1996 TOYOTA AVALON light

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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The SRS airbags are not designed to
inflate if the vehicle is subjected to a
side or rear impact, if it rolls over, or if
it is involved in a low-speed frontal
collision.The SRS airbag system mainly consists
of the following components and their
locations are shown in the illustration.
1 Airbag sensor assembly
2 Steering wheel pad (airbag and inflator)
3 Passenger airbag module (airbag and inflator)
4 SRS airbag warning light
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and 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 w ill not be hot. The airbags are de-
signed to inflate only once.
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36
Do not perform any of the followingchanges without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes caninterfere with proper operation ofthe SRS airbag system in somecases.
Installation of electronic itemssuch as a mobile two-way radio,
cassette tape player or compactdisc player
Modification of the suspension
system
Modification of the front endstructure
Attachment of a grille guard (bullbar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow-
plow, winches or any other equip-ment to the front end
Repairs made on or near the con-sole, steering column, steeringwheel or dashboard near the frontpassenger 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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To adjust a mirror, use the switches.
1. Master switchÐTo select the mirror to
be adjusted
Place the switch at Lº (left) or Rº (right).
2. Control switchÐTo move the mirror
Push the switch in the desired direction.
If the engine is not running, the key must
be in the ACCº position.
NOTICE
If ice should jam the mirror, do not operate the control or scrape the
mirror face. Use a spray de-icer tofree the mirror.
To reduce glare from the headlights of
the vehicle behind you during night
driving, operate the lever on the lower
edge of the mirror.
Daylight drivingÐLever at position 1
The reflection in the mirror has greater
clarity at this position.
Night drivingÐLever at position 2
Remember that by reducing glare you
also lose some rear view clarity.To use the vanity mirrors, swing down
the sun visor and open the cover.
The vanity light comes on when you open
the cover.
Anti- glare inside rear view
mirror Vanity mirrors
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Part 1
49
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-4
Lights, Wipers
and Defogger

Headlights and turn signals

Emergency flashers

Instrument panel light control

Interior light

Front personal lights

Rear personal lights

Ignition switch light

Windshield wipers and washer

Headlight cleaner

Rear window defoggerHEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1ÐParking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2ÐHeadlights and all of the
above
Position 3 (AUTOº)ÐHeadlights and/or all
of the above
They automatically turn on or off depend-
ing on the darkness of the surroundings.
Manually twist the knob to the position 2
to turn on the headlights if they are need-
ed immediately when entering a dark tun-
nel, parking structure, etc.The automatic light control sensor is on the
top of the driver 's side instrument panel.
Do not place anything on the instrument
panel, and/or do not affix anything on the
windshield to block this sensor.
If you feel that the automatic light control
comes into operation too early or too late,
have the sensor adjusted by your Toyota
dealer.
The lights automatically turn off when the
driver's door is opened with the ignition
key in the ACCº or LOCKº position. To
turn them on again, turn the key to the
ONº position or actuate the headlight
switch. If you are going to park for over
one week, make sure the headlight switch
is off.
Headlights and turn signals
(with automatic light control
system)
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50
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when theengine is not running.
Daytime running light system (Canada
only)
The headlights turn on when the parking
brake is released with the engine started,
even with the light switch in the OFFº
position. They will not go off until the igni-
tion switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and in-
strument panel lights, twist the knob to the
position 1.
Under the daytime running light system,
the headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty. Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.
High-Low beamsÐFor high beams,
turn the headlights on and push the lever
away from you (position 1). Pull the lever
toward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will tell
you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)ÐPull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with knob turned to OFFº.TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to posi-
tion 1.
The key must be in the ONº position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal bulb
is burned out.
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51
HEADLIGHTS
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1ÐParking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2ÐHeadlights and all of the
above
The lights automatically turn off when the
driver's door is opened with the ignition
key turned off. To turn them on again, turn
the key to the ONº position or actuate the
headlight switch. If you are going to park
for over one week, make sure the head-
light switch is off.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights
on for a long period when the engineis not running.
Daytime running light system (Canada
only)
The headlights turn on when the parking
brake is released with the engine started,
even with the light switch in the OFFº
position. They will not go off until the igni-
tion switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and in-
strument panel lights, twist the knob to the
position 1.
Under the daytime running light system,
the headlights turn on at reduced intensi-
ty. Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
to full intensity for driving at night.
High-Low beamsÐFor high beams,
turn the headlights on and push the lever
away from you (position 1). Pull the lever
toward you (position 2) for low beams.
The headlight high beam indicator light
(blue light) on the instrument panel will tell
you that the high beams are on.
Flashing the high beam headlights
(position 3)ÐPull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
with knob turned to OFFº.
Headlights and turn signals
(without automatic light
control system)
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52
TURN SIGNAL
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to posi-
tion 1.
The key must be in the ONº position.
The lever automatically returns after you
make a turn, but you may have to return
it by hand after you change lanes.
To signal a lane change, move the lever
up or down to the pressure point (position
2) and hold it.
If the turn signal indicator lights (green
lights) on the instrument panel flash faster
than normal, a front or rear turn signal bulb
is burned out.To turn on the emergency flashers,
push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. To turn
them off, push the switch once again.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn
other drivers if your vehicle must be
stopped where it might be a traf fic hazard.
Always pull as far off the road as possible.
The turn signal light switch will not work
when the emergency flashers are operat-
ing.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the switch
on longer than necessary when theengine is not running.
Emergency flashers
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