2003 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
932003 AVALON (OM41401U)
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the side of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
Be careful when judging the size or dis-
tance of any object seen in the outside
rear view mirror on the passenger ’s side.
It is a convex mirror with a curved sur-
face. Any object seen in a convex mirror
will look smaller and farther away than
when seen in a flat mirror.Vehicles with the auto antiglare inside
rear view mirror—When the inside rear
view mirror surface darkens in “AUTO”
mode, the driver ’s side outside rear view
mirror surface also darkens to reduce the
reflection of the headlights of the vehicle
behind you. (For details, see “Auto anti
glare inside rear view mirror” in this sec-
tion.)
On some models, when you push the rear
window defogger switch, the heater panels
in the outside rear view mirrors will quick-
ly clear the surface. (See “Rear window
and outside rear view mirror defoggers” in
Section 14.)
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. Doing so may
cause the driver to mishandle the
vehicle and an accident may occur
resulting in death or serious inju-
ries.
On some models, since the mirror
surfaces can get hot, do not touch
them when the defogger switch is
on.
NOTICE
The outside rear view mirrors are
fixed in place. Do not try to fold the
mirrors. It may damage the mirrors.
Outside rear view mirrors—

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To adjust a mirror, use the switches.
1. Master switch—To select the mirror to
be adjusted
Place the switch at “L” (left) or “R”
(right).
2. Control switch—To move the mirror
Push the switch in the desired direc-
tion.
Mirrors can be adjusted when the key is
in the “ACC” or “ON” position.
NOTICE
If ice should jam the mirror, do not
operate the control or scrape the mir-
ror face. Use a spray deicer to free
the mirror.
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the rear of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
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 driving—Lever at position 1
The reflection in the mirror has greater
clarity at this position.
Night driving—Lever at position 2
Remember that by reducing glare you also
lose some rear view clarity.
—Power rear view mirror
controlAntiglare inside rear view
mirror

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CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. Doing so may
cause the driver to mishandle the ve-
hicle and an accident may occur re-
sulting in death or serious injuries.
Adjust the mirror so that you can just
see the rear of your vehicle in the mir-
ror.
This mirror is equipped with auto anti
glare function. The function is designed
to reduce glare from the headlights of
the vehicle behind you during night
driving.
When the ignition key is inserted and
turned on, the inside rear view mirror al-
ways turns on in the “AUTO” mode.
The “AUTO” indicator illuminates to show
you that the function is on.In “AUTO” mode, if the mirror detects light
from the headlights of the vehicle behind
you, the mirror surface darkens slightly to
reduce the reflected light.
When the inside rear view mirror surface
darkens the driver ’s side outside rear view
mirror surface also darkens.
To turn off the automatic function, press
the switch on the “OFF” side.
To turn on the automatic function again,
press the switch on the “AUTO” side.
Adjust it before driving so that the rear
view is optimized.
When the outside air temperature is low,
it may take little longer for the mirror to
darken in response to the detection of
headlights.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the
vehicle is moving. It may cause the
driver to mishandle the vehicle and
an accident may occur resulting in
death or serious injuries.
Auto antiglare inside rear
view mirror

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962003 AVALON (OM41401U)
To ensure correct functioning of an
antiglare mirror sensor located on the
back side of the mirror, do not touch
or cover the sensor with your finger or
a piece of cloth, etc.To use the vanity mirrors, swing down
the sun visor and open the cover.
The vanity lights come on when you open
the cover.
Vanity mirrors

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Lights, Wipers and Defogger
Headlights and turn signals98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency flashers103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Instrument panel light control103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front fog lights104 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interior light104 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front personal and interior lights105 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear personal lights106 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ignition switch light106 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield wipers and washer107 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shifting the windshield wiper position109 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window and outside rear view mirror defoggers11 0 . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 4

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HEADLIGHTS
Manual operation—
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
aboveAutomatic operation—
To turn on or off the lights automatical-
ly, twist the headlight/turn signal lever
knob to the “AUTO” position when the
ignition key is in the “ON” position.
The headlights and/or all of the lights in
position 1 automatically turn on or off de-
pending on the darkness of the surround-
ings.
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.
Headlights and turn signals
(for U.S.A.)

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Automatic light cut off system
Position 1 or “AUTO” position with the
tail lights on—
The lights automatically turn off when the
driver ’s door is opened with the ignition
key in the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
Position 2 or “AUTO” position with the
headlights on—
The lights automatically turn off after 30
seconds when any of the door or trunk lid
is opened and closed with the ignition key
in the “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
Vehicles with wireless remote control sys-
tem—The lights can be turned off immedi-
ately by pushing the “LOCK” switch on the
wireless remote control transmitter with all
the doors locked and the trunk lid closed.
If any of the door or trunk lid is kept
opened, the lights automatically turn off
after 20 minutes.
To turn on the lights again, turn the igni-
tion key to the “ON” position or actuate
the headlight switch. If you are going to
park for over one week, make sure the
knob is in the “AUTO” position.NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being dis-
charged, do not leave the lights on
for a long period when the engine is
not running.
Daytime running light (DRL) system
Daytime Running Light (DRL) System can
make it easier for others to see the front
of your vehicle during the day. The DRL
system can be helpful in many different
driving conditions, but they can be espe-
cially helpful in the short periods after
dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system will make your headlights
come on at a reduced brightness when:
The ignition is on with the engine run-
ning.
The light switch is in the “AUTO” posi-
tion.
The parking brake is released.
To turn on the other exterior lights and
instrument panel lights, twist the knob to
the position 1.
Twist the knob to the position 2 to turn
the headlights to full intensity for night
driving.To turn off the DRL system, twist the knob
to the position 3 (“DRL OFF”) or turn the
ignition switch off.

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HighLow beams—For high beams, turn
the headlights on and push the lever away
from you (position 1). Pull the lever to-
ward 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)—Pull the lever all the way
back. The high beam headlights turn off
when you release the lever.
You can flash the high beam headlights
even when the headlight switch is off.TURN SIGNALS
To signal a turn, push the headlight/
turn signal lever up or down to position
1.
The key must be in the “ON” 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. See “Replacing light
bulbs” in Section 73.HEADLIGHTS
Manual operation—
To turn on the following lights: Twist
the headlight/turn signal lever knob.
Position 1—Parking, tail, license plate,
side marker and instrument panel lights
Position 2—Headlights and all of the
above
Headlights and turn signals
(for Canada)