that sounds a little odd. if that's true then it means whenever you pull the ecu fuse you may or may not have vsc for a couple hundred miles or however long it takes the 4runner to 're-learn'? my dealership specifically told me that they cannot let anyone drive off the lot with ANY safety features not working or else they are liable if an accident happens. on the 4th gens. when you reset the ecu you need to physically calibrate the sensors and they work IMMEDIATELY after that, no lights on, nothing. but i guess it may be different for the 3rd gens although it doesn't seem right, or very safe. has your lights gone off yet?