system

270
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS20001
This vehicle has higher ground clear-
ance and narrower tread in relation to
the height of its center of gravity to
make it capable of performing in a wide
variety of offroad applications. Specific
design characteristics give it a higher
center of gravity than ordinary passen-
ger cars. This vehicle design feature
causes this type of vehicle to be more
likely to rollover. And, it has a signifi-
cantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. An advantage of the
higher ground clearance is a better
view of the road allowing you to antici-
pate problems. It is not designed for
cornering at the same speeds as ordi-
nary passenger cars any more than
lowslung sports cars are designed to
perform satisfactorily under offroad
conditions. Therefore, sharp turns at
excessive speeds may cause rollover.CAUTION
Always observe the following precau-
tions to minimize the risk of serious
personal injury or damage to your ve-
hicle:
In a rollover crash, an unbelted per-
son is significantly more likely to
die than a person wearing a seat
belt. Therefore, the driver and all
passengers should fasten their seat
belts whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing.
Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneu-
vers, if at all possible. Failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control or vehicle
rollover causing death or serious
injury.
Avoid loading any items on the roof
that will raise the vehicle’s center
of gravity.
Always slow down in gusty cross-
winds. Because of its profile and
higher center of gravity, your ve-
hicle is more sensitive to side
winds than an ordinary passenger
car. Slowing down will allow you to
have much better control.
Offroad vehicle precautions
(fourwheel drive models and
PreRunner)

305
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
NOTICE
Do not crank for more than 30 se-
conds at a time. This may overheat
the starter and wiring systems.
 Do not race a cold engine.
 If the engine becomes difficult to
start or stalls frequently, have the
engine checked immediately.
Always slow down in gusty crosswinds.
This will allow you much better control.
Drive slowly onto curbs and, if pos-
sible, at a right angle. Avoid driving
onto high, sharp −edged objects and
other road hazards. Failure to do so
can lead to severe tire damage such
as a tire burst.
Drive slowly when passing over bumps
or travelling on a bumpy road. Other-
wise, the impact could cause severe
damage to the tires and/or wheels.
When parking on a hill, turn the front
wheels until they touch the curb so
that the vehicle will not roll. Apply the
parking brake, and place the transmis-
sion in “P” (automatic) or in first or
reverse (manual). If necessary, block
the wheels.
Washing your vehicle or driving through
deep water may get the brakes wet. To
see whether they are wet, check that
there is no traffic near you, and then
press the pedal lightly. If you do not
feel a normal braking force, the brakes
are probably wet. To dry them, drive
the vehicle cautiously while lightly
pressing the brake pedal with the park-
ing brake applied. If they still do not
work safely, pull to the side of the road
and call a Toyota dealer for assistance.
Four −wheel drive models—Toyota rec-
ommends not using four −wheel drive on
dry hard− surfaced roads, because four −
wheel driving will cause unnecessary
noise and wear, and poor fuel econo-
my.
Four −wheel drive models—In cold tem-
peratures, noise may occur when driv-
ing in two −wheel drive before the trans-
fer is warmed up. Therefore, first drive
in four −wheel drive until the transfer is
warmed up.
Tips for driving in various
conditions