2004 TOYOTA AVALON brake

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
121
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
If the indicator or buzzer comes on...Do this.
(h)orTake vehicle to Toyota dealer.
If brake system warning light is also on, stop immediately and contact Toyota dealer.
(i)Close all doors.
(j)Replace bulb.
(k)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately.
(l)Take vehicle to Toyota dealer.
(m)Add washer fluid.
(n)Key reminder buzzerRemove key.

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
122
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
(a) Brake System Warning Light
This light comes on in the following cases
when the ignition key is in the “ON” posi-
tion.
When the parking brake is applied...
This light comes on for a few seconds
when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position even after the parking brake
is released.
When the brake fluid level is low...
CAUTION
It is dangerous to continue driving
normally when the brake fluid level is
low.
Have your vehicle checked at your
Toyota dealer in the following cases:
The light does not come on even if the
parking brake is applied when the igni-
tion key is in the “ON” position.
The light does not come on even if the
ignition key is turned on with the park-
ing brake released.
A warning light turning on briefly during
operation does not indicate a problem.
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 or other 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 re-
minder light to come on.

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
124
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
(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 stability 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.If either of the following conditions oc-
curs, this indicates a malfunction some-
where in the components 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 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.

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
125
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
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 for more than 6
seconds or flashes.
The light comes on or starts flashing
while driving.
(l) “VSC” Warning Light
The light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the vehicle stability control
system 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 stability control system and trac-
tion control system do not work. However,
as conventional braking operates when ap-
plied, there is no problem to continue your
driving. In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The light does not come on after the
ignition is turned to on.
The light is left on after the ignition is
turned to on.
The light comes on while driving.
The “TRAC OFF” indicator light will come
on when the “VSC” warning light comes
on even if the “TR
AC OFF” switch is not
pushed.
(m) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level Warning Light
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see “Adding washer fluid” in Section 73.)
(n) Key Reminder Buzzer
This buzzer reminds you to remove the
key when you open the driver ’s door with
the ignition key in the “ACC” or “LOCK”
position. CHECKING SERVICE REMINDER
INDICATORS (except the low fuel level
warning light and low windshield
washer fluid level warning light)
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Open one of the doors. The open door warning light should
come on.
3. Close the door. The open door warning light should go
off.
4. Turn the ignition key to “ON”, but do not start the engine.
All the service reminder indicators ex-
cept the open door warning light should
come on. The “ABS” and “VSC” warn-
ing lights, “TRAC OFF” and slip indica-
tor lights go off after a few seconds.
The SRS warning light goes off after
about 6 seconds.
If any service reminder indicator or warn-
ing buzzer does not function as described
above, have it checked by your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible.

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
126
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Ignition switch, Transmission and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock127
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic transmission 128
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
.
Traction control system 135
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. .
Vehicle stability control system 138
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking brake 139
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
Cruise control 140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
. . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 7

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
128
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Selector lever
The shift position is also displayed on the
instrument cluster.
P:Parking, engine starting and
key removal
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: Normal driving (with overdrive on)
2: Stronger engine braking
L: Maximum engine braking
Automatic transmission
Floor shift type
Overdrive switch
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock
release button in. (The ignition
switch must be in “ON”
position.) Shift while holding the lock
release button in.
Shift normally.
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
Selector lever

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
129
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
(b) Overdrive switch
You can select either third gear (with
overdrive off) or fourth gear (with over-
drive on) by pushing this switch.
To turn the overdrive off, push the switch.
The “O/D OFF” indicator light should come
on. To turn the overdrive on again, push
the switch again. The “O/D OFF” indicator
light should go off.
Always drive your vehicle with the over-
drive on for better fuel economy and
quieter driving.
If the engine is turned off when the over-
drive is off and restarted, the overdrive
will automatically be on.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.
(c) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” in Section 3. The
transmission must be in “P” or “N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
When the lever is in the “D” position, the
automatic transmission system will select
the most suitable gear for running condi-
tions such as normal cruising, hill climb-
ing, hard towing, etc.
Always turn the overdrive on for better
fuel economy and quieter driving. If the
engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into the over-
drive gear even with the overdrive on.
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
If the automatic locking operation linked
with the shift position is set, all doors are
automatically locked when the selector le-
ver is moved out of the “P” position after
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON”
position and all the doors are closed. For
details, see “—Automatic door locking and
unlocking functions” in Section 12.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Push the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to third
gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to second gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 132 km/h (82 mph), and
stronger engine braking will be en-
abled.
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 59 km/h (36 mph), and
maximum engine braking will be en-
abled.

’04 AVALON U (L/O 0408)
130
2004 AVALON from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM41412U)
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 skid or
spin.
(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.