TOYOTA TACOMA 2009 Owners Manual (in English)

191
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
CAUTION
■
Off-road vehicle precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of serious per-
sonal injury or damage to your vehicle:
●In a rollover crash, an unbelted person 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 moving.
● Avoid sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers, 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 crosswi nds. Because of its profile and higher
center of gravity, your vehicle is more sensitive to side winds than an ordi-
nary passenger car. Slowing down will allow you to have much better con-
trol.
● When driving off-road or in rugged terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns, strike objects, etc. This may cause loss
of control or vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury. You are also
risking expensive damage to your vehicle’s suspension and chassis.
● Do not drive horizontally across steep slopes. Driving straight up or
straight down is preferred. Your vehicle (or any similar off-road vehicle)
can tip over sideways much more easily than forward or backward.

192 2-5. Driving information
Off-road drivingWhen driving your vehicle off-road, please observe the following pre-
cautions to ensure your driving enjoyment and to help prevent the
closure of areas to off-road vehicles.
● Drive your vehicle only in areas wh ere off-road vehicles are permit-
ted to travel.
● Respect private property. Get owner’s permission before entering
private property.
● Do not enter areas that are closed. Honor gates, barriers and signs
that restrict travel.
● Stay on established roads. When conditions are wet, driving tech-
niques should be changed or trav el delayed to prevent damage to
roads.
■ Additional information for off-road driving
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining to driving your vehicle off-road,
consult the following organizations.
● State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
● State Motor Vehicle Bureau
● Recreational Vehicle Clubs
● U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

193
2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
CAUTION
■
Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of serious per-
sonal injury or damage to your vehicle:
●Drive carefully when off the road. Do not take unnecessary risks by driving
in dangerous places.
● Do not grip the steering wheel spokes when driving off-road. A bad bump
could jerk the wheel and injure your hands. Keep both hands and espe-
cially your thumbs on the outside of the rim.
● Always check your brakes for effectiveness immediately after driving in
sand, mud, water or snow.
● After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check that
there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or trapped
on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the underbody. If the
vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to the underbody,
a breakdown or fire could occur.
● In a rollover crash, an unbelted person 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 moving.
● When driving off-road or in rugged terrain, do not drive at excessive
speeds, jump, make sharp turns, strike objects, etc. This may cause loss
of control or vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury. You are also
risking expensive damage to your vehicle’s suspension and chassis.

194 2-5. Driving information
NOTICE
■To prevent the water damage
●Take all necessary safety measures to ensure that water damage to the
engine or other components does not occur.
● Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe engine damage.
● Water entering the automatic transmission will cause deterioration in shift
quality, locking up of your transmission accompanied by vibration, and ulti-
mately damage.
● Water can wash the grease from wheel bearings, causing rusting and pre-
mature failure, and may also enter the differentials, transmission and
transfer case, reducing the gear oil’s lubricating qualities.
■ When you drive through water
If driving through water, such as when crossing shallow streams, first check
the depth of the water and the bottom of the river bed for firmness. Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
■ Inspection after off-road driving
●Sand and mud that has accumulate d in brake drums and around brake
discs may affect braking efficiency and may damage brake system compo-
nents.
● Always perform a maintenance inspection after each day of off-road driv-
ing that has taken you through rough terrain, sand, mud, or water. For
scheduled maintenance information, refer to the “Scheduled Maintenance
Guide” or “Owner’s Manual Supplement”.

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
Cargo and luggage
CAUTION
■When you secure cargo with the deck rails
Be sure to follow the instructions below in order to avoid the cargo com-
ing loose.
●Do not install accessories (tie-down cleats, storage boxes, etc.) at
more than the following number of locations per deck rail.
• Side rail:Short deck—Max. 3 locations
Long deck—Max. 4 locations
• Headboard rail: Max 3 locations
Take notice of the following information about storage precau-
tions, cargo capacity and load.
● Stow cargo and luggage in the rear deck whenever possible.
● Be sure all items are secured in place.
● Be careful to keep the vehicle level. Placing the weight as far for-
ward as possible helps maintain vehicle balance.
● For better fuel economy, do no t carry unnecessary weight.
■ Deck rails
Headboard rail
Side rails
To use the deck rails, you
must install genuine Toyota
accessories or their equiva-
lent for the deck rails.
Follow the manufacturer’s
instructions and precautions
when installing a genuine
Toyota accessory or equiva-
lent.

196 2-5. Driving information
Capacity and distributionCargo capacity depends on the total weight of the occupants.
(Cargo capacity) = (Total load capacity)  (Total weight of occupants)
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit—
(1) Locate the statement “The co mbined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’s
placard.
(2) Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that
will be riding in your vehicle.
(3)Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kg or XXX lbs.
(4) The resulting figure equals the av ailable amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity.
For example, if the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lb passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available
cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400  750 (5  150)
= 650 lbs.)
(5) Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the
available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
CAUTION
■When you secure cargo with the deck rails
●Spread out tie-down/support location s evenly along the length of the
rails.
●Do not exceed a total tensile load of 440 lb. (200 kg) per deck rail.
●To prevent luggage or cargo from sliding forward during braking, make
sure the deck rail accessories su ch as storage box are securely
attached on the deck rails.

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
(6) If your vehicle will be towing a tr
ailer, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how
this reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
Example on your vehicle
Cargo capacity
Total load capacity
When 2 people with the combined weight of A lb. (kg) are riding in
your vehicle, which has a total load capacity of B lb. (kg), the avail-
able amount of cargo and luggage load capacity will be C lb. (kg) as
follows:
B lb. (kg)  A lb. (kg) = C lb. (kg)
In this condition, if 3 more passengers with the combined weight of D
lb. (kg) get on, the available carg o and luggage load will be reduced E
lb. (kg) as follows:
C lb. (kg)  D lb. (kg) = E lb. (kg)
As shown in the above example, if the number of occupants
increases, the cargo and luggage load will be reduced by an amount
that equals the increased weight du e to the additional occupants. In
other words, if an increase in th e number of occupants causes an
excess of the total load capacity (combined weight of occupants plus
cargo and luggage load), you must reduce the cargo and luggage on
your vehicle.

198 2-5. Driving information
CAUTION
■Things that must not be carried in the luggage compartment
The following things may cause a fire if loaded in the luggage compart-
ment.
●Receptacles containing gasoline
●Aerosol cans
■Storage precautions
●Do not stack anything in the luggage compartment higher than the
seatbacks.
Such items may be thrown about and possibly injure people in the
vehicle during sudden braking or in an accident.
●Do not drive with objects on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the driver’s field of view or move during sharp
acceleration or turning, thus impairing the driver’s control of the vehi-
cle. In an accident they may injure the vehicle occupants.
●Secure all items in the occupant compartment, as they may shift and
injure someone during an accident or sudden braking.
●Never allow anyone to ride in the rear deck. It is not designed for pas-
sengers. They should ride in their seats with their seat belts properly
fastened. Otherwise, they are much more likely to suffer death or seri-
ous bodily injury, in the event of sudden braking or a collision.
■Capacity and distribution
●Do not exceed the maximum axle weight rating or the total vehicle
weight rating.
●Even if the total load of occupant’s weight and the cargo load is less
than the total load capacity, do not apply the load unevenly. Improper
loading may cause deterioration of steering or braking control which
may cause death or serious injury.

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
Vehicle load limits
Vehicle load limits include total load capacity, seating capacity,
towing capacity and cargo capacity.
■Total load capacity: ( P. 463)
Total load capacity means the combined weight of occupants,
cargo and luggage.
■ Seating capacity:
Regular Cab models
3 occupants
Access Cab models 4 occupants (Front 2, Rear 2)
Double Cab models 5 occupants (Front 2, Rear 3)
Seating capacity means the ma ximum number of occupants
whose estimated average weight is 150 lb. (68 kg) per person.
Even if the number of occupants are within the seating capacity,
do not exceed the total load capacity.
■ Towing capacity:
Without towing package
3500 lb. (1587 kg)
With towing package 6500 lb. (2948 kg)
Towing capacity means the maximum gross trailer weight (trailer
weight plus its cargo weight) that your vehicle is able to tow.
■ Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or decrease depending on the
weight and the number of occupants.

200 2-5. Driving information
■Total load capacity and seating capacity
These details are also described on the tire and loading information
label.(P. 381)
CAUTION
■Overloading the vehicle
Do not overload the vehicle.
It may not only cause damage to the ti res, but also degrade steering and
braking ability, resulting in an accident.