1999 TOYOTA AVALON ignition

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(i) Rear Light Failure Warning Light
If this light comes on when the headlight
switch is turned on (at the position 1 or
position 2), it indicates that one or more
of the tail lights are burned out.
If it comes on when the brake pedal is
depressed, one or more stop lights are
burned out.
Have defective bulbs replaced as soon as
possible.
(j) SRS Airbag Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ”ACC” or
”ON” position. After about 6 seconds,
the light will go off. This means the
system of the airbag and front seat belt
pretensioners are operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the air-
bag sensor assembly, seat belt pretension-
er assembly, inflators, warning light, inter-
connecting wiring and power sources.
If either of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ”ACC” or
”ON” position or remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
(k) ”TRAC OFF” Indicator/Warning light
This light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to ”ON”, and will go off after a
few seconds. This means that the system
is operating properly.
If one of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.
The light remains on more than a few
seconds after the ignition switch is
turned on.
The light comes on while driving even
if the ”TRAC OFF” switch is not
pushed.
The light flashes. (l) Low Windshield Washer and Head-
light Cleaner Fluid Level Warning
Light (on some models)
The light warns that the windshield washer
and headlight cleaner fluid level is too
low. Add washer fluid at your earliest op-
portunity. (For instructions, see ”Adding
washer fluid” in Chapter 7 −3.)
(m) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the key
when you open the driver’s door with the
ignition key in the ”ACC” or ”LOCK” position.
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CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER INDICA-
TORS (except the low fuel level warning
light and, low windshield washer and
headlight cleaner fluid level warning
light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to ”ACC”. The SRS airbag warning light should
come on. It goes off after about 6 se-
conds.
5. Turn the ignition key to ”ON”, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light and
SRS airbag warning light should come
on. The ”ABS” warning light and ”TRAC
OFF” indicator/warning light go off after
a few seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, either the bulb is burned out or the
circuit is in need of repair. Have it
checked by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS—
Chapter 1 −6
Ignition switch,
Transmission and
Parking brake
 Ignition switch with steering lock
 Automatic transmission
 P ar k ing br ak e
 Cruise control”START”—Starter motor on. The key
will return to the ”ON” position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
”ON”—Engine on and all accessories
on.
This is the normal driving position.
”ACC”—Accessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ”ACC” or
”LOCK” position and open the driver’s
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
”LOCK”—Engine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position. You must push in the key to turn the key
from ”ACC” to the ”LOCK” position. The
selector lever must be in the ”P” position
before pushing the key.
Vehicles with engine immobiliser system—
Once you remove the key, the engine im-
mobiliser system is automatically set. (See
”Engine immobiliser system” in Chapter
1
−2.)
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the ”LOCK” 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.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ”ON”
position if the engine is not running.
The battery will discharge and the
ignition could be damaged.
Ignition switch with steering
lock
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Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Parking, engine starting
and key removal position
Reverse position
Neutral position Normal driving position
Position for engine
braking
Position for stronger
engine braking than that
in ”2” position
With the brake pedal depressed, shift
while holding the lock release button
in. (The ignition switch must be in
”ON” position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in
Shift normally Driving pattern selector button
For selecting a driving pattern suited to
existing driving conditions
”NORM” (Normal)
mode for general
driving conditions ”PWR”
(Power) mode
for powerful
acceleration”PWR” mode indicator
light on the instrument
panel shows the driving
pattern selector button
is in ”PWR” mode
Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three −speed or
four −speed transmission
ON position
(Shifting into
overdrive
possible)
OFF position
(Shifting into
overdrive not
possible) ”O/D OFF” indicator light
Shows the overdrive
switch is in OFF position
When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive switch, engine braki
ng will
not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see ”Cruise control” in thi s
chapter.
Automatic transmission
 Floor shift type
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Parking, engine starting
and key removal position
Reverse position
Neutral position
Normal driving position
Position for engine
braking
Position for stronger
engine braking than that
in ”2” position Driving pattern selector button
For selecting a driving pattern suited to
existing driving conditions
”NORM”
(Normal) mode
for general
driving conditions ”PWR”
(Power) mode
for powerful
acceleration”PWR” mode indicator
light on the instrument
panel shows the driving
pattern selector button
is in “PWR” mode
Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three −speed or
four −speed transmission
”ON” position
(Shifting into
overdrive
possible)
”OFF” position
(Shifting into
overdrive not
possible)
”O/D OFF” indicator light
Shows the overdrive switch
is in ”OFF” position
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while pulling the selector
lever toward you (The ignition
0switch must be in ”ON” position.)
Shift while pulling the
selector lever toward you
Shift normally
When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive switch, engine braki ng will
not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see ”Cruise control” in thi s
chapter. 
Column shift type
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Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of ”P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ”ON” position, and the lock re-
lease button on the floor shift type trans-
mission depressed or the selector lever on
the column shift type transmission pulled
toward you).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ”How to start the engine” in Part 3. The
transmission must be in ”P” or ”N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ”D”.
In ”D” position, the automatic transmission
system will select the most suitable gear
for running conditions such as normal
cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch 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 switch
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.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The ”O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the ”2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than 133 km/h (82
mph), and more powerful engine brak-
ing will be obtained.
Shift into the ”L” 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 ap-
plied.
Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking is not
applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled. For ways to decrease the ve-
hicle speed, see ”Cruise control” in this
chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
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This section describes some of the basic
features on Toyota audio systems. Some
information may not pertain to your sys-
tem.
Your audio system works when the ignition
key is in the ”ACC” or ”ON” position.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON AND OFF
Push ”PWR ·VOL”, ”PWR/VOL” or ”VOL/
PWR” to turn the audio system on and
off.
Push ”AM”, ”FM”, ”AM ·FM”, ”TAPE”, or
”CD” to turn on that function without push-
ing ”PWR ·VOL”, ”PWR/VOL” or ”VOL/
PWR”.
You can turn on each player by inserting
a cassette tape or compact disc.
You can turn off each player by ejecting
the cassette tape or compact disc. If the
audio system was previously off, then the
entire audio system will be turned off
when you eject the cassette tape or com-
pact disc. If the another function was pre-
viously playing, it will come on again.
SWITCHING BETWEEN FUNCTIONS
Push ”AM”, ”FM”, ”AM ·FM”, ”TAPE”, or
”CD” if the system is already on but you
want to switch from one function to anoth-
er. TONE AND BALANCE
For details about your system’s tone and
balance controls, see the description of
your own system.
Tone
How good an audio program sounds to
you is largely determined by the mix of
the treble, midrange, and bass levels. In
fact, different kinds of music and vocal
programs usually sound better with differ-
ent mixes of treble, mid−
range, and bass.
Balance
A good balance of the left and right stereo
channels and of the front and rear sound
levels is also important.
Keep in mind that if you are listening to
a stereo recording or broadcast, changing
the right/left balance will increase the vol-
ume of one group of sounds while de-
creasing the volume of another. YOUR RADIO ANTENNA
Your vehicle has an antenna printed on
the inside of the rear window.
NOTICE
Attaching the film (especially conduc-
tive or metallic type) on the rear win-
dow will noticeably reduce the sensi-
tivity of the radio.
YOUR CASSETTE PLAYER
When you insert a cassette, the exposed
tape should be to the right.
NOTICE
Do not oil any part of the player and
do not insert anything other than cas-
sette tapes into the slot, or the tape
player may be damaged.
—Using your audio system:
some basics
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Details of specific buttons, controls, and
features are described in the alphabetical
listing that follows. 1 2 3 4 5 6 (Preset buttons)
These buttons are used to preset and
tune in radio stations.
To preset a station to a button: Tune in
the desired station (see ”TUNE” or ”SEEK”
button). Push and hold down the button
until you hear a beep—this will set the
station to the button. The button number
will appear on the display.
To tune in to a preset station: Push the
button for the station you want. The but-
ton number and station frequency will ap-
pear on the display.
These systems can store one AM and two
FM stations for each button (The display
will show ”AM”, ”FM1” or ”FM2” when you
push ”AM” or ”FM”).
(Eject button)
Push this button to eject a cassette.
After you turn the ignition to ”LOCK”, you
will be able to eject a cassette but you
will not be able to reinsert it.
(Reverse/Fast forward buttons)
Cassette Player
Push the fast forward button to fast for-
ward a cassette tape. ”FF” will appear on
the display. Push the reverse button to
rewind a tape. ”REW” will appear on the
display.
To stop the tape while it is fast forward-
ing, push the fast forward button or
”TAPE”; to stop the tape while it is re-
winding, push the reverse button or
”TAPE”.
If a tape side rewinds completely, the cas-
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.
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