2003 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

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CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when the
vehicle is supported by the jack
alone.
7. Remove the wheel nuts and change
tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the bolts.
Then lift up the wheel and get at least the
top bolt started through its hole. Wiggle
the tire and press it back over the other
bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any cor-
rosion on the mounting surfaces with a
wire brush or such. Installation of wheels
without good metaltometal contact at the
mounting surface can cause wheel nuts to
loosen and eventually cause a wheel to
come off while driving.
—Changing wheels

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8. Reinstall all the wheel nuts finger
tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end in-
ward) and tighten them as much as you
can by hand. Press back on the tire and
see if you can tighten them more.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the bolts
or nuts. Doing so may lead to over-
tightening the nuts and damaging the
bolts. The nuts may loose and the
wheels may fall off, which could cau-
se a serious accident. If there is oil
or grease on any bolt or nut, clean
it.
9. Lower the vehicle completely and
tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to
lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and turn
it clockwise to tighten the nuts. Do not
use other tools or any additional leverage
other than your hands, such as a hammer,
pipe or your foot. Make sure the wrench
is securely engaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in the
order shown. Repeat the process until all
the nuts are tight.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts —Lowering your vehicle

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CAUTION
When lowering the vehicle, make
sure all portions of your body and
all other persons around will not be
injured as the vehicle is lowered to
the ground.
Have the wheel nuts tightened by
torque wrench at 103 N·m (10.5
kgf·m, 76 ft·lbf), as soon as pos-
sible after changing wheels. Other-
wise, the nuts may loosen and the
wheels may fall off, which could
cause a serious accident.
10. Reinstall the wheel ornament.
Align the cutout of the wheel ornament
with the valve stem as shown. Then tap
it firmly with the side or heel of your hand
to snap it into place.
CAUTION
Take due care in handling the orna-
ment to avoid unexpected personal
injury.
11. Check the air pressure of the re-
placed tire.
Adjust the air pressure to the specification
designated in Section 8. If the pressure is
lower, drive slowly to the nearest service
station and fill to the correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire inflation
valve cap as dirt and moisture could get
into the valve core and possibly cause air
leakage. If the cap is missing, have a new
one put on as soon as possible.
12. Restow all the tools, jack and flat
tire securely.
As soon after changing wheels as pos-
sible, tighten the wheel nuts to the torque
specified in Section 8 with a torque
wrench. Have a technician repair the flat
tire and replace the spare tire with it.
—Reinstalling wheel ornament
(steel wheels only)—After changing wheels

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CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools, jack and flat tire are securely
in place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of personal in-
jury during a collision or sudden
braking.
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
traction control system, turn off the
system to become unstuck. (For details,
see “Traction control system” in Sec-
tion 16.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
NOTICE
If you rock your vehicle, observe the
following precautions to prevent dam-
age to the transmission and other
parts.
Do not depress the accelerator ped-
al while shifting the selector lever
or before the transmission is com-
pletely shifted to forward or reverse
gear.
Do not race the engine and avoid
spinning the wheels.
If your vehicle remains stuck after
rocking the vehicle several times,
consider other ways such as tow-
ing.
If your vehicle becomes stuck

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(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck—
—From rear
(b) Using flat bed truck—From front
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice. In consultation with them, have
your vehicle towed using either (a) or
(b).
Only when you cannot receive a towing
service from a Toyota dealer or com-
mercial tow truck service, tow your ve-
hicle carefully in accordance with the
instructions given in “—Emergency tow-
ing” in this section.
Proper equipment will help ensure that
your vehicle is not damaged while being
towed. Commercial operators are generally
aware of the state/provincial and local
laws pertaining to towing.
Your vehicle can be damaged if it is
towed incorrectly. Although most operators
know the correct procedure, it is possible
to make a mistake. To avoid damage to
your vehicle, make sure the following pre-
cautions are observed. If necessary, show
this page to the tow truck driver.TOWING PRECAUTIONS:
Use a safety chain system for all towing,
and abide by the state/provincial and local
laws. The wheels and axle on the ground
must be in good condition. If they are
damaged, use a towing dolly.
(a) Towing with wheel lift type truck
From front—Release the parking brake.
NOTICE
When lifting wheels, take care to en-
sure adequate ground clearance for
towing at the opposite end of the
raised vehicle. Otherwise, the bumper
and/or underbody of the towed vehicle
will be damaged during towing.
From rear—Use a towing dolly under the
front wheels.
NOTICE
Never tow from the rear with the front
wheels on the ground, as this may
cause serious damage to the trans-
mission.
(b) Using flat bed truck
If your vehicle needs to be
towed—

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(c) Towing with sling
type truck
(c) Towing with sling type truck
NOTICE
Do not tow with sling type truck, ei-
ther from the front or rear. This may
cause body damage.
Front
Rear (on some models)
If towing is necessary, we recommend
you to have it done by your Toyota
dealer or a commercial tow truck ser-
vice.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be tempo-
rarily towed by a cable or chain se-
cured to one of the emergency towing
eyelets under the vehicle. Use extreme
caution when towing vehicles.
NOTICE
Only use specified towing eyelet;
otherwise your vehicle may be dam-
aged.
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer
it and operate the brakes.
Towing in this manner may be done only
on hardsurfaced roads for a short dis-
tance and at low speeds. Also, the
wheels, axles, drive train, steering and
brakes must all be in good condition.
—Emergency towing

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CAUTION
Use extreme caution when towing ve-
hicles. Avoid sudden starts or erratic
driving maneuvers which would place
excessive stress on the emergency
towing eyelets and towing cable or
chain. The eyelets and towing cable
or chain may break and cause serious
injury or damage.
NOTICE
Use only a cable or chain specifically
intended for use in towing vehicles.
Securely fasten the cable or chain to
the towing eyelets provided.
Before towing, release the parking brake
and put the transmission in “N”. The key
must be in “ACC” (engine off) or “ON”
(engine running).
CAUTION
If the engine is not running, the pow-
er assist for the brakes and steering
will not work so steering and braking
will be much harder than usual.
If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of “P” position to other positions
even though the brake pedal is de-
pressed, use the shift lock override but-
ton as follows:
1. Turn the ignition key to “LOCK”
position. Make sure the parking
brake is applied.
2. Pry up the cover with a flatbladed
screwdriver or equivalent.3. Insert your finger into the hole to
push down the shift lock override
button. You can shift out of “P”
position only while pushing the but-
ton.
4. Shift into “N” position.
5. Insert the cover.
6. Start the engine. For your safety,
keep the brake pedal depressed.
Be sure to have the system checked by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever
(floor shift type)

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If you cannot shift the selector lever
out of “P” position to other positions
even though the brake pedal is de-
pressed, use the shift lock override but-
ton as follows:
1. Turn the ignition key to “LOCK”
position. Make sure the parking
brake is applied.
2. Pry up the cover with a flatbladed
screwdriver or equivalent.3. Insert the screwdriver or equivalent
into the hole to pull down the shift
lock override button. You can shift
out of “P” position only while push-
ing the button.
4. Shift into “N” position.
5. Insert the cover.
6. Start the engine. For your safety,
keep the brake pedal depressed.
Be sure to have the system checked by
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.You can purchase a new key at your
Toyota dealer if you can give them the
key number. If your vehicle is equipped
with the engine immobiliser system, the
dealer will also need your master key.
Vehicles with engine immobiliser system—
Even if you lose only one key, contact
your Toyota dealer to make a new key. If
you lose all your master keys, you cannot
make new keys; the whole engine immobi-
liser system must be replaced.
See the suggestion given in “Keys” in
Section 12.
If your keys are locked in the vehicle and
you cannot get a duplicate, many Toyota
dealers can still open the door for you,
using their special tools. If you must
break a window to get in, we suggest
breaking the smallest side window be-
cause it is the least expensive to replace.
Be extremely cautious to avoid cuts from
the glass.
If you cannot shift automatic
transmission selector lever
(column shift type) If you lose your keys