2007 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

177
CAUTION
To avoid accidentally engaging the
cruise control, keep the “ONOFF”
button off when not using the cruise
control.
SETTING AT A DESIRED SPEED
The transmission must be in the “D” posi-
tion or the shift range position must be “4”
(fourth range) or “5” (fifth range) in “S”
mode 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. If the speed is not satisfac-
tory, tap the lever up for a faster speed,
or tap it down for a slower speed. Each
tap changes the set speed by 1.6 km/h
(1.0 mph). You can now take your foot off
the accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration—for example,
when passing—depress the accelerator
pedal enough for the vehicle to exceed
the set speed. When you release it, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
CANCELLING THE PRESET SPEED
You can cancel the preset speed by:
a. Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal. c. Pressing the “ON −OFF” button.
If cancelled by c., the “CRUISE” indicator
light goes off in the instrument panel. In
this case, the present speed data is
cleared, and you must set the speed from
the beginning.
In the following cases, the preset speed
automatically cancels out: a. When vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph).
b. When vehicle stability control is acti- vated.
c. When vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the preset speed.

178
If cancelled by c., the present speed data
is cleared, and you must set the speed
from the beginning.
If the preset speed automatically cancels
out for other than the above reasons, do
not operate the cruise control. Although it
is no problem to continue driving, have
your vehicle checked by your Toyota deal-
er at the earliest opportunity.
RESETTING TO A FASTER SPEED
Push the lever up in the “+ RES” direction
and hold it. Release the lever when the
desired speed is attained. While the lever
is held up, the vehicle will gradually gain
speed.
When the difference between the actual
vehicle speed and the set speed is less
than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can
be increased 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time
by pushing the lever up in the “+ RES”
direction quickly within 0.5 seconds.
However, a faster way to reset is to ac-
celerate the vehicle and then push the
lever down in the “− SET” direction.RESETTING TO A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the “
− SET” direc-
tion and hold it. Release the lever when
the desired speed is attained. While the
lever is held down, the vehicle speed will
gradually decrease.
When the difference is 5 km/h (3 mph) or
more, the vehicle will cruise with its
actual speed. When the difference be-
tween the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph),
the set speed can be lowered 1.6 km/h (1
mph) each time by pushing the lever down
in the “ − SET” direction quickly within 0.5
seconds.
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 “S” 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 or by activating the vehicle
stability control system, pushing the lever
up in the “+ RES” direction will restore
the speed set prior to cancellation.
If the preset speed is cancelled when ve-
hicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25
mph), the preset speed will be resumed
by pushing the control lever up in the “+
RES” direction when vehicle speed ex-
ceeds about 40 km/h (25 mph) again.
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE WARNING
If “CRUISE” indicator light in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when using the
cruise control, press the “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.

179
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.
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)
Dynamic laser cruise control—

180
Vehicletovehicle distance control mode
Conventional (fixed speed) cruise control
mode
The dynamic laser cruise control func-
tion has two cruise control modes.
Vehicle−to −vehicle distance control
mode for maintaining an appropriate
distance between vehicles
Conventional (fixed speed) cruise con-
trol mode for cruising at preset speeds
You can change the mode by using the
control lever.
The two cruise control modes function dif-
ferently. If you use dynamic laser cruise
control, always confirm which mode is se-
lected.
For the vehicle −to −vehicle distance control
mode, see “—Vehicle −to −vehicle distance
control mode” on page 180. For the con-
ventional (fixed speed) cruise control
mode, see “—Conventional (fixed speed)
cruise control mode” on page 191. The laser radar sensor in this system
primarily detects the reflectors of the
vehicle ahead of you to determine the
presence of the vehicle ahead as well
as measuring the vehicletovehicle dis-
tance. The detection range of the sen-
sor is about 120 m (400 ft.) ahead.
CAUTION
Dynamic laser cruise control is not a
collisionavoidance system and will
not prevent accidents. Dynamic laser
cruise control is a vehicle speed con-
trol device that is intended for use
only on freeways or roads where the
traffic is light or moderate. To avoid
serious injury, you must use caution
and be attentive to road and traffic
conditions while using dynamic laser
cruise control.
—Dynamic laser cruise control
modes
—Vehicletovehicle distance
control mode

181
DYNAMIC LASER CRUISE CONTROL
OPERATIONS
The dynamic laser cruise control func-
tion operates automatically and depend-
ing on whether a vehicle is detected
ahead may change the speed of your
vehicle as follows.
If no vehicle is running ahead of you—1. Cruising at a fixed speed: If there is
no vehicle detected ahead, your
cruising speed is maintained at the
preset speed from about 45 km/h (28
mph) to about 135 km/h (85 mph). The
preset speed is displayed in the
display. For the vehicle speed setting,
see “SETTING THE DESIRED SPEED”
on page 185. If a vehicle is detected ahead of you—
2. Deceleration cruising function: If a
slower moving vehicle is detected
ahead of you, your vehicle cruising
speed decreases within the range of
about 40 km/h (25 mph) to about 135
km/h (85 mph). The display shows the
preset speed, the detected vehicle
ahead and selected vehicle −to −vehicle
distance. If your vehicle gets closer to
the vehicle ahead because of insuffi-
cient automatic deceleration, then the
alarm warns you to also manually ap-
ply brakes.
3. Followup cruising function: After de-
celeration, your vehicle cruising speed
changes in proportion to the speed of
the vehicle ahead to maintain an ap-
propriate distance from your vehicle to
the vehicle ahead. The vehicle −to −ve-
hicle distance can be changed. For de-
tails, see “CHANGING VEHICLE −TO −
VEHICLE DISTANCE” on page 187.
4. Acceleration cruising function: If the
vehicle ahead changes lanes, your ve-
hicle cruising speed will be gradually
increased up to the preset speed, and
your vehicle resumes fixed −speed
cruising.

182
This system operates by detecting pri-
marily the reflectors of the vehicle
ahead. The distance may not be accu-
rately or absolutely detected in the fol-
lowing cases:
The vehicle ahead has higher ground
clearance, which means that the
placement of the reflectors is in a
higher position.
The rear section of the vehicle ahead
is extremely dirty.
The vehicle ahead or other vehicles
around you are flinging up water or
snow.
Excessive exhaust gas (black smoke)
is coming from the vehicle ahead or
other vehicles around you, obscuring
your front view.
There is an obstruction (protective
film, sticker, etc.) on the reflectors
on the vehicle ahead, or reflectors
are not installed on the vehicle
ahead or are damaged.
Heavy luggage in the luggage
compartment or rear seats is caus-
ing the nose of your vehicle to tilt
up.
CAUTION
To avoid accidents, always keep the
laser radar sensor glass clean and
never allow it to be covered with
icicle or any substance, so it can de-
tect the vehicle in front. (See “LASER
RADAR SENSOR” on page 189.)
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on dynamic
laser cruise control. Observe the fol-
lowing precautions in order to avoid
serious injury or death:
Under certain conditions where the
vehicle in front slows drastically, or
is stopped, the dynamic laser cruise
control will neither warn you nor
decelerate. You must depress the
brake pedal to slow down, ensuring
collision avoidance or that suffi-
cient vehicletovehicle distance is
maintained.
Do not use dynamic laser cruise
control in the following conditions:
In bad weather (such as rain, fog,
snow, sandstorms or direct sun-
light, or when raindrops or snow-
flakes get on the laser radar sensor
glass), the vehicletovehicle dis-
tance will not be measured accura-
tely.
When using the windshield wipers
at high or low speeds the dynamic
laser radar cruise control turns off.

183
On roads with heavy traffic or
sharp bends, an appropriate speed
cannot be maintained and an acci-
dent may occur.
On slippery road surfaces (icy or
snowcovered road surfaces), the
tires will race and you will be un-
able to control the vehicle.
When there is no vehicle detected
ahead on steep downhill slopes, the
preset speed will be easily exceed-
ed because of inefficient engine
braking. (In this case, automatic
braking will not work.) If there is a
vehicle detected ahead, the delay in
deceleration timing could cause se-
rious injury or death.
When the alarm sounds frequently
(because acceleration or decelera-
tion was repeated or sufficient ve-
hicletovehicle distance was not
maintained), an appropriate vehicle
speed cannot be attained and an
accident may occur.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.

184
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.
If other vehicles are driving outside
of the laser radar detection range,
a delay in the detection of the ve-
hicle cutting in at short range or
failure to detect a motorcycle run-
ning on the side of the same lane
will occur. In this case, the dynamic
laser cruise control system will not
function properly.
When a slower vehicle in front of
you leaves the lane, the dynamic
laser cruise control will no longer
detect a vehicle ahead and will at-
tempt to accelerate the vehicle to
the faster preset speed.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate dynamic laser cruise control,
press the “ON −OFF” button. This turns the
system on. When the “CRUISE” and
“READY” indicator lights in the instrument
cluster come on, you can now set your
desired cruising speed and vehicle −to −ve-
hicle distance. Pressing the “ON −OFF”
button again will turn the system com-
pletely off.
When the ignition is turned off, the system
is also automatically turned off. To use
dynamic laser cruise control again, press
the “ON −OFF” button again to turn it on.