wheel TOYOTA CAMRY 1996 Owners Manual

Part 1SeatsFront seatsÐ
ÐSeat adjustment precautions
19
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-3
Seats, Seat belts,
Steering wheel
and Mirrors

Seats

Front seats

Rear seats

Head restraints

Seat belts

SRS airbags

Child restraint

Tilt steering wheel

Outside rear view mirrors

Anti-glare inside rear view
mirror

Vanity mirrors
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION!

Do not drive with the vehicle occu-
pants not properly seated, such as
sitting on top of a folded-down
seatback, or in the luggage
compartment. Persons not proper-
ly seated and restrained by seat
belts can be severely injured in the
event of emergency braking or a
collision.

During driving, do not let passen-
gers stand up or move around be-
tween seats. Balance can be un-
steady and severe injuries can oc-
cur in the event of emergency brak-
ing or a collision.Adjust the driver's seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of the
driver.
CAUTION!

Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.

When adjusting the seat, be care-
ful not to hit the seat against a pas-
senger or luggage.

After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.

After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.

Do not put objects under the seats
as they may interfere with the seat-
lock mechanism or unexpectedly
push up the seat position adjust-
ing lever; the seat may suddenly
move, causing the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

While adjusting the seat, do not
put your hands under the seat or
near the moving parts. You may
jam your hands or fingers.
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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 the driver and
front passenger when added to the pri-
mary protection provided by the seat
belts.
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.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 front airbag sensors, center
airbag sensor assembly, inflators, warn-
ing light, interconnecting wiring and power
sources.
SRS airbags
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38
The center airbag sensor assembly con-
sists of a safing sensor and center airbag
sensor.
In a severe frontal impact, sensors detect
deceleration and the system triggers the
airbag inflators. Then a chemical reaction
in the inflators momentarily fills the air-
bags with non-toxic nitrogen gas to help
restrain the forward motion of the occu-
pants.When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
along with the nitrogen gas. This is not
harmful and does not indicate a fire. Be
sure to wash off any residue as soon as
possible to prevent minor skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happen in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swellings.
Parts of the airbag module (steering
wheel hub, dashboard) may be hot for
several minutes, but the airbags them-
selves will not be hot. The airbags are de-
signed to inflate only once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the ve-
hicle buckles. In vehicles with a passen-
ger airbag the windshield may also be
damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.
CAUTION!

The SRS airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to
the primary protection of the seat
belt systems of the driver and
front passenger. The front seat oc-
cupants are particularly suscepti-
ble to injury if they do not wear
their seat belts; when sudden
braking or a collision occurs, they
may be thrown forward. To obtain
further protection in an accident,
the driver and all passengers in
the vehicle should always wear
their seat belts when driving. For
instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
Seat beltsº in this chapter.

A baby or small child who is too
small to use a seat belt should be
properly secured in a rear seat us-
ing a child restraint system.
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40

Do not allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger
seat. The airbag inflates with con-
siderable speed and force; the
child may be severely injured.

Do not hold a child on your lap or
in your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For in-
structions concerning the instal-
lation of a child restraint system,
see Child restraintº in this chap-
ter.
Do not put objects on or in front of
the dashboard or steering wheel
pad that houses the airbag sys-
tem. They might restrict inflation
or cause personal injury as they
are projected rearward.

Do not modify, remove or open any
component or wiring, such as the
steering wheel, column cover, front
passenger airbag cover, front pas-
senger airbag, center airbag sensor
assembly or front airbag sensors.
Doing any of these may cause sud-
den SRS airbag inflation or disable
the system, which could result in
personal injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in severe injuries.
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Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of
the SRS airbag system in some
cases.
Installation of electronic items
such as a mobile two-way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
Modification of the suspension
system
Modification of the front end
structure
Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow-
plow, winches or any other equip-
ment to the front end
Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front and rear console,
steering column, steering wheel
or dashboard near the front pas-
senger 's airbag
NOTICE
This SRS airbag system has a service re-
minder indicator to inform the driver of op-
erating problems. If either of the following
conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your To-
yota dealer as soon as possible to service
the vehicle.

The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or remains on.

The light comes on while driving.In the following cases, contact your Toyo-
ta dealer as soon as possible:

The SRS airbags have been inflated.

The front part of the vehicle (shaded in
the illustration) was involved in an ac-
cident not of the extent to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate.

The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
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52
Make sure the seat belt is securely
locked. Also make sure the child re-
straint system is secure by pushing
and pulling it in different directions.
CAUTION!
5. To remove the child restraint system,
press the buckle-release button and al-
low the belt to retract. Unhook the top
strap.To change the steering wheel angle,
hold the steering wheel, pull up the
lock release lever, tilt the steering
wheel to the desired angle and release
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.
Tilt steering wheel
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Make sure the seat belt is securely
locked. Also make sure the child re-
straint system is secure by pushing
and pulling it in different directions.
CAUTION!
5. To remove the child restraint system,
press the buckle-release button and al-
low the belt to retract. Unhook the top
strap.To change the steering wheel angle,
hold the steering wheel, pull up the
lock release lever, tilt the steering
wheel to the desired angle and release
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.
Tilt steering wheel
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Part 1Ignition switch with steering lock
69
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-6
Ignition switch,
Transmission
and Parking brake

Ignition switch with steering lock

Automatic transmission

Manual transmission

Parking brake

Cruise control
STARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ONºÐEngine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
ACCºÐAccessories such as the ra-
dio operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ACCº or
LOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
LOCKºÐEngine is off and the steer-
ing wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.You must push in the key to turn the key
from ACCº to the LOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be put in the Pº
position before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the LOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.CAUTION
!
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ONº
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
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134TANDEM MASTER CYLINDER BRAKE
SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake sys-
tem is a hydraulic system with two sepa-
rate sub-systems. If either sub-system
should fail, the other will still work. Howev-
er, the pedal will be harder to press, and
your stopping distance will be longer.
Also, the brake system warning light may
come on.
CAUTION!
Do not drive your vehicle with only
a single brake system. Have your
brakes fixed immediately.
BRAKE BOOSTER
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to
power-assist the brakes. If the engine
should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal
pedal pressure. There is enough reserve
vacuum for one or two stopsÐbut no
more!
CAUTION!

Do not pump the brake pedal if the
engine stalls. Each push on the
pedal uses up your vacuum re-
serve.

Even if the power assist is com-
pletely lost, the brakes will still
work. But you will have to push the
pedal hardÐmuch harder than
normal. And your braking distance
will be longer.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (with
ABSº warning light)
The anti-lock brake system is designed to
prevent lock-up of the wheels during sud-
den braking or braking on slippery road
surfaces. This assists the driver in con-
trolling the vehicle under these circum-
stances.
The anti-lock brake system becomes op-
erative after the vehicle has accelerated
to a speed in excess of approximately 10
km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the
vehicle decelerates to a speed below
approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
is started. This means that the anti-lock
brake system is in the self check mode,
and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the anti-lock brake system function
is in action, you may feel the brake pedal
pulsating and hear a noise. In this situa-
tion, to let the anti-lock brake system
work for you, just hold the brake pedal
down more firmly. Do not pump the brake.The brake pedal pulsation caused by the
anti-lock brake system may indicate haz-
ardous road surface conditions. Although
the anti-lock brake system assists in pro-
viding vehicle control, it is still important to
drive with all due care, because the anti-
lock brake system cannot overcome the
laws of physics that act on your vehicle:

Braking capability is dependent on tire
friction with the road surface.

Even though the anti-lock brake sys-
tem is operating, a driver cannot main-
tain full control on certain slippery road
surfaces, when cornering at high
speeds, or in violent maneuvers.

Avoid high speeds on wet roads. The
anti-lock brake system cannot elimi-
nate the risk of hydroplaning and loss
of tire friction.
Always maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in front of you. Compared with ve-
hicles not fitted with an anti-lock brake
system, your vehicle may require a longer
stopping distance in the following cases:

Driving on rough, gravel or snow-cov-
ered roads.

Driving with tire chains installed.

Driving on roads where the road sur-
face is pitted or has other differences
in surface height.
Brake system
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Part 3
How to start the engineÐ
(a) Before cranking
Before starting the engine
139
STARTING AND
DRIVING

Before starting the engine

How to start the engine

Tips for driving in various
conditions

Winter driving tips

Trailer towing

How to save fuel and make your
vehicle last longer, too
1. Check the area around the vehicle be-
fore entering it.
2. Adjust seat position, seatback angle,
head restraint height and steering wheel
angle.
3. Adjust inside and outside rear view
mirrors.
4. Lock all doors.
5. Fasten seat belts.1. Apply the parking brake firmly.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3.Manual transmission: Press the
clutch pedal to the floor and shift the trans-
mission into neutral. Hold the clutch pedal
to the floor until the engine is started. A
starter safety device will prevent the start-
er from operating if the clutch pedal is not
fully depressed.
Automatic transmission: Put the selec-
tor lever in Pº. If you need to restart the
engine while the vehicle is moving, put the
selector lever in Nº. A starter safety de-
vice will prevent the starter from operating
if the selector lever is in any drive position.
4.Automatic transmission only: De-
press the brake pedal and hold it to the
floor until driving off.
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