ESP TOYOTA AVALON 1996 Owners Manual
Page 9 of 202
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LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH
POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH
Push the switch.
To lock: Push the switch on the front side.
To unlock: Push the switch on the rear
side.
All the doors lock or unlock simultaneously.
REAR DOOR CHILD-PROTECTORS
Turn the lock knob to the LOCKº
position as shown on the label.
This feature allows you to lock a rear door
so it can be opened from the outside only,
not from inside. We recommend using this
feature whenever small children are in the
vehicle.
CAUTION!
Before driving, be sure that the
doors are closed and locked, espe-
cially when small children are in the
vehicle. A long with the proper use of
seat belts, locking the doors helps
prevent the driver and passengers
from being thrown out from the ve-
hicle during an accident. It also
helps prevent the doors from being
opened unintentionally.
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CAUTION!
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following.
Always make sure the head, hands
and other parts of the body of all oc-
cupants are kept completely inside
the vehicle before you close the
power windows. If someone's
neck, head or hands gets caught in
a closing window, it could result in
a serious injury. When anyone
closes the power windows, be sure
that they operate the windows safe-
ly.
When small children are in the ve-
hicle, never let them use the power
window switches without supervi-
sion. Use the window lock button
to prevent them from making unex-
pected use of the switches.
Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the power window switches
and get trapped in a window. Unat-
tended children can become in-
volved in serious accidents.
To open the trunk lid from the outside,
insert the master key and turn it clock-
wise.
See Luggage stowage precautionsº in
Part 2 for precautions to observe in load-
ing luggage.
To close the trunk lid, lower it and press
down on it. After closing the trunk lid, try
pulling it up to make sure it is securely
closed.
Keep the trunk lid closed while driv-
ing. This not only keeps the luggage
from being thrown out but also pre-
vents exhaust gases from entering
the vehicle.
CAUTION!
To open the trunk lid from the driver's
seat, pull up on the lock release lever.
ÐLock release lever
Trunk lid (type A)
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Sliding operation
Tilting operationTo operate the moon roof, use the
switches beside the interior light.
The moon roof works when the ignition
switch is in the ONº position. However, if
all the doors are closed, it works for 60
seconds even after the ignition switch is
turned off. It stops working when any of
the doors are opened.
Sun shade operationÐ
The sun shade can be opened or closed
by hand.
Sliding operationÐ
To open: Push the switch on the SLIDEº
side.
The sun shade will be opened together
with the roof.
To close: Push the switch on the opposite
side of the SLIDEº side.
As a precaution when closing, the roof
stops at the three-quarters closed posi-
tion before fully closing. Therefore, re-
lease the switch and then push it again to
close it completely.
Tilting operationÐ
To tilt up: Push the switch on the UPº
side.
To lower: Push the switch on the opposite
side of the UPº side.
You may stop the moon roof at any de-
sired
position. The roof will move while the
switch is being pushed and stop when re-
leased.
CAUTION!
To avoid serious personal injury, you
must do the following.
While the vehicle is moving, always
keep the head, hands and other
parts of the body of all occupants
away from the roof opening. Other-
wise, you could be seriously in-
jured if the vehicle stops suddenly
or if the vehicle is involved in an ac-
cident.
Always make sure nobody places
his/her head, hands and other parts
of the body in the roof opening be-
fore you close the roof. If some-
one's neck, head or hands gets
caught in the closing roof, it could
result in a seri ous injury. When any-
one closes the roof, first make sure
it is safe to do so.
Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the moon roof switches and get
trapped in the roof opening. Unat-
tended children can become in-
volved in serious accidents.
Never sit on top of the vehicle
around the roof opening.
Electric moon roof
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31
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the seat belt extender is not
twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in the
buckle as this may prevent you
from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, immediately contact your
Toyota dealer.
CAUTION!
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection to occupants in the
following seats when added to the pri-
mary protection provided by the seat
belts.
Vehicles with separate front seatsÐ
The SRS airbags are designed to pro-
tect the driver and front passenger.
Vehicles with bench front seatsÐThe
SRS airbags are designed to protect
the driver and right-front passenger.
They are not designed to protect occu-
pant in the center position. In response to a severe frontal impact, the
SRS airbags work together with the seat
belts to prevent or reduce injury by inflat-
ing, in order to decrease the likelihood of
the driver's or front passenger's head or
chest directly hitting the steering wheel or
dashboard. The passenger airbag is acti-
vated even with no passenger in the front
seat.
SRS airbags
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32
This indicator comes on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position. It goes off after about 6
seconds. This means the SRS airbags
are operating properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system
monitors the airbag sensor assembly, in-
flators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources.The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area be-
tween the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severity
of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 20 km/h (14 mph) collision when im-
pacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbags
may not deploy. However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on im-
pact, or if it is
involved in an underride col-
lision (e.g. a collision in which the nose of
the vehicle underridesº, or goes under,
the bed of a truck).
It is possible with collision severity at the
marginal level of airbag sensor detection
and activation that only one of your ve-
hicle's two airbags will deploy.
For the safety of all occupants, be sure to
always wear seat belts.
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56
To spray fluid on the headlights, turn
the headlights on and push the switch.
The key must be in the ONº position.
Check the fluid level of the see-through
headlight cleaner tank every so often.
Use washer fluid for replenishment. For
information on adding fluid, see Adding
washer fluidº in Chapter 7-3.
NOTICE
Do not turn the headlight cleaner on with the tank empty. It may cause
the cleaner motor to overheat.
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the ONº position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the surface.
An indicator light will illuminate to indicate
the defogger is operating.
Push the switch once again to turn the de-
fogger off.
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes. Make sure you turn the defoggers off
when the surfaces are clear. Leaving the
defoggers on for a long time could cause
the battery to discharge, especially during
stop-and-go driving. The defoggers are
not designed for drying rain water or for
melting snow.
NOTICE
When cleaning the inside of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or
damage the heater wires.
Headlight cleaner Rear window defogger
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Page 67 of 202
66Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of Pº position when the
brake
pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ONº position and the lock re-
lease button on the floor shift type trans-
mission depressed or the selector lever
on the column shift type transmission
pulled toward you).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How
to start the engineº in Part 3. The trans-
mission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
In Dº position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal 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, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive switch on.
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting. CAUTION
!
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The O/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the 2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than the maximum al-
lowable speed for second gear, and
more powerful engine braking will be
obtained.
Shift into the Lº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the maximum allowable
speed for Lº position, and maximum
engine braking will be applied.
Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control
is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the
vehicle speed, see Cruise controlº in this
chapter. MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPEEDS
2º
126 km/h (77 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Lº 68 km/h (41 mph)
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid. CAUTION
!
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. W atch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red zone. The maximum allowablespeed (approximate) for each posi-
tion is given above for your refer- ence.
Do not continue hill climbing for along time in the 2º or Lº position.
This may cause severe automatic transmission damage from over-
heating. To prevent such damage,use Dº position for hill climbing orhard towing.
NOTICE
(c) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with
your foot, shift the selector lever to the Rº
position.
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Page 81 of 202
80SCAN
Types 1-2 and 1-3
Radio
You can either scan all the frequencies on
a band or scan only the preset stations for
that band.
To scan the preset stations: Quickly push
and release SCANº. If you hear a beep,
you held the button too long, and the radio
will scan all the frequencies. The radio will
tune in the next preset station up the
band, stay there for a few seconds, and
then move to the next preset station. To
select a station, push SCANº a second
time.
To scan all the frequencies: Push SCANº
until you hear a beep. The radio will find
the next station up the station band, stay
there for a few seconds, and then scan
again. To select a station, push SCANº a
second time.
Cassette Player
The cassette player scan feature is similar
to the radio scan feature and uses the
same button.
Push SCANº. SCANº will appear on the
display. The player will fast forward to the
next cassette track,
play it for 12 seconds,
and then scan again. To select a track,
push SCANº a second time. If the player
reaches the end of one side of a cassette
tape, it will continue scanning on the other
side.
SKIP
Type 1-3 only
The skip feature allows you to fast forward
past long stretches of blank tape. This is
especially useful at the end of cassettes.
Push SKIPº. SKIPº will appear on the dis-
play. The cassette player will keep track of
how much blank space it plays. Any time
it has played about 10 seconds of blank
tape, it will automatically fast forward to
the next track and begin to play.
Push the button a second time to turn off
the skip feature. ST (Stereo reception) display
Your radio automatically changes to ste-
reo reception when a stereo broadcast is
received. STº appears on the display. If
the signal becomes weak, the radio re-
duces the amount of channel separation
to prevent the weak signal from creating
noise. If the signal becomes extremely
weak, the radio switches from stereo to
mono reception.
TAPE
Push TAPEº to switch from radio opera-
tion to cassette operation. If the audio
system is off,
you can turn on the cassette
player by pushing TAPEº. In both cases,
a cassette must already be loaded in the
player.
TREB (Treble)
This knob lets you adjust the treble level.
Push BASS/TREBº so that it pops out of
its retracted position. Pull out the knob.
Turn the knob to adjust the treble. Push
the knob back into its retracted position.ProCarManuals.com
Page 88 of 202
87
SCAN
Radio
You can either scan all the frequencies on
a band or scan only the preset stations for
that band.
To scan the preset stations: Quickly push
and release SCANº. If you hear a beep,
you held the button too long, and the radio
will scan all the frequencies. The radio will
tune in the next preset station up the
band, stay there for a few seconds, and
then move to the next preset station. To
select a station, push SCANº a second
time.
To scan all the frequencies: Push SCANº
until you hear a beep. The radio will find
the next station up the station band, stay
there for a few seconds, and then scan
again. To select a station, push SCANº a
second time.
Cassette player
The cassette player scan feature is similar
to the radio scan feature and uses the
same button.
Push SCANº. SCANº will appear on the
display. The player will fast forward to the
next cassette track,
play it for 12 seconds,
and then scan again. To select a track,
push SCANº a second time. If the player
reaches the end of one side of a cassette
tape, it will continue scanning on the other
side. Compact disc player
The compact disc player scan feature is
similar to the radio scan feature.
Push SCANº. SCANº will appear on the
display. The compact disc player will play
the first track of the next disc for 10 sec-
onds,
then scan to the next disc. To select
a disc, push SCANº a second time. If the
player has scanned all the discs, it will
stop scanning.
SKIP
The skip feature allows you to fast forward
past long stretches of blank tape. This is
especially useful at the end of cassettes.
Push SKIPº. SKIPº will appear on the
display. The cassette player will keep
track of how much blank space it plays.
Any time it has played about 10 seconds
of blank tape, it will automatically fast for-
ward to the next track and begin to play.
Push the button a second time to turn off
the skip feature. ST (Stereo reception) display
Your radio automatically changes to ste-
reo reception when a stereo broadcast is
received. STº appears on the display. If
the signal becomes weak, the radio re-
duces the amount of channel separation
to prevent the weak signal from creating
noise. If the signal becomes extremely
weak, the radio switches from stereo to
mono reception.
TAPE
Push TAPEº to switch from radio opera-
tion to cassette operation. If the audio
system is off,
you can turn on the cassette
player by pushing TAPEº. In both cases,
a cassette must already be loaded in the
player.
TREB (Treble)
This knob lets you adjust the treble level.
Push TREB/FADEº so that it pops out of
its retracted position. Turn the knob to ad-
just the treble. Push the knob back into its
retracted position.ProCarManuals.com
Page 99 of 202
98AM
FadingÐAM broadcasts are reflected by
the upper atmosphereÐespecially at
night. These reflected signals can inter-
fere with those received directly from the
radio station, causing the radio station to
sound alternately strong and weak.
Station interferenceÐWhen a reflected
signal and a signal received directly from
a radio station are very nearly the same
frequency, they can interfere with each
other,
making it difficult to hear the broad-
cast.
StaticÐAM is easily affected by external
sources of electrical noise, such as high
tension power lines, lightening, or electri-
cal motors. This results in static.
CARING FOR YOUR CASSETTE
PLAYER AND TAPES
For high performance from your cassette
player and tapes:
Clean the tape head and other parts regu-
larly.
A dirty tape head or tape path can de-
crease sound quality and tangle your
cassette tapes. The easiest way to
clean them is by using a cleaning tape. Use high-quality cassettes.
Low-quality cassette tapes can cause
many problems, including poor sound,
inconsistent playing speed, and
constant auto-reversing. They can
also get stuck or tangled in the cas-
sette player.
Do not use a cassette if it has been
damaged or tangled or if its label is
peeling off.
Do not leave a cassette in the player if
you are not listening to it, especially if
it is hot outside.
Store cassettes in their cases and out
of direct sunlight.
Avoid using cassettes with a total play-
ing time longer than 100 minutes (50
minutes per side). The tape used in
these cassettes is thin and could get
stuck or tangled in the cassette player.
CARING FOR YOUR COMPACT DISC
PLAYER AND DISCS
Use only compact discs labeled as
shown.
Extremely high temperatures can
keep your compact disc player from
working. On hot days, use the air con-
ditioning to cool the vehicle interior be-
fore you listen to a disc.
Bumpy roads or other vibrations may
make your compact disc player skip.
If moisture gets into your compact disc
player, you may not hear any sound
even though your compact disc player
appears to be working. Remove the
disc from the player and wait until it
dries.
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