tow TOYOTA AVALON 2000 Owners Manual

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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
occupants are kept completely in-
side 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 switch 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.
Tr u n k lid (t yp e A) Ð
To open the trunk lid from the outside,
insert the master key and turn it clock-
wise.
See Luggage stowage precautionsº in
Section 2 for precautions to observe for
loading 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.
CAUTION
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.
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ÐLock release lever
To open the trunk lid from the driver's
seat, pull up on the lock release lever.
ÐLuggage security system
This system deactivates the lock re-
lease switch so that things locked in
the trunk can be protected.
After closing the trunk lid, insert the
master key and turn it counterclockwise
to deactivate the lock release lever.
After closing the trunk lid, try pulling it up
to make sure it is securely locked.
Tr u n k lid (t yp e B) Ð
To open the trunk lid from the outside,
insert the master key and turn it clock-
wise.
See Luggage stowage precautionsº in
Section 2 for precautions to observe for
loading 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.
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CAUTION

Do not start the vehicle while the
adjustment are being made.

Take care not to select the wrong
button, or the seat could strike the
rear passenger or hit your body
against the steering wheel. If this
happens, you can stop the move-
ment by pressing another driving
position memory switch, or de-
pressing the brake pedal.
Trunk storage extension
1. Pull down the center armrest in therear seat.2. Push down the handle of the armrestdoor and open the armrest door.
See ºLuggage stowage precautionsº in
Section 2 for precautions to observe for
loading luggage.
CAUTION
Be sure to close the door when the
trunk storage extension is not in use.
Luggage or cargo in the trunk may be
thrown into the passenger compart-
ment in a sudden stop or crash re-
sulting in injury.
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To release the belt, press the buckle- re-
lease button.The front center seat belt can be
stowed when not in use.
ÐSeat belt extender
If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer so
that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available
at your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following. Failure to fol-
low these instructions could result in
less effectiveness of the seat belt re-
straint system in case of vehicle acci-
dent, increasing the chance of per-
sonal injury.

Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt without
it.
ÐStowing the front center
seat belt
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Tilt steering wheel
To change the steering wheel angle,
hold the steering wheel, pull the lock
release lever toward you, tilt the steer-
ing wheel to the desired angle and re-
lease the lever.
When the steering wheel is in a low posi-
tion, it will spring up as you release the
lock release lever.
CAUTION

Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving.

After adjusting the steering wheel,
try moving it up and down to make
sure it is locked in position.
Outside rear view mirrorsÐ
Adjust the mirror so that you can see
the side of your vehicle in the mirror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger 's side.
It is a convex mirror with a curved sur-
face. Any object seen in a convex mirror
will look smaller and farther away than
when seen in a flat mirror.
On some models, when you push the rear
window defogger switch, the heater panels
in the outside rear view mirrors will quick-
ly clear the surface.
CAUTION

Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. It may cause the
driver to mishandle the vehicle and
an accident may occur resulting in
personal injuries.

Since the mirror surfaces can get
hot, keep your hands off them when
the defogger switch is on.
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Ignition switch light
For easy access to the ignition switch,
the ignition switch light comes on when
any of the doors are opened.
The light remains on for some time after
all the doors are closed.
To prevent the battery being discharged,
the light will automatically turn off when
the key is removed and the door is left
opened for 20 minutes or more.
Windshield wipers and washer
To turn on the windshield wipers, move
the lever to the desired setting.
The key must be in the ONº position.Lever position
Speed setting
Position 1Intermittent
Position 2Slow
Position 3Fast
The INT TIMEº band lets you adjust the
wiping time interval when the wiper lever
is in the intermittent position (position 1).
Twist the band upward to increase the
time between sweeps, and downward to
decrease it. To squirt washer fluid, pull the lever
toward you.
If the windshield wipers are off, they will
operate a couple of times after the washer
squirts.
For instructions on adding washer fluid,
see Adding washer fluidº in Section 7- 3.
In freezing weather, warm the windshield
with the defroster before using the washer.
This will help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing on your windshield, which
can block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the wind-
shield is dry. It may scratch theglass.
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Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop- and- go traffic.

Towing a trailer.
NOTICE

Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as thismay cause the engine to overheat.The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep thetemperature of the engine withinthe specified operating range.

Do not continue driving with anoverheated engine. See If your ve-hicle overheatsº in Section 4.
Tachometer
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may causesevere engine damage.
Odometer and two trip meters
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
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The compass may not show the correct
direction in the following conditions:

The vehicle is stopped immediately af-
ter turning.
The compass does not adjust while the
vehicle is stopped.

The ignition switch is turned off imme-
diately after turning.

The vehicle is on an inclined surface.

The vehicle is in a place where the
earth's magnetic field is subject to in-
terference by artificial magnetic fields
(underground parking, under a steel
tower, between buildings, roof parking,
near a crossing, near a large vehicle,
etc.).

The vehicle is magnetized. (There is a
magnet or a metal object on or near
the roof.)

The battery has been disconnected.
The compass works to calibrate the direc-
tion automatically while the vehicle is in
motion, if deviation is small.
For additional precision or for complete
calibrating, see CALIBRATING THE
COMPASSº below.
Compass sensor
NOTICE
Do not put magnets or a metal object on or near the roof of the vehicle.Doing this may cause malfunction ofthe compass sensor.
CALIBRATING THE COMPASS (deviation
calibration)
The direction display on the compass
deviates from the true direction deter-
mined by the earth's magnetic field. The
angle of deviation varies according to the
geographic position of the vehicle.
To adjust for this deviation, stop the ve-
hicle and push the MODEº button several
times until ZONE XXº appears on the
calendar display. Then push the RESET/
ADJº button, referring to the following map
to select the number of the zone where
the vehicle is.
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CALIBRATING THE COMPASS (circling
calibration)
Sometimes the direction display on the
compass may not change after a turn. To
rectify this, stop the vehicle and push the
MODEº button several times until
COMPASSº appears and blinks on the
display. Then push the RESET/ADJº but-
ton. CALIBRATEº appears and blinks to-
gether with the compass display.Drive the vehicle in a circle until the blink-
ing stops. If there is not enough space to
drive in a circle, drive around the block
until the blinking stops.
When the compass and the calendar dis-
play return to normal mode, calibration is
complete.
If you want to cancel the calibration be-
fore it is complete, push the MODEº but-
ton again.Perform circling calibration just after
you have purchased your Toyota. And
then always perform circling calibration
after the battery has been removed, re-
placed or disconnected.

Do not perform circling calibration of
the compass in a place where the
earth's magnetic field is subject to in-
terference by artificial magnetic fields
(underground parking, under a steel
tower, between buildings, roof parking,
near a crossing, near a large vehicle,
etc.).

During calibration, do not operate elec-
tric systems (moon roof, power win-
dows, etc.) as they may interfere with
the calibration.
CAUTION

When doing the circling calibration,
be sure to secure a wide space,
and pay attention to people and ve-
hicles in the neighborhood. Do not
violate any local traffic rules while
performing circling calibration.

Do not adjust the display while the
vehicle is moving. Be sure to adjust
the display only when the vehicle is
stopped.
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(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either a third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The O/D OFFº indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The O/D OFFº indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will automatically be on.When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not applied be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this section.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in How to start the engineº in Section 3. The
transmission must be in Pº or Nº.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to Dº.
When the lever is in the Dº position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor 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:
Push 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 132 km/h (82
mph), and stronger engine braking will
be enabled.
Shift into the Lº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 59 km/h (36 mph), and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.
When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not applied be-
cause the cruise control is not cancelled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see Cruise controlº in this section.
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