2006 TOYOTA AVALON tow

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Your vehicle may overheat during severe
operating conditions, such as:
Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
Reducing speed or stopping after high
speed driving.
Idling for a long period with the air
conditioning on in stop−and− go traffic.
Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in
the engine cooling system as this
may cause the engine to overheat.
The thermostat is designed to con-
trol the flow of coolant to keep the
temperature of the engine within
the specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an
overheated engine. See “If your ve-
hicle overheats” on page 312 in
Section 4.
The tachometer indicates engine speed
in thousands of rpm (revolutions per
minute). Use it while driving to select
correct shift points and to prevent en-
gine lugging and overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast
causes excessive engine wear and poor
fuel economy. Remember, in most cases
the slower the engine speed, the greater
the fuel economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get
into the red zone. This may cause
severe engine damage.
This meter displays the odometer and
two trip meters when the ignition
switch is set at ON.
1. Odometer—Shows the total distance the vehicle has been driven.
2. Two trip meters—Show two different distances independently driven since
the last time each trip meter was set
to zero.
You can use one trip meter to calculate
the fuel economy and the other to
measure the distance on each trip. All
trip meter data is cancelled if the elec-
trical power source is disconnected.
Tachometer Odometer and two trip meters

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(b) Normal driving1. Start the engine as instructed in “How to start the engine” on page 290 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 use the “D” position for better fuel
economy and quieter driving. In this posi-
tion, shifting into the overdrive gear is
possible. If the engine coolant temperature
is low, the transmission will not shift into
the overdrive gear even in the “D” posi-
tion.
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. (c) Driving in “S” mode
To select the “S” mode, put the selec-
tor lever in the sequential position.
In the “S” mode, you can change the
shift range position. The shift range
position can be switched between 5
(fifth range) and 1 (first range) by
pushing the selector lever forward to-
wards “+” or pulling back towards “”.
When the selector lever is moved into
the “S” mode, the initial shift range
position is 4 (fourth range).
The “S” mode indicator light and the cur-
rent shift range position are shown on the
instrument cluster.
1: Upshift range
2: Downshift range

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(g) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up
and down between third gear and over-
drive when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever into sequential
position.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake
pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the
parking brake to hold the vehicle on
an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold
the vehicle using the accelerator ped-
al, as this can cause the transmission
to overheat.
(h) If you cannot shift the selector le-ver out of “P” position
If you cannot shift the selector lever from
the “P” position even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instructions, see “If
you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 325 in Section 4. The traction control system automatical-
ly helps prevent the spinning of front
wheels when the vehicle is started or
accelerated on slippery road surfaces.
When the ignition switch is set at ON, the
system automatically turns on.
CAUTION
Under certain slippery road condi-
tions, full traction of the vehicle and
power against front wheels cannot be
maintained, even though the traction
control system is in operation. Do not
drive the vehicle under any speed or
maneuvering conditions which may
cause the vehicle to lose traction
control. In situations where the road
surface is covered with ice or snow,
your vehicle should be fitted with
snow tires or tire chains. Always
drive at an appropriate and cautious
speed for the present road condi-
tions.
Traction control system

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If following another vehicle on a dusty
road, or driving in windy and dusty
conditions, it is recommended that the
air intake selector be temporarily set to
RECIRCULATE, which will close off the
outside passage and prevent outside
air and dust from entering the vehicle
interior.
Heating
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operation
Press in the “AUTO” button.
Temperature— To the desired
temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air conditioning—OFF
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— To w a r d s high temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—FLOOR
Air conditioning—OFF
For quick heating, select recirculated
air for a few minutes. To keep the
windows from fogging, select fresh af-
ter the vehicle interior has been
warmed.
Press the “A/C” button on for dehumidi-
fied heating.
Choose floor/windshield air flow to heat
the vehicle interior while defrosting or
defogging the windshield. Air conditioning
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operation
Press in the “AUTO” button.
Temperature— To the desired
temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air conditioning—ON
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— Towards low temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—PANEL
Air conditioning—ON
For quick cooling, select recirculated
air for a few minutes.

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Ventilation
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operationPress in the “AUTO” button.
Temperature— Towards low temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air conditioning—OFF
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— Towards low temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—PANEL
Air conditioning—OFF
Defogging and defrosting
—The inside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operation
Temperature— To w a r d s high temperature
to heat; low temperature
to cool
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—WINDSHIELD
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— To w a r d s high temperature
to heat; low temperature
to cool
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—WINDSHIELD
Pressing the windshield air flow button
turns on the defogging function with the
purpose of clearing the front view.
Pressing this button once again returns
the air flow mode to the last one used.
In this position, the air intake selector
mode changes to FRESH automatically to
clean up the front view quickly. It is not
possible to return to RECIRCULATE in
this position.
On humid days, do not blow cold air
on the windshield—the difference be-
tween the outside and inside tempera-
tures could make the fogging worse.
—The outside of the windshield
For best results, set controls to:
—For automatic operation
Temperature— Towards high temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—WINDSHIELD
—For manual operation
Fan speed— To the desired fan speed
Temperature— Towards high temperature
Air intake—FRESH (outside air)
Air flow—WINDSHIELD
Pressing the windshield air flow button
turns on the defrosting function with the
purpose of clearing the front view.
Pressing this button once again returns
the air flow mode to the last one used.

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The compass indicates the direction
that the vehicle is heading. In the
above case, it shows that the vehicle is
heading north.Displays
Directions
N
NE E
SE
S
SW W
NWNorth
Northeast East
Southeast
South
Southwest West
Northwest
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 inside rear view mirror.)
The battery has been disconnected.
If your vehicle is out of the set zone,
refer to “CALIBRATING THE COMPASS”
below to set the zone number.
If the deviation is small, the compass
works to calibrate the direction automati-
cally while the vehicle is in motion.
For additional precision or for complete
calibrating, see “CALIBRATING THE
COMPASS” below.
The compass sensor is in the inside
rear view mirror.
NOTICE
Do not put magnets or a metal object
on or near the inside rear view mirror
of the vehicle. Doing this may cause
malfunction of the compass sensor.

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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 and
hold the “
” switch until “C” appears on
the display.
If “C” appears on the display because of
a drastic change in the magnetic field,
perform circling calibration.
Drive the vehicle in a circle at 8 km/h (5
mph) or less. If there is not enough space
to drive in a circle, drive around the
block.
After driving 1 to 3 circles in the above
method, calibration is completed when the
direction is shown on the display.
If calibration cannot be performed because
of the magnetized vehicle etc., take your
vehicle to Toyota dealer. 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.

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Vehicle load limits include total load
capacity, seating capacity, towing ca-
pacity and cargo capacity. Follow the
load limits shown below. Total load ca-
pacity and seating capacity are also
described on the tire and loading in-
formation label. For location of the tire
and loading information label, see
“Checking tire infl
at ion pr es s ur e” on
page 355.
Total load capacity:
397 kg (875 lb.)
Total load capacity means combined
weight of occupants, cargo and lug-
gage. Tongue load is included when
trailer towing. Seating capacity:
Total 5 (Front 2, Rear 3)
Seating capacity means the maximum
number of occupants whose esti-
mated average weight is 68 kg (150
lb.) per person. Depending on the
weight of each person, the seating ca-
pacity given may exceed the total
load capacity.
NOTICE
Even if the number of occupants
are within the seating capacity,
do not exceed the total load ca-
pacity.
Towing capacity: 454 kg (1000 lb.)
Towing capacity means the maxi-
mum gross trailer weight (trailer
weight plus its cargo weight) that
your vehicle is able to tow.
Cargo capacity
Cargo capacity may increase or de-
crease depending on the size (weight)
and the number of occupants. For de-
tails, see “—Capacity and distribu-
tion” that follows.
CAUTION
Do not apply the load more than
each load limit. That may cause
not only damage to the tires, but
also deterioration to the steering
ability and braking ability, which
may cause an accident.
Veh icle lo ad limit s