2007 TOYOTA AVALON engine

164
For ways to decrease the vehicle speed,
see “Cruise control” on page 176 or “Dy-
namic laser cruise control” on page 179
in this Section.
Move the selector lever down to the
“− ” side to select the “3” range. The
transmission will downshift to third
range when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than 147 km/h (91
mph), and stronger engine braking will
be enabled.
Move the selector lever down to the
“ − ” side to select the “2” range. The
transmission will downshift to second
range when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than 91 km/h (56
mph), and more powerful engine brak-
ing than that of the “3” range position
will be enabled.
Move the selector lever down to the
“ − ” side to select the “1” range. The
transmission will downshift to first
range when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than 39 km/h (24
mph), and maximum engine braking will
be enabled.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to skid or
spin.
(e) 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.
(f) 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.

165
(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 331 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

166
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.

167
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 363 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

176
The cruise control allows you to cruise
the vehicle at a desired speed over 40
km/h (25 mph) with your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained
although a slight speed change may occur
when driving up or down gradient, within
the limits of engine performance. On
steeper hills, a greater speed change will
occur so it is better to drive without the
cruise control.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control
of your vehicle, do not use the
cruise control when driving in
heavy or varying traffic, or on slip-
pery (rainy, icy or snowcovered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when
driving downhill. If the vehicle
speed is too fast in relation to the
cruise control set speed, cancel the
cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking
to slow down.
TURNING THE SYSTEM ON
To operate the cruise control, press the
“ON −OFF” button. This turns the system
on. The indicator light in the instrument
cluster shows that you can now set your
desired cruising speed. Another push will
turn the system completely off.
When the ignition switch is turned off, the
system automatically turned off. To use
the cruise control again, press the “ON −
OFF” button again to turn it on.
Cruise control

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.

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.

186
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.
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 190.
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. RESETTING TO A FASTER SPEED
Push the lever up in the “+ RES” direction
and hold it. The displayed speed will in-
crease in increments of 5 mph. Release
the lever when the desired speed is attai-
ned. The vehicle speed will gradually in-
crease to the display speed.
CAUTION
When the vehicletovehicle distance
control is on, your cruising speed is
regulated in proportion to the speed
of the vehicle ahead, so increasing
the preset speed using the control
lever does not accelerate the vehicle.
However, if the vehicle ahead leaves
the lane, your cruising speed will in-
crease to the preset speed because
the preset speed has been set higher
using the control lever. Confirm the
setting on the display.
RESETTING TO A SLOWER SPEED
Push the lever down in the “
− SET” direc-
tion and hold it. The displayed speed will
decrease in increments of 5 mph. Release
the lever when the desired speed is attai-
ned. The vehicle speed will gradually de-
crease to the display speed.
However, a faster way to reset is to de-
press the brake pedal and then push the
lever down in the “− SET” direction.
If the control lever is released when the
vehicle speed exceeds the upper limit of
the preset speed traveling downhill while
you are pushing the lever down, the sys-
tem will memorize the upper limit of the
preset speed as a preset speed.
Even if you downshift the transmission
from “D” position or “5” (fifth range) to “4”
(fourth range) in “S” mode in the vehicle −
to −vehicle distance control mode, engine
braking will not be enabled because this
mode 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.