2005 TOYOTA AVALON warning

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Shift range positions
“5” (Fifth range):
The most suitable gear is selected au-
tomatically between first and overdrive
(fifth) gears according to the vehicle
speed or driving conditions.
“4” (Fourth range):
The most suitable gear is selected au-
tomatically between first and fourth
gears according to the vehicle speed
or driving conditions. Slight engine
braking will be obtained on a downhill
road. Smooth running with less shifting
will be obtained on an uphill road.
“3” (Third range):
The most suitable gear is selected au-
tomatically between first and third
gears according to the vehicle speed
or driving conditions. This range is to
be used when stronger engine braking
is necessary.
“2” (Second range):
First or second gear will be selected
automatically according to the vehicle
speed or driving conditions. This range
is to be used when engine braking
stronger than that of the “3” range
position is necessary.
“1” (First range):
The gear is fixed in first regardless of
vehicle speed or driving conditions.
This range is to be used when maxi-
mum engine braking is necessary.
If you attempt to downshift the transmis-
sion when it is not possible to downshift
due to high vehicle speed, a warning tone
sounds twice.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
range: range km/h (mph)1 59 (37)
2 106 (66)
3 165 (103)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going
faster than the maximum allowable
speed for the next lower range.
When the “S” mode indicator light does
not come on even with the selector lever
moved to the sequential position, there
may be a problem somewhere in the
system. Have your vehicle checked/re-
paired by your Toyota dealer as soon as
possible. In this case, you can drive in
the same condition as in the “D” position.
(d) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
When driving in the “D” position—Shift the selector lever to sequential
position.
When driving in the “5” range within
the sequential position— Move the selector lever down to the
“− ” side to select the “4” range.
The transmission will downshift to
fourth range and engine braking will be
enabled.
Vehicles with cruise control or dynamic
laser cruise control—When the cruise
control is being used, engine braking
can not be enabled because the cruise
control is not cancelled.

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NORMAL DRIVING MODE
Leave the system on during the ordi-
nary driving so that it can operate
when needed.
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the trac-
tion control system is in the self−check
mode, but does not indicate a malfunction. When the traction control system is oper-
ating, the following conditions occur:
The system controls the spinning of the
front wheels. At this time, the slip indi-
cator light blinks.
You may feel vibration or noise in your
vehicle, caused by operation of the
brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is set at
ON. If the indicator light does not come
on when the ignition is turned on, contact
your Toyota dealer.
“VSC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the traction control system
or the vehicle stability control system.
The light will come on when the ignition
switch is set at ON and will go off after
a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
system does not work. However, as con-
ventional braking operates when applied,
there is no problem to continue your driv-
ing.

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In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition switch is set at ON.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition switch is set at ON.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.The vehicle stability control system
helps provide integrated control of the
systems such as antilock brake sys-
tem, traction control, engine control,
etc. This system automatically controls
the brakes and engine to help prevent
the vehicle from skidding when corner-
ing on a slippery road surface or oper-
ating steering wheel abruptly.
This system will activate when your ve-
hicle speed reaches or exceeds 15 km/h
(9 mph), and will deactivate when the ve-
hicle speed reduces to below 15 km/h (9
mph).
You may hear a sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the
engine is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the sys-
tem is in the self
−check mode but does
not indicate a malfunction.
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on the ve-
hicle stability control system. Even
if the vehicle stability control sys-
tem is operating, you must always
drive carefully and attentively to
avoid serious injury. Reckless driv-
ing will result in an unexpected ac-
cident. If the slip indicator light
flashes and an alarm sounds, spe-
cial care should be taken while
driving.
Only use tires of specified size. The
size, manufacture, brand and tread
pattern for all 4 tires should be the
same. If you use the tires other
than specified, different type or
size, the vehicle stability control
system may not function correctly.
When replacing the tires or wheels,
contact your Toyota dealer. (See
“Checking and replacing tires” on
page 356 in Section 72.)
In situations where the road surface
is covered with ice or snow, your
vehicle should be fitted with snow
tires or tire chains.
Vehicle stability control
system

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If the vehicle is going to skid during driv-
ing, the slip indicator light blinks and an
alarm sounds intermittently. Special care
should be taken while driving.
The slip indicator light comes on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is set at
ON. If the indicator light does not come
on when the ignition is turned on, contact
your Toyota dealer.“VSC” warning light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in the vehicle stability control
system or the traction control system.
The light will come on when the ignition
switch is set at ON and will go off after
a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the
system does not work. However, as con-
ventional braking operates when applied,
there is no problem to continue your driv-
ing.In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer:
The warning light does not come on
after the ignition switch is set at ON.
The warning light remains on after the
ignition switch is set at ON.
The warning light comes on while driv-
ing.

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However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
lever down in the “− SET” direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission
from the “D” position or “5” (fifth range)
to “4” (fourth range) in sequential mode
with the cruise control on, engine braking
will not be enabled because the cruise
control is not cancelled. To decrease the
vehicle speed, reset to a slower speed
with the cruise control lever or depress
the brake pedal. If you use the brake
pedal, cruise control is cancelled.
RESUMING THE PRESET SPEED
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling
the control lever or by depressing the
brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the
“+ RES” direction will restore the speed
set prior to cancellation.CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If “CRUISE” indicator light in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, push “ON
−OFF” button to
turn the system off and then push it again
to turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then oc-
curs, there is some trouble in the cruise
control system.
The indicator light does not come on.
The indicator light flashes again.
The indicator light goes out after it
comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Toyota
dealer and have your vehicle inspected. Dynamic laser cruise control allows you
to drive at a selected cruising speed
over about 45 km/h (28 mph) with your
foot off the accelerator pedal, maintain-
ing an appropriate vehicletovehicle
distance.
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on dynamic
laser cruise control in order to avoid
serious injury or death, or to prevent
accidents or to control the vehicle’s
speed in emergency situations. Do
not use cruise control except in ap-
propriate road and traffic conditions.
Always drive carefully and attentively.
Before using dynamic laser cruise
control, read and understand the fol-
lowing instructions.
Dynamic laser cruise control—

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Steering wheel
Instrument cluster
1. Cruise control switch
2. Distance switch
3. “CRUISE” indicator light
4. “NORM.” indicator light (conventional cruise control mode
indicator light)
5. Display
6. Master warning light
7. “READY” indicator light (ready mode indicator light)
Vehicletovehicle distance control mode
Conventional (fixed speed) cruise control
mode
—Dynamic laser cruise control
modes

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On roads with steep and short in-
clines and declines, failure to de-
tect the vehicle ahead will shorten
the distance between your vehicle
and the vehicle ahead and an acci-
dent may occur.
Deceleration cruising function and
approach warning do not operate
when the vehicle ahead is at a stop
or driving very slowly.
If the vehicle ahead of you deceler-
ates abruptly or if another vehicle
cuts in ahead of you, your vehicle
may collide with the vehicle ahead
unless you manually depress the
brake pedal to slow down your ve-
hicle.
Depending on the road configura-
tion (curved, left and right continu-
ous curved, the start or end of a
curve, or narrow driving lanes due
to road construction) or your ve-
hicle condition (steering wheel ma-
neuvering, position in the lane, or
unstable driving because of an acci-
dent or breakdown), vehicles in oth-
er lanes or surrounding objects
may be detected, resulting in a con-
trol failure or the approach warning
activation. This may also result in
a very close distance between vehi-
cles due to a failure to detect the
vehicle ahead.
Dynamic laser cruise control should not
be used in circumstances which are inap-
propriate for any cruise control, such as
entering free way on−ramps or off −ramps.
CAUTION
Do not use dynamic laser cruise
control when exiting from or when
entering or merging onto a freeway.
When you are following a slower
moving vehicle and exiting, the sen-
sor does not detect the vehicle and
will accelerate to the preset speed.

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SETTING THE DESIRED SPEED
The transmission must be in “D” before
you set the cruise control speed.
Bring your vehicle to the desired speed,
push the lever down in the “− SET” direc-
tion and release it. This sets the vehicle
at that speed. At this time, the display
indicates settings such as the preset ve-
hicle speed, whether a vehicle is present
ahead and selected vehicle −to −vehicle dis-
tance. If there is no vehicle detected
ahead, the display does not indicate the
vehicle ahead. You can now take your foot
off the accelerator pedal. If you need to accelerate—for example,
when passing—depress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the preset speed. When you release the
accelerator pedal, the vehicle will return to
the control prior to acceleration.
You cannot set a desired speed if the
master warning light comes on, the alarm
sounds and the display indicates one of
the warning codes “C1”, “C2” or “E3”. If
any of the above codes appears on the
display, see “VEHICLE
−TO −VEHICLE
DISTANCE CONTROL MODE FAILURE
WARNING” on page 183.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by doing
any of the following:
a. Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal. c. Pressing the “ON −OFF” button.
If cancelled by a. or b., the “READY”
indicator comes on and the dynamic laser
cruise control enters the ready mode.
If cancelled by c., the “CRUISE” indicator
light goes off in the instrument panel. In
this case, the preset speed data is
cleared, and you must set the speed from
the beginning. In the following cases, the preset speed
automatically cancels out:
a. The vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph). (40 km/h [25 mph] is
designated as a cancel speed.)
b. The slip indicator light blinks and an alarm sounds. (This occurs when the
vehicle is about to skid.)
If cancelled by a. or b., the “READY”
indicator comes on and the dynamic laser
cruise control enters the ready mode.
If one of the warning codes “C1”, “C2” or
“E3” appears on the display, the preset
speed automatically cancels out. See
“VEHICLE −TO −VEHICLE DISTANCE
CONTROL MODE FAILURE WARNING” on
page 183.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out for other than the above reasons, do
not operate the dynamic laser cruise con-
trol. Although there is no problem to con-
tinue driving, please contact your Toyota
dealer.