2003 TOYOTA AVALON Sensor

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
702003 AVALON (OM41401U)
In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.
At this time a chemical reaction in the
inflators quickly fills the airbags with non
toxic gas to help restrain the lateral mo-
tion of the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
and residue along with nontoxic 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
any potential 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 designed 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.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.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
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

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982003 AVALON (OM41401U)
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 operation—
To turn on or off the lights automatical-
ly, twist the headlight/turn signal lever
knob to the position 3 (“AUTO”) 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.
Automatic light cut off system
Position 1 or position 3 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 position 3 with the head-
lights 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
headlight switch is off.
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.

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1082003 AVALON (OM41401U)
Automatic operation (position 1)
The wiper speed is determined by the
amount of raindrops and sunlight detected
by the automatic wiper control sensor.
The automatic wiper control sensor is on
the inside of the windshield as shown
above.
If you feel that the operation of the auto-
matic wiper control is too fast or too slow,
twist the automatic control adjuster in the
“” direction to lower sensitivity, and “+”
direction to boost the sensitivity.Even if the wiper lever is in the position
1, the system will switch to intermittent
operations in the following conditions:
When the windshield gets extremely
cold (at less than 10C or 14F)
When the system malfunctions
However, when the windshield gets ex-
tremely hot (at more than 90C or 194F),
the wipers do not operate even if the
wiper lever is in the position 1.
When the ignition switch is turned off with
the wiper lever in the position 1, and then
the ignition switch is turned on again, the
automatic operation may not work even if
raindrops are on the windshield.
In this case, move the lever to another
position and return it to the position 1
again.
CAUTION
Be careful not to get your fingers
caught between the wipers and wind-
shield.
When the wiper lever is in the posi-
tion 1 with the ignition switch on, the
wipers could operate automatically in
the following cases:
If you touch the upper center of the
windshield adjacent to the sensor.
If you wipe the upper center of the
windshield (adjacent to which the
sensor is located) with a towel or
other object.
If the windshield vibrates.
If you touch the sensor.
NOTICE
Do not apply detergent to or wet the
automatic wiper control sensor when
cleaning the inside of the windshield.

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CAUTION
If either of the following conditions
occurs, immediately stop your vehicle
at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
The light does not turn off even
after the parking brake is released
while the engine is running.
In this case, the brakes may not
work properly and your stopping
distance will become longer. De-
press the brake pedal firmly and
bring the vehicle to an immediate
stop.
The brake system warning light re-
mains on together with the “ABS”
warning light.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely un-
stable during braking.
(b) Driver’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
and Buzzer
This light and buzzer remind you to
buckle up the driver’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes and
buzzer sounds if the driver ’s seat belt is
not fastened. Unless the driver fastens the
belt, the light keep flashing and the buzz-
er sounds for about 4 to 8 seconds.
(c) Front Outside Passenger ’s Seat Belt
Reminder Light
This light reminds you to buckle up the
front outside passenger ’s seat belt.
Once the ignition key is turned to “ON” or
“START”, the reminder light flashes if a
passenger sits in the front outside passen-
ger seat and does not fasten the seat
belt. Unless the front outside passenger
fastens the belt, the light stays on. This
light reminds you to buckle up the front
outside passenger ’s seat belt.
If luggage load is placed on the front
outside passenger seat, depending on its
weight and how it is placed on the seat,
builtin sensors in the seat cushion may
detect the pressure, causing the reminder
light to come on.(d) Discharge Warning Light
This light warns that the battery is being
discharged.
If it comes on while you are driving, there
is a problem somewhere in the charging
system.
The engine ignition will continue to oper-
ate, however, until the battery is dis-
charged. Turn off the air conditioning,
blower, radio, etc., and drive directly to
the nearest Toyota dealer or repair shop.
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine
drive belt is broken or loose.
(e) Low Engine Oil Pressure Warning
Light
This light warns that the engine oil pres-
sure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are
driving, pull off the road to a safe place
and stop the engine immediately. Call a
Toyota dealer or qualified repair shop for
assistance.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
1202003 AVALON (OM41401U)
If either of the following conditions
occurs, this indicates a malfunction
somewhere in the parts monitored by
the warning light. 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 “ON” posi-
tion, or remains on.
The light comes on while you are driv-
ing.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
CAUTION
If the “ABS” warning light remains on
together with the brake system warn-
ing light, immediately stop your ve-
hicle at a safe place and contact your
Toyota dealer.
In this case, not only the antilock
brake system will fail but also the
vehicle will become extremely unsta-
ble during braking.
(i) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the doors
are completely closed.
(j) Rear Light Failure Warning Light
If this light comes on when the headlight
switch is turned on, 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.
(k) SRS Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
After about 6 seconds, the light will go
off. This means the system of the air-
bags and front seat belt pretensioners
are operating 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.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 “ON” posi-
tion or remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
(l) “VSC” Warning Light
The light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the vehicle skid control sys-
tem or traction control system.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to “ON”, and will go off after
about a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
vehicle skid control system and traction
control system do not work. However, as
conventional braking operates when ap-
plied, there is no problem to continue your
driving.

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)
1922003 AVALON (OM41401U)
The compass may not show the correct
direction in the following conditions:
The vehicle is stopped immediately af-
ter turning.
The compass does not adjust while the
vehicle is stopped.
The ignition switch is turned off imme-
diately after turning.
The vehicle is on an inclined surface.
The vehicle is in a place where the
earth’s magnetic field is subject to in-
terference by artificial magnetic fields
(underground parking, under a steel
tower, between buildings, roof parking,
near a crossing, near a large vehicle,
etc.).
The vehicle is magnetized. (There is a
magnet or a metal object on or near
the roof.)
The battery has been disconnected.
The compass works to calibrate the direc-
tion automatically while the vehicle is in
motion, if deviation is small.
For additional precision or for complete
calibrating, see “CALIBRATING THE
COMPASS” below.
Compass sensor
NOTICE
Do not put magnets or a metal object
on or near the roof of the vehicle.
Doing this may cause malfunction of
the compass sensor.
CALIBRATING THE COMPASS (deviation
calibration)
The direction display on the compass
deviates from the true direction deter-
mined by the earth’s magnetic field. The
angle of deviation varies according to the
geographic position of the vehicle.
To adjust for this deviation, stop the ve-
hicle and push the “MODE” button several
times until “ZONE XX” appears on the
calendar display. Then push the “RESET/
ADJ” button, referring to the following map
to select the number of the zone where
the vehicle is.