2002 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
692002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device or object on or around
the door. When the side airbag in-
flates, the cup holder or any other
device or object will be thrown with
great force or the side airbag may
not activate correctly, resulting in
death or serious injury. Likewise,
the driver and front passenger
should not hold things in their
arms or on their knees.
Do not use accessories for the
seats which cover the parts where
the side airbags inflate. Such acces-
sories may prevent the side airbags
from activating correctly, causing
death or serious injury.
Do not modify or replace the seats
or upholstery of the front seats
with the side airbags. Such changes
may disable the system or cause
the side airbags to inflate acciden-
tally resulting in death or serious
injury. Consult your Toyota dealer if
you insist on modifications of this
kind.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag system in some
cases.
 Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile twoway radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
 Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
 Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
 Repairs made on or near the con-
sole or front seat

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
702002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
This SRS side airbag system has a
service reminder indicator to inform the
driver of operating problems. If either of
the following conditions occurs, this
indicates a malfunction of the airbags.
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 the light remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS side airbags have been in-
flated.
The portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) were involved in an acci-
dent that was not severe enough to
cause the SRS side airbags to inflate.
The surface of the seats with the side
airbag (shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
712002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a
child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. See “Seat belts” for
details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops,
child must be properly restrained
using a seat belt or child restraint
system depending on the age and
size of the child. Holding a child in
your arms is not a substitute for a
child restraint system. In an acci-
dent, the child can be crushed
against the windshield, or between
you and the vehicle’s interior.
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child,
and is put on the rear seat. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, the child
is safer when properly restrained in
the rear seat than in the front seat.
Never put a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rearfacing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
Do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbags
inflate, because the impact could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
722002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with either the
lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. You must carefully con-
sult the manufacturer ’s instructions
which accompany the child restraint
system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er ’s instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. General directions are also
provided under the following instructions.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.CAUTION
Never put a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rearfacing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
Do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbags
inflate, because the impact could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place following the manufacturer ’s
instructions. If it is not restrained
securely, it may cause death or se-
rious injury to the child in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it in the trunk or somewhere other than
the passenger compartment. This will pre-
vent it from injuring passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to install the
anchor bracket, see “—Using a top strap”.
—Child restraint system

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
732002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child’s age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
—Types of child restraint
system

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
742002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rearfacing
position only.CAUTION
Never put a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat because the force of the
rapid inflation of the front passen-
ger airbag can cause death or seri-
ous injury to the child.
Do not put a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the rear seat if it
interferes with the lock mechanism
of the front seats. This can cause
death or serious injury to the child
and front passenger in case of sud-
den braking or a collision.
If your driving position is not satis-
factory, do not install the child re-
straint system on the rear left seat.
—Installation with 3point
type seat belt

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
752002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
1. Run the lap and shoulder belt throughor around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the belt. Keep
the lap portion of the belt tight.
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap and shoulder portions
of the belt are 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, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is
fixed.
2. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put itin the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended.
To hold the infant seat securely, make
sure the belt is in the lock mode before
letting the belt retract.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
762002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
3. While pressing the infant seat firmlyagainst the seat cushion and seatback,
let the shoulder belt retract as far as
it will go to hold the infant seat secure-
ly.CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
4. To remove the infant seat, press thebuckle −release button and allow the
belt to retract completely. The belt will
move freely again and be ready to
work for an adult or older child passen-
ger.