2003 TOYOTA AVALON ECU

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RETURNING TO THE RETRACTED
POSITION
Push the connection of the wiper arm
and wiper blade downward.
NOTICE
To prevent the wiper blades from be-
ing deformed, be sure to hold the
connection of the wiper arm and wip-
er blade securely.
Ty p e A
Ty p e B
Ty p e C
To defog or defrost the rear window,
push the switch.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the
rear window will quickly clear the surface.
An indicator light will illuminate to indicate
the defogger is operating.
Type C—The heater panels in the outside
rear view mirrors will also quickly clear
the surfaces. Keep your hands off the
mirror faces when the switch is on.
Push the switch once again to turn the
defoggers off.
Rear window and outside rear
view mirror defoggers

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The light may occasionally flicker when
the engine is idling or it may come on
briefly after a hard stop. There is no
cause for concern if it then goes out when
the engine is accelerated slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level
is extremely low. It is not designed to
indicate low oil level, and the oil level
must be checked using the level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the
warning light on—even for one block.
It may ruin the engine.
(f) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on when the ignition
key is turned to the “ON” position and
goes off after the engine starts. This
means that the warning light system is
operating properly.
If the lamp remains on, or the lamp
comes on while driving, first check the
followings.
Empty fuel tank
If the fuel tank is empty, refuel immedi-
ately.
Loose fuel tank cap
If the fuel tank cap is loose, securely
tighten it.
These cases are temporary malfunctions.
The malfunction indicator lamp will go off
after taking several driving trips.
If the lamp will not go off even after the
several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
If the fuel tank is not empty or the fuel
tank cap is not loose...
There is a problem somewhere in the
engine, emission control system, auto-
matic transmission electrical system or
warning light system itself.
Contact your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) programs
Your vehicle may not pass a state
emission inspection if the malfunction
indicator lamp remains on. Contact your
Toyota dealer to check your vehicle’s
emission control system and OBD
(OnBoard Diagnostics) system before
taking your vehicle for the inspection.
For details, see “Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) programs” in Section 6.(g) Low Fuel Level Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel level
in the tank becomes nearly empty. Fill up
the tank as soon as possible.
On inclines or curves, due to the move-
ment of fuel in the tank, the low fuel level
warning light may come on earlier than
usual.
(h) “ABS” Warning Light
The light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to the “ON” position. If the anti
lock brake system and the brake assist
system work properly, the light turns off
after a few seconds. Thereafter, if the
system malfunctions, the light comes on
again.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
antilock brake system, the brake assist
system, the traction control system and
the vehicle skid control system do not
operate, but the brake system still oper-
ates conventionally.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
antilock brake system does not operate
so that the wheels could lock up during
a sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.

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When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be enabled
because the cruise control is not can-
celled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” in this section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(e) Using “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
“2” 139 km/h (86 mph). . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 76 km/h (47 mph). . . . . . . . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, “D” position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(f) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with
your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(g) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down,
fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
If the automatic unlocking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all doors are
automatically unlocked when the selector
lever is moved to the “P” position after
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON”
position. For details, see “—Automatic
door locking and unlocking functions” in
Section 12.

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When the cruise control is being used,
even if you downshift the transmission by
pushing and releasing the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be enabled
because the cruise control is not can-
celled.
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” in this section.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(e) Using “2” and “L” positions
The “2” and “L” positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in “2” or “L”, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “2”, the vehicle
will start in first gear and automatically
shift to second gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the trans-
mission is engaged in first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keep
engine rpm from going into the red
zone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position is
given below for your reference:
“2” 139 km/h (86 mph). . . . . . . . . . .
“L” 76 km/h (47 mph). . . . . . . . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing or
hard towing for a long time in the
“2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission dam-
age from overheating. To prevent
such damage, “D” position should
be used in hill climbing or hard
towing.
(f) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with
your foot, shift the selector lever to the
“R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.
(g) Parking
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal pressed down,
fully depress the parking brake pedal
to apply the parking brake securely.
3. With the brake pedal pressed down,
shift the selector lever to the “P” posi-
tion.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector
lever into “P” position under any cir-
cumstances while the vehicle is mov-
ing. Serious mechanical damage and
loss of vehicle control may result.
If the automatic unlocking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all doors are
automatically unlocked when the selector
lever is moved to the “P” position after
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON”
position. For details, see “—Automatic
door locking and unlocking functions” in
Section 12.

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CALIBRATING THE COMPASS (circling
calibration)
Sometimes the direction display on the
compass may not change after a turn. To
rectify this, stop the vehicle and push the
“MODE” button several times until
“COMPASS” appears and blinks on the
display. Then push the “RESET/ADJ” but-
ton. “CALIBRATE” appears and blinks to-
gether with the compass display.Drive the vehicle in a circle until the blink-
ing stops. If there is not enough space to
drive in a circle, drive around the block
until the blinking stops.
When the compass and the calendar dis-
play return to normal mode, calibration is
complete.
If you want to cancel the calibration be-
fore it is complete, push the “MODE” but-
ton again.Perform circling calibration just after
you have purchased your Toyota. And
then always perform circling calibration
after the battery has been removed, re-
placed or disconnected.
Do not perform circling calibration of
the compass 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.).
During calibration, do not operate elec-
tric systems (moon roof, power win-
dows, etc.) as they may interfere with
the calibration.
CAUTION
When doing the circling calibration,
be sure to secure a wide space,
and watch out for people and ve-
hicles in the neighborhood. Do not
violate any local traffic rules while
performing circling calibration.
Do not adjust the display while the
vehicle is moving. Be sure to adjust
the display only when the vehicle is
stopped.

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To use the glove box, do this.
To open: Pull the lever.
With the instrument panel lights on, the
glove box light will come on when the
glove box is open.
To lock: Insert the master key and turn it
clockwise.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or a sudden stop,
always keep the glove box door
closed while driving.
The garage door opener (HomeLink
Universal Transceiver) is manufactured
under license from HomeLink and can
be programmed to operate garage
doors, gates, entry doors, door locks,
home lighting systems, and security
systems, etc.(a) Programming the HomeLink

The HomeLink in your vehicle has 3
buttons and you can store one program
for each button.
To ensure correct programming into the
HomeLink
, install a new battery in the
handheld transmitter prior to program-
ming.
The battery side of the handheld trans-
mitter must be pointed away from the
HomeLink
 during the programming pro-
cess.
For Canadian users, follow the procedure
in “Programming an entrance gate/Pro-
gramming all devices in the Canadian
market”.
1. Decide which of 3 HomeLink
 buttons
you want to program.
2. Place your handheld garage transmit-
ter 25 to 75 mm (1 to 3 in.) away from
the surface of the HomeLink
.
Keep the indicator light on the HomeLink

in view while programming.
Glove box Garage door opener

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6. Test the operation of the HomeLink by
pressing the newly programmed button.
Check to see if the gate/device oper-
ates correctly.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 for each re-
maining HomeLink
 button to program
another device.
Programming other devices
To program other devices such as home
security systems, home door locks or
lighting, contact your authorized Toyota
dealer for assistance.
Reprogramming a button
Individual HomeLink

buttons cannot be
erased, however, to reprogram a single
button, follow the procedure “Programming
the HomeLink
”.
(b) Operating the HomeLink

To operate the HomeLink, press the
appropriate HomeLink button to activate
the programmed device. The HomeLink
indicator light should come on. The
HomeLink continues to send the signal
for up to 20 seconds as long as the
button is pressed.(c) Erasing the entire HomeLink

memory (all three programs)
To erase all previously programmed codes
at one time, press and hold down the 2
outside buttons for 20 seconds until the
indicator light flashes.
If you sell your vehicle, be sure to erase
the programs stored in the HomeLink

memory.
CAUTION
When programming the HomeLink
Universal Transceiver, you may be
operating a garage door or other
device. Make sure people and ob-
jects are out of the way of the ga-
rage door or other device to pre-
vent potential harm or damage.
Do not use this HomeLink Univer-
sal Transceiver with any garage
door opener that lacks the safety
stop and reverse feature as re-
quired by federal safety standards.
(This includes any garage door
opener model manufactured before
April 1, 1982.) A garage door open-
er which cannot detect an object
(signaling the door to stop and re-
verse), does not meet current feder-
al safety standards. Using a garage
door opener without these features
increases risk of serious injury or
death.

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To maximize the storage room, remove
the cup holder by pushing the side fac-
ing at its upright position.The cup holder is designed for holding
cups or drinkcans securely.
To use the cup holder, push on the lid.
CAUTION
Do not place anything else other
than cups or drinkcans on the cup
holder, as such items may be
thrown about in the compartment
and possibly injure people in the
vehicle during sudden braking or in
an accident.
To reduce the chance of injury in
case of an accident or sudden stop
while driving, keep the cup holder
closed when it is not in use.
Front cup holder (type A)