1996 TOYOTA AVALON length

26

Keep the belts clean and dry. If they
need cleaning, use a mild soap
solution or lukewarm water. Never
use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-
ersÐthey may severely weaken the
belts.

Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a se-
vere impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.

Front passenger's seat only (ex-
cept the center position of bench
front seat). Replace the belt if the
warning label under the sleeve can
be seen. The warning label, RE-
PLACE BELTº, will appear if the
belt receives a severe impact or
other force.Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out of the retractor and insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may lock
if you lean forward too quickly. A slow,
easy motion will allow the belt to extend,
and you can move around freely.
ÐFront and rear seat belts
(3-point type)
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29

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.
Remove excess length of the belt and
adjust the belt position.
To shorten the belt, pull the free end of the
belt.
Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hipsÐnot on your waist, then adjust
it to a snug fit.
CAUTION!
High-positioned and loose-fitting
lap belt could increase the chance of
injury due to sliding under the lap
belt during an accident. Keep the lap
belt positioned as low on your hip
bone as possible.
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button.
ProCarManuals.com

30
The front center seat belts can be
stowed when not in use.If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seatbelt 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 avail-
able at your Toyota dealer.
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following. Failure to
follow these instructions could re-
sult in less effectiveness of the seat
belt restraint system in case of ve-
hicle accident, increasing the
chance of personal injury.

Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt with-
out it.

Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe
when used on a different vehicle,
or for another person or at a differ-
ent seating position than the one
originally intended for.
CAUTION!To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the PRESSº signs on
the buckle-release buttons of the ex-
tender and the seat belt are both facing
outward as shown.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
When releasing the seat belt, press on the
buckle-release button on the extender,
not on the seat belt. This helps prevent
damage to the vehicle interior and extend-
er itself.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
ÐStowing the front center
seat belt ÐSeat belt extender
ProCarManuals.com

84
After the beginning of the tape is
reached, the player will automatically
start playing the same side.
 After the end of the tape is reached,
the player will automatically reverse
sides and start playing the other side.
There must be at least three seconds of
blank space between tracks for the track
button to work correctly. In addition, the
feature may not work well with some spo-
ken word, live, or classical recordings.
Compact Disc Player
Push either side of the track button until
the number of the track you want to listen
to appears on the display. If you want to
return the beginning of the current track,
push the down side of the button one time,
quickly.
 /

(Reverse/Fast forward
buttons)
Cassette Player
Push the fast forward button to fast for-
ward a cassette tape. FFº will appear on
the display. Push the reverse button to re-
wind a tape. REWº will appear on the dis-
play.
To stop the tape while it is fast forwarding,
push on the up side of the track down/up
button or TAPEº; to stop the tape while it
is rewinding, push on the down side of the
track down/up button or TAPEº. If a tape side rewinds completely, the ca-
sette player will stop and then play that
same side. If a tape fast forwards com-
pletely, the cassette player will play the
other side of the tape, using the auto-re-
verse feature.
Compact Disc Player
If you want to fast forward or reverse
through a compact disc track, push and
hold in the fast forward or reverse button.
When you release the button, the
compact disc player will resume playing.
AM
.FM
Push AM
.FMº to switch between the AM
and FM bands. AMº, FM1º or FM2º will
appear on the display. These systems al-
low you to set twelve FM stations, two for
each button.
If the audio system is off, you can turn on
the radio by pushing AM
.FMº. Also, push
the AM.FMº button to switch from cas-
sette or compact disc operation to radio
operation. BAL (Balance)
This knob lets you adjust the balance be-
tween the right and left speakers.
Push
BASS/BALº so that it pops out of its
retracted position. Pull out the knob. Turn
the knob to adjust the balance. Push the
knob back into its retracted position.
BASS
This knob lets you adjust the bass level.
Push BASS/BALº so that it pops out of its
retracted position. Turn the knob to adjust
the bass. Push the knob back into its re-
tracted position.
CD (Compact Disc)
Push CDº to switch from radio or cas-
sette operation to compact disc operation.
If the audio system is off, you can turn on
the compact disc player by pushing CDº.
In both cases, a disc must already be
loaded in the player.
When the audio is set into compact disc
operation, the display shows the track
number currently being played. Pushing
CDº changes the display to show the
length of the current program being
played so far. By pushing the button once
again, the display returns to that of track
number.
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131
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing.
The three main causes of vehicle-
trailer accidents are driver error, ex-
cessive speed and improper trailer
loading. Keep these in mind when tow-
ing:

Before starting out, check operation of
the lights and all vehicle-trailer con-
nections. After driving a short dis-
tance, stop and recheck the lights and
connections. Before actually towing a
trailer, practice turning, stopping and
backing with a trailer in an area away
from traffic until you learn the feel.

Backing w ith a trailer is difficult and re-
quires practice. Grip the bottom of the
steering wheel and move your hand to
the left to move the trailer to the left.
Move your hand to the right to move
the trailer to the right. (This procedure
is generally opposite to that when
backing without a trailer). Also, just
turn the steering wheel a little at a time,
avoiding sharp or prolonged turning.
Have someone guide you when back-
ing to reduce the risk of an accident.

Because stopping distance may be in-
creased, vehicle-to-vehicle distance
should be increased when towing a
trailer. For each 16 km/h (10 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and
trailer length between you and the ve-
hicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking as
you may skid, resulting in jackknifing
and loss of control. This is especially
true on wet or slippery surfaces.

Avoid jerky starts or sudden accelera-
tion.

Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns.
The trailer could hit your vehicle in a
tight turn. Slow down before making a
turn to avoid the necessity of sudden
braking.

Remember that when making a turn,
the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the
turn. Therefore, compensate for this
by making a larger than normal turning
radius with your vehicle.

Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect handling of your vehicle
and trailer, causing sway. Pay attention
to the rear from time to time to prepare
yourself for being passed by large
trucks or buses, which may cause your
vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying
happens, firmly grip the steering wheel
and reduce speed immediately but
gradually. Never increase speed. Steer
straight ahead. If you make no extreme
correction with the steering or brakes,
the vehicle and trailer will stabilize.

Be careful when passing other ve-
hicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do
not forget the length of your trailer and
be sure you have plenty of room be-
fore changing lanes.

In order to maintain engine braking ef-
ficiency do not use overdrive.

Because of the added load of the trail-
er, your vehicle's engine may overheat
on hot days (at temperatures over
305C [85 5 F]) when going up a long or
steep grade with a trailer. If the engine
coolant temperature gauge indicates
overheating, immediately turn off the
air conditioning (if in use), pull off the
road and stop in a safe spot. Refer to
If your vehicle overheatsº in Part 4 of
this manual.ProCarManuals.com

132

Always place wheel blocks under both
the vehicle and trailer wheels when
parking. Apply the parking brake firm-
ly. Put the transmission in Pº. Avoid
parking on a slope with a trailer, but if
it cannot be avoided, do so only after
performing the following:
1. Apply the brakes and hold.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks un-
der both the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place,
release your brakes slowly until the blocks
absorb the load.
4. Apply the parking brake firmly.
5. Shift into Pº and turn off the engine.
When restarting out after parking on a
slope:
1. With the transmission in Pº position,
start the engine. Be sure to keep the brake
pedal depressed.
2. Shift into the 2º, Lº or Rº position.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal and slowly pull or back away from
the wheels blocks. Stop and apply your
brakes.
4. Have someone retrieve the blocks.

Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or
the posted towing speed limit,
whichever is lower. Because insta-
bility (swaying) of a towing
vehicle-trailer combination usual-
ly increases as the speed in-
creases, exceeding 72 km/h (45
mph) may cause loss of control.

Slow down and downshift before
descending steep or long down-
hill grades. Do not make sudden
downshifts.

Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or too frequently.
This could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in reduced
braking efficiency.
CAUTION!
Getting more kilometers/mileage from a li-
ter/gallon of fuel is easyÐjust take it easy.
It will help make your vehicle last longer,
too. Here are some specific tips on how to
save money on both fuel and repairs:

Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See Chapter
7-2 for instructions.

Do not carry unneeded weight in
your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.

Avoid lengthy warm-up idling.
Once the engine is running smoothly,
begin drivingÐbut gently. Remember,
however, that on cold winter days this
may take a little longer.

Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
Avoid jackrabbit starts.

Avoid long engine idling. If you have
a long wait and you are not in traffic, it
is better to turn off the engine and start
again later.

Avoid engine lug or overrevving.
Use a gear position suitable for the
road on which you are travelling.
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer, too
ProCarManuals.com

Part 8Dimensions and weight
189
SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions and weight

Engine

Fuel

Service specifications

Tires

Fuses Overall length mm (in.)
Overall width mm (in.)
Overall height
mm (in.)
Wheelbase mm (in.)
Front tread mm (in.)
Rear tread mm (in.)
Vehicle capacity weight
(occupants + luggage) kg (lb.) 4830 (190.1)
1785 (70.2)
1425 (56.1)*1
1440 (56.7)*2
2720 (107.0)
1550 (61.0)
1525 (60.0)
410 (904)*
3
478 (1054)*4
*1: Unladen vehicle plus two occupants*2: Unladen vehicle*3: With floor shift type automatic transmission*4: With column shift type automatic transmission
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