TOYOTA AVALON 2020 Owners Manual (in English)

3916-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
WARNING
■Chemicals in the battery
Batteries contain poisonous and corrosive sulfuric acid and may produce
hydrogen gas which is flammable and explosive. To reduce the ri sk of death
or serious injury, take the following precautions while working on or near the
battery:
● Do not cause sparks by touching the battery terminals with tool s.
● Do not smoke or light a match near the battery.
● Avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothes.
● Never inhale or swallow electrolyte.
● Wear protective safety glasses when working near the battery.
● Keep children away from the battery.
■ Where to safely charge the battery
Always charge the battery in an open area. Do not charge the battery in a
garage or closed room where there is insufficient ventilation.
■ Emergency measures regarding electrolyte
● If electrolyte gets in your eyes
Flush your eyes with clean water for at least 15 minutes and get immedi-
ate medical attention. If possible, continue to apply water wit h a sponge or
cloth while traveling to the nearest medical facility.
● If electrolyte gets on your skin
Wash the affected area thoroughly. If you feel pain or burning, get medical
attention immediately.
● If electrolyte gets on your clothes
It can soak through clothing on to your skin. Immediately take off the cloth-
ing and follow the procedure above if necessary.
● If you accidentally swallow electrolyte
Drink a large quantity of water or milk. Get emergency medical attention
immediately.
■ When disconnecting the battery
Do not disconnect the negative (-) terminal on the body side. T he discon-
nected negative (-) terminal may touch the positive (+) termina l, which may
cause a short and result in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■ When recharging the battery
Never recharge the battery while the engine is running. Also, b e sure all
accessories are turned off.

3926-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Add washer fluid in the following
situations:
●A washer does not work.
● “Windshield Washer Fluid Low”
is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display.
Washer fluid
WARNING
■When adding washer fluid
Do not add washer fluid when the engine is hot or running as wa sher fluid
contains alcohol and may catch fire if spilled on the engine, e tc.
NOTICE
■Do not use any fluid ot her than washer fluid
Do not use soapy water or engine antifreeze instead of washer f luid.
Doing so may cause streaking on the vehicle’s painted surfaces, as well as
damaging the pump leading to problems of the washer fluid not s praying.
■ Diluting washer fluid
Dilute washer fluid with water as necessary.
Refer to the freezing temperatures listed on the label of the washer fluid bot-
tle.

3936-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Check if the treadwear indicators are showing on the tires. Also check
the tires for uneven wear, such as excessive wear on one side o f the
tread.
Check the spare tire condition and pressure if not rotated.
New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator
The location of treadwear indicators is shown by a “TWI” or “” mark,
etc., molded into the s idewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
Rotate the tires in the order
shown.
To equalize tire wear and extend
tire life, Toyota recommends that
tire rotation is carried out at the
same interval as tire inspection.
Do not fail to initialize the tire
pressure warning system after
tire rotation.
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance sched-
ules and treadwear.
Checking tires
Tire rotation
1
2
3
Front

3946-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valve and t ransmitters to detect low tire inflation
pressure before serious problems arise.
● The tire pressure detected by
the tire pressure warning sys-
tem can be displayed on the
multi-information display.
● If the tire pressure drops below
a predetermined level, the
driver is warned by a screen
display and a warning light.
(
P. 434)
Tire pressure warning system

3956-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
◆Installing tire pressure warning valve and transmitters
When replacing the tires or wheels, the tire pressure warning v alve
and transmitters must be install ed to the wheels which will be
installed to the vehicle.
When new tire pressure warning valve and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pressure warning system must be
initialized. ( P. 396)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when chang-
ing traveling speed or load weight.
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when the ti re
size is changed.
● When rotating the tires.
● After performing the transmitter ID code registration procedure .
(  P. 396)
When the tire pressure warning sy stem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
■How to initialize the tire pressure warning system
Park the vehicle in a safe place and turn the engine switch off .
The initialization procedure cannot be started while the vehicle is
moving.
Adjust the tire inflation pressure to the specified cold tire i nflation
pressure level. ( P. 478)
Make sure to adjust the tire pre ssure to the specified cold tire infla-
tion pressure level. The tire pressure warning system will oper ate
based on this pr essure level.
Start the engine. ( P. 1 8 4 )
Select on the multi-information display using the meter con-
trol switches on the steering wheel. ( P. 1 0 0 )
Select and then press and hold .
Select “TPWS” and then press .
1
2
3
4
5
6

3966-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Select “Set Pressure” then
press and hold until
the tire pressure warning
light blinks 3 times.
Then a message will be dis-
played on the multi-information
display.
“---” will be displayed on the
multi-information display for
the inflation pressure of each
tire while initialization is being
performed.
Drive straight (with occasional left and right turns) at approxi-
mately 25 mph (40 km/h) or more for approximately 10 to 30 min-
utes.
Initialization is complete when the position of each tire is determined
and the inflation pressure of ea ch tire is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display.
Initialization may ta ke longer than approximately 1 hour in cer tain
situations, such as when the veh icle is stopped for a long time at
traffic lights, etc. ( P. 401)
◆Registering ID codes
Every tire pressure warning valve and transmitter has a unique ID
code. When replacing a tire pressure warning valve and transmit ter,
it is necessary to reg ister the ID codes.
The ID codes can be registered on of the multi-information dis -
play.
7
8

3976-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■How to register the ID codesSelect on the multi-information display using the meter con-
trol switches on the steering wheel. ( P. 1 0 0 )
Select and then press and hold .
Select “TPWS” and then press .
Select “Change Wheel” then
press and hold until
the tire pressure warning
light blinks slowly 3 times.
Then a message will be dis-
played on the multi-information
display.
When registration is being per-
formed, the tire pressure warn-
ing light will blink for
approximately 1 minute then
illuminate and “---” will be dis-
played for the inflation pres-
sure of each tire on the multi-
information display.
Drive straight (with occasional left and right turns) at approxi-
mately 25 mph (40 km/h) or more for approximately 10 to 30 min-
utes.
Registration is complete when the tire pressure warning light t urns
off and the inflation pressure of each tire is displayed on the multi-
information display.
Registration may take longer than approximately 1 hour in certain
situations, such as when the veh icle is stopped for a long time at
traffic lights, etc. ( P. 403)
After registering the ID codes, make sure to initialize the tir e pres-
sure warning system. ( P. 395)
1
2
3
4
5

3986-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough t o
expose the fabric, and bulges indicating internal damage
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or c annot be properly repaired due to the size
or location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with your Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID codes of the tire pressure warning valve and transmit ters are not
registered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. In this
case, after driving for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light will
blink for approximately 1 minute and then illuminate to indicat e a system
malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified techni cian even
if it has seldom or never been u sed or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation
pressure checks. Make sure to chec k tire inflation pressure as part of
your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■Low profile tires (vehicles with 18 or 19-inch wheels)
Generally, low profile tires will wear more rapidly and tire gr ip perfor-
mance will be reduced on snowy and /or icy roads when compared to
standard tires. Be sure to use snow tires on snowy and/or icy r oads and
drive carefully at a speed approp riate for road and weather conditions.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of t he replacement tire is greater than 1/2
of the Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axl e or the
rear axle, whichever is greater.
For the GAWR, see the Certification
Label. For the maximum load of the tire,
see the load limit at maximum cold tire
inflation pressure mentioned on the
sidewall of the tire. ( P. 4 8 4 )

3996-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■Tire types
●Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway
driving under dry conditions. Si nce summer tires do not have th e same
traction performance as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for
driving on snow-covered or icy ro ads. For driving on snow-covered
roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires is recommended. When install-
ing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
●All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in sno w and to
be adequate for driving in most winter conditions as well as fo r use
year-round. All season tires, however, do not have adequate tra ction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Al so, all
season tires fall short in acceleration and handling performanc e com-
pared with summer tires in highway driving.
●Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend us ing
snow tires. If you need snow tires, select tires of the same si ze, con-
struction and load capacity as t he originally installed tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equipment, make sure your snow
tires also have radial construct ion. Do not install studded tires without
first checking local regulations for possible restrictions. Sno w tires
should be install ed on all wheels. ( P. 316)
■If the tread on snow tires wea rs down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost.
■Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not op er-
ate properly
●In the following situations, the tire pressure warning system m ay not
operate properly.
• If non-genuine Toyota wheels are used.
• If a tire has been replaced with a tire that is not an OE (Ori ginal
Equipment) tire.
• If a tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the spe cified size.
• If tire chains, e tc. are installed.
• If a window tint that affects r adio wave signals is installed.
• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehicle, particularly around the
wheels or wheel housings.
• If the tire inflation pressure is much higher than the specifi ed level.
• If wheels not equipped with tire pressure warning valve and tr ansmit-
ter are used.
• If the ID codes of the tire pre ssure warning valve and transmi tters are
not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.

4006-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
●Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• When driving near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio
station, large display, airport or other facilit y that generates strong
radio waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or
other wireless communication device
If tire position information is not correctly displayed due to the radio
wave conditions, the display ma y be corrected by changing the l ocation
of the vehicle as the radio wa ve conditions may change.
●When the vehicle is stopped, the time taken for the warning to start or
turn off may be longer.
●When the inflation pressure of a tire drops rapidly, for exampl e when a
tire has burst, the warning may not operate.
■Initialization procedure
●Make sure to perform the initialization procedure after adjusti ng the tire
inflation pressure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before performing the initia lization
procedure or adjusting the tire inflation pressure.
●If the engine switch is turned off during initialization, it is not necessary
to restart the initialization procedure from the beginning as i t will begin
automatically when the engine switch is turned back to IGNITION ON
mode.
●If initialization has accidentally been started when it is not necessary,
adjust the tire inflation pressu re to the specified level when the tires are
cold and then perform the ini tialization procedure again.
●While the position of each tire is being determined and the inf lation pres-
sures are not being displayed on the multi-information display, if the
inflation pressure of a tire drops, the tire pressure warning l ight will come
on.
■Warning performance of the tire pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressu re warning system will change in accor-
dance with the conditions under which it was initialized. For t his reason,
the system may give a warning even if the tire pressure does no t reach a
low enough level, or if the pressure is higher than the pressur e that was
adjusted to when the sys tem was initialized.