2002 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
612002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the
vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a pas-
senger airbag the windshield may also be
damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.CAUTION
The SRS airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the prima-
ry protection of the driver side and
front passenger side seat belt sys-
tems. The front seat occupants can
be killed or seriously injured by the
inflating airbags if they do not wear
the available seat belts properly.
During sudden braking just before
a collision, an unrestrained driver
or front passenger can move for-
ward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag which
may then deploy during the colli-
sion. To ensure maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts. properly.
Wearing a seat belt properly during
an accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For
instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
“Seat belts” in this section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing front airbags. An infant or child
who is too small to use a seat belt
should be properly secured using a
child restraint system. Toyota
strongly recommends that all in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” in this section.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
622002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
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.
Move seat
fully back
A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front passenger seat only when
it is unavoidable. Always move the
seat as far back as possible, be-
cause the force of the deploying
front passenger 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.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint” in this
section.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
632002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
Do not sit on the edge of the seat
or lean over the dashboard when
the vehicle is in use. The front air-
bags inflate with considerable
speed and force; you may be killed
or seriously injured. Sit up straight
and well back in the seat, and al-
ways use your seat belt properly.Do not allow a child to stand up,
or to kneel on the front passenger
seat. The front airbag inflates with
considerable speed and force; the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
Do not hold a child on your lap or
in your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” in this section.
Do not put objects or your pets on
or in front of the dashboard or
steering wheel pad that houses the
front airbag system. They might re-
strict inflation or cause death or
serious injury as they are projected
rearward by the force of deploying
airbags. Likewise, the driver and
front passenger should not hold
things in their arms or on their
knees.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
642002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components such as
the steering wheel pad, steering
wheel, column cover, front passen-
ger airbag cover, front passenger
airbag or airbag sensor assembly.
Doing any of these may cause sud-
den SRS front airbag inflation or
disable the system, which could re-
sult in death or serious injury.
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 front 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 front end struc-
ture
 Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
 Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure, con-
sole, steering column, steering
wheel or dashboard near the front
passenger airbag
This SRS front 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 while driving.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
652002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS front airbags have been in-
flated.
The front part of the vehicle (shaded
in the illustration) was involved in an
accident that was not severe enough to
cause the SRS front 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.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) side airbags are designed to pro-
vide further protection for occupants in
the following seats in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by
the seat belts.
Vehicles with bucket front seats—The
SRS side airbags are designed to pro-
tect the driver and front passenger.
Vehicles with bench type front seats—
The SRS side airbags are designed to
protect the driver and right−front pas-
senger. They are not designed to pro-
tect occupant in the center position.
SRS side airbags

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
662002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
In response to a severe side impact, the
SRS side airbags work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflat-
ing. The SRS side airbags help to reduce
injuries mainly to the driver’s or front pas-
senger ’s chest. The SRS side airbag on
the passenger seat is activated even with
no passenger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with consid-
erable force. To avoid potential death
or serious injury when they inflate,
the driver and front passenger must:
Wear their seat belts properly
Remain properly seated with their
back upright and against the seat at
all times.
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ACC” or
“ON” position. It goes off after about
6 seconds. This means the SRS side
airbags are operating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side airbag sensors, inflators, front
seat belt pretensioner assemblies, warning
light, interconnecting wiring and power
sources. (For details, see “Service remind-
er indicators and warning buzzers” in Sec-
tion 1−5.)The SRS side airbag system may not
activate if the vehicle is subjected to a
collision from the side at certain
angles, or a collision to the side of the
vehicle body other than the passenger
compartment as shown in the illustra-
tion.
The SRS side airbags are designed to
inflate when the passenger compartment
area suffers a severe impact from the
side.
For the safety of all occupants, always
wear your seat belts properly.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
672002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
Collision from the frontCollision from the rear
Vehicle rollover
The SRS side airbags are not designed
to inflate if the vehicle is involved in a
front or rear collision, if it rolls over,
or if it is involved in a lowspeed side
collision.The SRS side airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.1. SRS warning light
2. Airbag sensor assembly
3. Side airbag modules (airbag and inflator)
4. Side airbag sensors
The SRS side airbag system is controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor. In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.
Then a chemical reaction in the inflators
quickly fills the air
bags with non−toxic gas
to help restrain the lateral motion of the
occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
and residue along with non −toxic gas. This
does not indicate a fire. This gas is nor-
mally harmless; however, for those who
have delicate skin, it may cause a minor
skin irritation. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
minor skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is desi gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Front seats may be hot for several min-
utes, but the airbags themselves will not
be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.

’02 AVALON U (L/O 0107)
682002 MY AVALON_U (OM22493U)
CAUTION
The SRS side airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver
side and front passenger side seat
belt systems. To ensure maximum
protection in an accident, the driver
and all passengers in the vehicle
must wear their seat belts properly.
Wearing a seat belt properly during
an accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For
instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
“Seat belts” in this section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. An infant or child who
is too small to use a seat belt
should be properly secured using a
child restraint system. Toyota
strongly recommends that all in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” in this section.
Do not allow a child to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the front door or the area
of the seat from which the side air-
bag deploys even if he/she is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint” in this
section.
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use. The side
airbag inflates with considerable
speed and force; you may be killed
or seriously injured.
Do not apply excessive weight to
the outer side of the front seats on
vehicles with side airbags.