2001 Toyota Tacoma Owners Manual - Page 116

'01 Tacoma U (L/O 0009) 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". (b) Overdrive switch You can select either third gear (with overdrive off) or fourth gear (with overdrive 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 overdrive on for better fuel economy and quieter driving. If the engine is turned off when the overdrive is off and restarted, the overdrive will be on automatically. When the front drive control lever 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" 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 conditions such as normal cruising, hill climbing, 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" (low-speed position, four-wheel drive), the transmission will not shift into the overdrive gear even with the overdrive on. (See "Four-wheel drive system" in this section for information of the front drive control lever.) CAUTION Never put your foot on the accelerator 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: D Push the overdrive switch. The "O/D OFF" indicator light will come on and the transmission will downshift to third gear. 124 2001 TACOMA (OM35766U)