Scion tC. Instruction - part 12

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NOTICE

■

To prevent battery discharge

●

Do not leave the “ENGINE START STOP” switch in ACCESSORY or IGNI-
TION ON mode for long periods of time without the engine running.

●

If the indicator on the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is illuminated, the
“ENGINE START STOP” switch is not off. When exiting the vehicle,
always check that the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is off. 

●

On vehicles with an automatic transmission, do not stop the engine when
the shift lever is in a position other than P. If the engine is stopped in
another shift lever position, the “ENGINE START STOP” switch will not be
turned off but instead be turned to ACCESSORY mode. If the vehicle is left
in ACCESSORY mode, battery discharge may occur.

■

When starting the engine

●

Do not race a cold engine.

●

If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.

■

Symptoms indicating a malfunction with the “ENGINE START STOP”
switch

If the “ENGINE START STOP” seems to be operating somewhat differently
than usual, such as the switch sticking slightly, there may be a malfunction.
Contact your Scion dealer immediately.

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Automatic transmission





: If equipped

Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.

■

Shifting the shift lever

Vehicles without a smart key system:
While the engine switch is in the “ON” position, depress the
brake pedal and move the shift lever.

Vehicles with a smart key system:
While the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in the IGNI-
TION ON mode, depress the brake pedal and move the shift
lever.

When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure
that the vehicle is completely stopped.

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Shift position uses

*

1

: Shifting to the D position allows the system to select a gear suitable for

the driving conditions. Setting the shift lever to the D position is recom-
mended for normal driving.

*

2

: By selecting shift ranges using paddle shift switches, you can control

engine braking force.

*

3

: Selecting shift ranges using S mode restricts the upper limit of the pos-

sible gear ranges, controls engine braking force, and prevents unnec-
essary upshifting.

Shift position

Function 

P

Parking the vehicle or starting the engine

R

Reversing

N

Neutral

D

Normal driving

*

1 

or temporary shift range selection 

driving

*

2

S

S mode driving

*

3

 (

P. 181)

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Selecting shift ranges in the D position

To drive using temporary shift range selection, operate the “-” paddle
shift switch. The shift range can then be selected by operating the “-”
and “+” paddle shift switches. Changing the shift range allows restric-
tion of the highest gear, preventing unnecessary upshifting and
enabling the level of engine braking force to be selected.

Downshifting

Upshifting

The selected shift range, from 1
to 5, or D will be displayed in the
meter.

To return to normal D position
driving, the “+” paddle shift switch
must be held down for a period of
time.

When a shift range higher than 5
is selected, the shift range will
return to normal D position.

■

Shift ranges and their functions
● Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 6 according to

vehicle speed and driving conditions. But, the gear is limited
according to selected shift range.

● You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
● A lower shift range will provide greater engine braking force than

a higher shift range, and the engine speed will also increase.

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Changing shift range in S mode

When the shift lever is in the S position, the shift lever or paddle shift
switches can be operated as follows:

Downshifting 

Upshifting

The selected shift range, from 1
to 6, will be displayed in the
meter.

The initial shift range in S mode is
set automatically to 5 or 4 accord-
ing to vehicle speed. But, the ini-
tial shift range may be set to 3 if
AI-SHIFT has operated while the
shift lever was in the D position.
(

P. 183)

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■

Shift ranges and their functions
● Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 6 according to

vehicle speed and driving conditions. But, the gear is limited
according to selected shift range.

● You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
● A lower shift range will provide greater engine braking force than

a higher shift range, and the engine speed will also increase.

■

Paddle shift switch

●

When the “-” paddle shift switch is operated in the D position, a shift
range will be automatically selected. The highest gear of the first shift
range will be one gear lower than the gear in use during normal D posi-
tion driving.

●

Automatic deactivation of shift range selection in the D position
Shift range selection in the D position will be deactivated in the following
situations:

• The “+” paddle shift switch is held down for a period of time
• When the vehicle comes to a stop
• If the accelerator pedal is depressed for longer than a certain period of

time in one shift range

■

S mode

●

When the shift range is 4 or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets
the shift range to 6.

●

To prevent excessive engine speed, a function was adopted that auto-
matically selects a higher shift range before the engine speed becomes
too high.

●

To protect the automatic transmission, a function is adopted that auto-
matically selects a higher shift range when the fluid temperature is high.

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■

When driving with cruise control activated

Even when performing the following actions with the intent of enabling
engine braking, engine braking will not activate because cruise control will
not be canceled.

●

While driving in S mode, downshifting to 5 or 4. (

P. 181)

●

While driving in the D position, downshifting to 5 or 4. (

P. 180)

■

AI-SHIFT

AI-SHIFT automatically selects the suitable gear according to driver perfor-
mance and driving conditions.
AI-SHIFT automatically operates when the shift lever is in the D position.
(Shifting the shift lever to the S position cancels the function.)

■

If the “S” indicator does not come on even after shifting the shift lever
to S position

This may indicate a malfunction in the automatic transmission system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your Scion dealer immediately.
(In this situation, the transmission will operate in the same manner as when
the shift lever is in the D position.)

■

Downshifting restrictions warning buzzer

To help ensure safety and driving performance, downshifting operation may
sometimes be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be
possible even when the shift lever or a paddle shift switch is operated. (The
warning buzzer will sound twice.)

■

If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P

P. 411

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CAUTION

■

When driving on slippery road surfaces

Do not accelerate or shift gears suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine braking may cause the vehicle to spin or skid,
resulting in an accident.

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Instruction transmission





: If equipped

■

Shifting the shift lever

Fully depress the clutch pedal
before operating the shift
lever, and then release it
slowly.

■

Shifting the shift lever to R

Shift the shift lever to R while
lifting up the ring section.

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■

Maximum downshifting speeds

Observe the downshifting speeds in the following table to prevent over-rev-
ving the engine.

mph (km/h)

NOTICE

■

To prevent damage to the transmission

●

Do not lift up the ring section except when shifting the lever to R.

●

Shift the lever to R only when the vehicle is stationary.

Shift position

Maximum speed 

1

31 (50)

2

54 (87)

3

80 (129)

4

108 (173)

5

126 (203)

●

Do not shift the shift lever to R without
depressing the clutch pedal.

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Turn signal lever

■

Turn signals can be operated when

Vehicles without a smart key system
The engine switch is in the “ON” position.

Vehicles with a smart key system
The “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION ON mode.

■

If the indicator flashes faster than usual

Check that a light bulb in the front or rear turn signal lights has not burned
out.

The turn signal lever can be used to show the following intentions of

the driver:

Right turn

Left turn

Lane change to the right
(push and hold the lever
partway)

The right hand signal will flash
until you release the lever.

Lane change to the left
(push and hold the lever
partway)

The left hand signal will flash
until you release the lever.

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Parking brake

■

Usage in winter time
P. 226

NOTICE

■

Before driving

Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components
overheating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake
wear.

To set the parking brake,
fully pull the parking brake
lever while depressing the
brake pedal.

To release the parking
brake, slightly raise the
lever and lower it com-
pletely while pressing the
button.

U.S.A. Canada

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Horn

■

After adjusting the steering wheel

Make sure that the steering wheel is securely locked.
The horn may not sound if the steering wheel is not securely locked. 
(

P. 84)

To sound the horn, press on or
close to the 

 mark.

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2-2. Instrument cluster

Gauges and meters

Tachometer

Displays the engine speed in revolutions per minute.

Fuel gauge

Displays the quantity of fuel remaining in the tank.

Speedometer

Displays the vehicle speed.

Odometer/trip meter display change button

P. 191

Shift position and shift range (vehicles with an automatic trans-
mission)

Displays the selected shift position or selected shift range

P. 178

Odometer/trip meter display

Displays odometer, trip meter, average fuel consumption, outside tem-
perature display and Eco Driving Indicator Light setting screen.
P. 191

Instrument panel light control knob

P. 192

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Switching the display

Items displayed can be switched
by pressing the odometer/trip
meter display change button.

Display items

■

Odometer

■

Trip meters A and B

■

Average fuel consumption

Displays the total distance the vehicle has been
driven.

Displays the distance the vehicle has been driven
since the meter was last reset. Trip meters A and
B can be used to record and display different dis-
tances independently.

Press and hold the button to reset.

Displays the average fuel consumption since the
function was last reset.

• The function can be reset by pressing the odome-

ter/trip meter display change button for longer
than 1 second when the average fuel consump-
tion is displayed.

• Use the displayed average fuel consumption as a

reference.

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■

Outside temperature display

■

Eco Driving Indicator Light setting screen (vehicles with an
automatic transmission)

Instrument panel light control

The brightness of the instrument panel lights can be adjusted by turn-
ing the knob. 

Darker

Brighter

Displays the outside temperature.

The temperature range that can be displayed is
from -40 °F (-40 °C) to 122 °F (50 °C).

Eco Driving Indicator Light can be set to on or off.

The function can be activated or deactivated by
pressing the odometer/trip meter display change
button for longer than 1 second when Eco Driving
Indicator Light setting screen is displayed.