Get Maintenance and care -> Maintenance and care Guide for Toyota 4 Runner SUV Sixth Generation (2025-2026)

514

6-1. Maintenance and care

6-1.Maintenance and care

surface, parts (wheel, etc.) and

harm your vehicle’s paint.

Cleaning and protect-

ing t he vehicle ext e-

rior

●Rear spoiler may not be washable

in some automatic car washes.

There may also be an increased

risk of damage to vehicle.

Perform cleaning in a man-

ner appropriate to each

component and its material.

●Remove the hitch cover before

washing the vehicle. Otherwise, it

may be lost. (P.213)

■High pressure car washes

As water may enter the cabin, do

not bring the nozzle tip near the

gaps around the doors or perimeter

of the windows, or spray these

areas continuously.

Cleaning instructions

 Working from top to bottom,

liberally apply water to the

vehicle body, wheel wells and

underside of the vehicle to

remove any dirt and dust.

■When using a car wash

If the door handle becomes wet

while the electronic key is within the

effective range, the door may lock

and unlock repeatedly. In that case,

follow the following correction pro-

cedures to wash the vehicle:

 Wash the vehicle body using

a sponge or soft cloth, such

as a chamois.

●Place the key in a position 6 ft. (2

m) or more separate from the

vehicle while the vehicle is being

washed. (Take care to ensure that

the key is not stolen.)

 For hard-to-remove marks,

use car wash soap and rinse

thoroughly with water.

●Set the electronic key to battery-

saving mode to disable the Smart

key system. (P.146)

 Wipe away any water.

 Wax the vehicle when the

waterproof coating deterio-

rates.

■Wheels and wheel ornaments

(vehicles without matte painted

wheels)

If water does not bead on a clean

surface, apply wax when the vehi-

cle body is cool.

●Remove any dirt immediately by

using a neutral detergent.

●Wash detergent off with water

immediately after use.

■Automatic car washes

●To protect the paint from damage,

make sure to observe the follow-

ing precautions.

●Fold the mirrors before washing

the vehicle.

• Do not use acidic, alkaline or

abrasive detergent

Start washing from the front of the

vehicle. Extend the mirrors before

driving.

• Do not use hard brushes

• Do not use detergent on the

wheels when they are hot, such

as after driving or parking in hot

weather

●Turn off the power back door (if

equipped).

●Brushes used in automatic car

washes may scratch the vehicle

515

6-1. Maintenance and care

■Wheels and wheel ornaments

(vehicles with matte painted

wheels)

●Use a soft cloth dampened with an

approximately 5% solution of neu-

tral detergent and water to clean

the dirt off.

A different set of care is necessary

for matte painted wheels and wheel

ornaments. Contact your Toyota

dealer for details.

●Wipe the surface with a dry, soft

cloth to remove any remaining

moisture.

●Remove dirt using water as early

as possible. If the wheels are

excessively dirty, use diluted neu-

tral detergent.

●To remove oily deposits, use alco-

hol wet wipes or a similar product.

WARNING

●When using detergent, make sure

to rinse it off with water immedi-

ately. Then use a soft cloth to wipe

off the water.

■When washing the vehicle

Do not apply water to the inside of

the engine compartment. Doing

so may cause the electrical com-

ponents, etc. to catch fire.

●Use a sponge or soft cloth to

remove the dirt by hand.

●To prevent the matte paint from

being damaged or glossy, make

sure to observe the following pre-

cautions:

• Do not apply any coatings or wax.

• Do not use acidic, alkaline or

abrasive detergents.

• When using tire cleaners or tire

wax, do not allow them to be

applied to the wheels.

• Do not scrub or polish the wheels

using a brush or dry cloth, etc.

• Do not use a high pressure

washer or steam cleaner.

• Do not use detergent on the

wheels when they are hot, such

as after driving or parking in hot

weather.

■Precautions regarding the

exhaust pipe

Exhaust gases cause the exhaust

pipe to become quite hot. When

washing the vehicle, be careful

not to touch the pipe until it has

cooled sufficiently, as touching hot

exhaust pipe can cause burns.

6

■Precaution regarding the

front and rear bumpers

If the paint of the rear bumper is

chipped or scratched, the follow-

ing systems may not function cor-

rectly. If this occurs, consult your

Toyota dealer.

●BSM

■Brake pads and calipers

●RCTA

Rust may form if the vehicle is

parked with wet brake pads or disc

rotors, causing them to stick. Before

parking the vehicle after it is

washed, drive slowly and apply the

brakes several times to dry the

parts.

●PKSB (if equipped)

●Secondary Collision Brake

●Intuitive parking assist (if

equipped)

■Bumpers and wheel arch mold-

ings

Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.

■Plated portions

If dirt cannot be removed, clean the

parts as follows:

516

6-1. Maintenance and care

■When using a high pressure

NOTICE

car wash

■To prevent paint deteriora-

tion and corrosion on the

body and components (alumi-

num wheels, etc.)

●When washing the vehicle, do

not spray the camera or its sur-

rounding area directly with a

high pressure washer. Shock

applied from high pressure

water may cause the device to

not operate normally.

●Wash the vehicle immediately in

the following cases:

• After driving near the sea coast

• After driving on salted roads

●Do not spray water directly on

the radar which is equipped

behind the grill. Otherwise it

may cause the device to be

damaged.

• If coal tar or tree sap is present

on the paint surface

• If dead insects, insect droppings

or bird droppings are present on

the paint surface

●Do not bring the nozzle tip close

to boots (rubber or resin manu-

factured cover), connectors or

the following parts. The parts

may be damaged if they come

into contact with high-pressure

water.

• After driving in an area contami-

nated with soot, oily smoke,

mine dust, iron powder or chem-

ical substances

• Traction related parts

• Steering parts

• If the vehicle becomes heavily

soiled with dust or mud

• If liquids such as benzene and

gasoline are spilled on the paint

surface

• Suspension parts

• Brake parts

●If the paint is chipped or

scratched, have it repaired

immediately.

●Keep the cleaning nozzle at

least 11.9 in. (30 cm) away from

the vehicle body. Otherwise

resin section, such as moldings

and bumpers, may be deformed

and damaged.

●To prevent the wheels from cor-

roding, remove any dirt and

store in a place with low humid-

ity when storing the wheels.

Also, do not continuously hold the

nozzle in the same place.

■Cleaning the exterior lights

●Do not spray the lower part of

●Wash carefully. Do not use

organic substances or scrub

with a hard brush.

the windshield continuously.

If water enters the air conditioning

system intake located near the

lower part of the windshield, the

air conditioning system may not

operate correctly.

This may damage the surfaces

of the lights.

●Do not apply wax to the sur-

faces of the lights.

Wax may cause damage to the

lenses.

●Do not wash the underside of

the vehicle using a high pres-

sure car washer.

517

6-1. Maintenance and care

Cleaning and protect-

ing the vehicle interior

NOTICE

■When raising the windshield

wiper arms

Make sure to hold the hook parts

of the wiper arms to raise them.

Do not hold only the wiper blades

when raising them, or it may

cause deformation of the wiper

blades.

Perform cleaning in a man-

ner appropriate to each

component and its material.

Protecting the vehicle

interior

 Remove dirt and dust using a

vacuum cleaner. Wipe dirty

surfaces with a cloth damp-

ened with lukewarm water.

 If dirt cannot be removed,

wipe it off with a soft cloth

dampened with neutral deter-

gent diluted to approximately

1%.

Hook parts

■Cleaning the high mounted

stoplight

When using high-pressured car

washers, the tip of the nozzle

should be at least 20 in. (50 cm)

from the car body. Water can

seep lamp housing or the vehicle

cabin if the nozzle is closer to the

car body.

Wring out any excess water

from the cloth and thoroughly

wipe off remaining traces of

detergent and water.

6

■Shampooing the carpets

There are several commercial foam-

ing-type cleaners available. Use a

sponge or brush to apply the foam.

Rub in overlapping circles. Do not

use water. Wipe dirty surfaces and

let them dry. Excellent results are

obtained by keeping the carpet as

dry as possible.

■Handling the seat belts

Clean with mild soap and lukewarm

water using a cloth or sponge. Also

check the belts periodically for

excessive wear, fraying or cuts.

518

6-1. Maintenance and care

WARNING

■Preventing damage to leather

surfaces

■Water in the vehicle

Observe the following precautions

to avoid damage to and deteriora-

tion of leather surfaces:

Do not get any of the SRS compo-

nents or wiring in the vehicle inte-

rior wet. (P.36)

An electrical malfunction may

cause the airbags to deploy or not

function properly, resulting in

death or serious injury.

●Remove any dust or dirt from

leather surfaces immediately.

●Do not expose the vehicle to

direct sunlight for extended peri-

ods of time. Park the vehicle in

the shade, especially during

summer.

■Cleaning the interior (espe-

cially instrument panel)

Do not use a polish wax or polish

cleaner. The instrument panel

may reflect off the windshield,

obstructing the driver’s view and

leading to an accident, resulting in

death or serious injury.

●Do not place items made of

vinyl, plastic, or containing wax

on the upholstery, as they may

stick to the leather surface if the

vehicle interior heats up signifi-

cantly.

■Water on the floor

NOTICE

Do not wash the vehicle floor with

water.

■Cleaning detergents

●Do not use the following types

of detergent, as they may dis-

color the vehicle interior or

cause streaks or damage to

painted surfaces:

Vehicle systems such as the

audio system may be damaged if

water comes into contact with

electrical components such as the

audio system above or under the

floor of the vehicle. Water may

also cause the body to rust.

• Areas other than the seats and

steering wheel: Organic sub-

stances such as benzene or

gasoline, alkaline or acidic solu-

tions, dye, and bleach

■When cleaning the inside of

the windshield

Do not allow glass cleaner to con-

tact the lens. Also, do not touch

the lens. (P.251)

• Seats: Alkaline or acidic solu-

tions, such as thinner, benzene,

and alcohol

■Cleaning the inside of the rear

window

• Steering wheel: Organic sub-

stances, such as thinner, and

cleaner that contains alcohol

●Do not use a glass cleaner to

clean the rear window, as this

may cause damage to the rear

window defogger heater wires

or antenna. Use a cloth damp-

ened with lukewarm water to

gently wipe the window clean.

Wipe the window in strokes run-

ning parallel to the heater wires

or antenna.

●Do not use a polish wax or pol-

ish cleaner. The instrument

panel’s or other interior part’s

painted surface may be dam-

aged.

519

6-1. Maintenance and care

leather to dry in a shaded and

ventilated area.

NOTICE

●Be careful not to scratch or

damage the heater wires or

antenna.

■Caring for leather areas

Toyota recommends cleaning the

interior of the vehicle at least twice a

year to maintain the quality of the

vehicle’s interior.

Cleaning the areas with

satin-finish metal accents

 Remove dirt using a water-

dampened soft cloth or syn-

thetic chamois.

Cleaning the synthetic

leather areas

 Remove dirt and dust using a

 Wipe the surface with a dry,

soft cloth to remove any

remaining moisture.

vacuum cleaner.

 Wipe it off with a soft cloth

dampened with neutral deter-

gent diluted to approximately

1%.

■Cleaning the areas with satin-

finish metal accents

The metal areas use a layer of real

metal for the surface. It is necessary

to clean them regularly. If dirty areas

are left uncleaned for long periods

of time, they may be difficult to

clean.

 Wring out any excess water

from the cloth and thoroughly

wipe off remaining traces of

detergent and water.

6

Cleaning the leather areas

 Remove dirt and dust using a

vacuum cleaner.

 Wipe off any excess dirt and

dust with a soft cloth damp-

ened with diluted detergent.

Use a diluted water solution of

approximately 5% neutral wool

detergent.

 Wring out any excess water

from the cloth and thoroughly

wipe off all remaining traces

of detergent.

 Wipe the surface with a dry,

soft cloth to remove any

remaining moisture. Allow the

Maintenance and care -> Maintenance and care for Your Toyota 4 Runner SUV Sixth Generation (2025-2026)

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