2003 TOYOTA AVALON ESP

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
602003 AVALON (OM41401U)
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) front 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 front airbags are designed to pro-
tect the driver and front passenger.
Vehicles with bench type front seats—
The SRS front airbags are designed to
protect the driver and front outside
passenger. They are not designed to
protect occupant in the center position.In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS front airbags work together with
the seat belts to help reduce injury by
inflating. The SRS front airbags help to
reduce injuries mainly to the driver ’s or
front passenger ’s head or chest caused by
directly hitting the steering wheel or dash-
board. The front passenger airbag is acti-
vated even with no passenger in the front
seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.
CAUTION
The driver or front passenger who is
too close to the steering wheel or
dashboard during airbag deployment
can be killed or seriously injured.
Toyota strongly recommends that:
The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
612003 AVALON (OM41401U)
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the SRS front airbags are oper-
ating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side airbag sensors, driver ’s seat
position sensor, driver ’s seat belt buckle
switch, front seat belt pretensioner assem-
blies, inflators, warning light, interconnect-
ing wiring and power sources. (For details,
see “Service remainder indicators and
warning buzzers” in Section 15.)The SRS front airbag system is de-
signed to activate in response to a se-
vere frontal impact within the shaded
area between the arrows in the illustra-
tion.
The SRS front airbags will deploy if the
severity of the impact is above the de-
signed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision in
the U.S.A. and 30 km/h (18 mph) collision
in Canada when impacting straight into a
fixed barrier that does not move or de-
form.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS front air-
bags may not deploy.However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or
sign pole, which can move or deform on
impact, or if it is involved in an underride
collision (e.g. a collision in which the nose
of the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under,
the bed of a truck, etc.).
For the safety of all occupants, always
wear your seat belts properly.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
682003 AVALON (OM41401U)
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 rightfront pas-
senger. They are not designed to pro-
tect occupant in the center position.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 “ON” position.
It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the SRS side airbags are operat-
ing properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side airbag sensors, driver ’s seat
position sensor, driver ’s seat belt buckle
switch, front seat belt pretensioner assem-
blies, inflators, warning light, interconnect-
ing wiring and power sources. (For details,
see “Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzers” in Section 15.)
SRS side airbags

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
712003 AVALON (OM41401U)
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured. Special care should be taken
especially when you have a small
child in the vehicle.
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, distributing your weight evenly
in the seat. Do not apply excessive
weight to the outer side of the front
seats on vehicles with side airbags.
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 objects in their
arms or on their knees.
Do not use seat accessories which
cover the parts where the side air-
bags inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from acti-
vating 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.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
952003 AVALON (OM41401U)
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

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
992003 AVALON (OM41401U)
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.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
1022003 AVALON (OM41401U)
Daytime running light (DRL) system
Daytime Running Light System (DRL) 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 headlight switch is off.
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.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.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
1112003 AVALON (OM41401U)
The system will automatically shut off af-
ter the defogger has operated about 15
minutes.
CAUTION
Type C—Since the mirror surfaces
can get hot, do not touch them when
the defogger switch is on.
Make sure you turn the defoggers off
when the surfaces are clear. Leaving the
defoggers on for a long time could cause
the battery to discharge, especially during
stopandgo driving. The defoggers are
not designed for drying rain water or for
melting snow.
On some models, if the outside rear view
mirrors are heavily coated with ice, use a
spray deicer before operating the switch.
NOTICE
When cleaning the inside of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or
damage the heater wires or connec-
tors.