2011 TOYOTA AVALON warning

71 1-3. Adjustable components (seats, steering wheel, mirrors)
1
Before driving
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
CAUTION
■Seat belt pretensioners
●Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s weight, which prevents the sensor
from detecting the passenger’s weight properly. As a result, the seat belt
pretensioner for the front passenger’s seat may not activate in the event of
a collision.
●If the pretensioner has activated, the SRS warning light will come on. In
that case, the seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at
your Toyota dealer.
■Child restraint lock function belt
Do not allow children to play with the child restraint lock function belt.
■Seat belt damage and wear
●Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate or buckle to be
jammed in the door.
●Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat
belts cannot protect an occupant from injury.
●Ensure that the belt and tab are locked and the belt is not twisted. If the
seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your Toyota
dealer.
●Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been
involved in a serious accident, even if there is no obvious damage.
●Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of a seat
belt. Have any necessary repairs carried out by your Toyota dealer. Inap-
propriate handling of the pretensioner may cause it to activate or operate
improperly and may cause death or serious injury.

102 1-7. Safety information
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
Airbag system components
Front airbag sensor
Front passenger airbag
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator lights
Side airbag
Curtain shield airbag
Side and curtain shield airbag
sensor
SRS warning light
Curtain shield airbag sensorDriver’s seat position sensor
Knee airbag
Airbag sensor assembly
Occupant detection system
(ECU and sensors)
Front passenger’s seat belt
buckle switch
Driver airbag
Driver’s seat belt buckle
switch

114
1-7. Safety information
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
Front passenger occupant classification system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system. This system detects the conditions of the front passen-
ger seat and activates or deactivates the devices for front passenger.
SRS warning light
“AIR BAG OFF” indicator light
“AIR BAG ON” indicator light
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light

115 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classi-
fication system
■Adult
*1
■Child*3 or child restraint system*4
Indicator/
warning light“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator lights“AIR BAG
ON”
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Flashing
*2
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Activated Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger side
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner
Indicator/
warning light“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator lights“AIR BAG
OFF”*5
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Flashing
*2
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger sideActivated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Activated

116 1-7. Safety information
AVALON_U (OM41428U)■Unoccupied
■System malfunction
Indicator/
warning light“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator lightsNot
illuminated
SRS warning light
Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger sideActivated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Deactivated
Indicator/
warning light“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator lights“AIR BAG
OFF”
SRS warning light On
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Off
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger sideActivated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Activated

119 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
CAUTION
■Front passenger occupant classification system precautions
●Do not recline the front passenger seatback so far that it touches a rear
seat. This may cause the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light to be illuminated,
which indicates that the passenger’s airbags will not deploy in the event of
a severe accident. If the seatback touches the rear seat, return the seat-
back to a position where it does not touch the rear seat. Keep the front
passenger seatback as upright as possible when the vehicle is moving.
Reclining the seatback excessively may lessen the effectiveness of the
seat belt system.
●If an adult sits in the front passenger seat, the “AIR BAG ON” indicator
light is illuminated, If the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator is illuminated, ask the
passenger to sit up straight, well back in the seat, feet on the floor, and
with the seat belt worn correctly. If the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator still
remain illuminated, either ask the passenger to move to the rear seat, or if
that is not possible, move the front passenger seat fully rearward.
●When it is unavoidable to install the forward-facing child restraint system
on the front passenger seat, install the child restraint system on the front
passenger seat in the proper order. (P. 125)
●Do not modify or remove the front seats.
●Do not kick the front passenger seat or subject it to severe impact. Other-
wise, the SRS warning light may come on to indicate a malfunction on the
detection system. In this case, contact your Toyota dealer immediately.
●Child restraint systems installed on the rear seat should not contact the
front seatbacks.
●Do not use a seat accessory, such as a cushion or seat cover, that covers
the seat cushion surface.

When driving2
137
AVALON_U (OM41428U)
2-1. Driving procedures
Driving the vehicle............ 138
Engine (ignition) switch
(with smart key
system) .......................... 149
Engine (ignition) switch
(without smart key
system) .......................... 153
Automatic
transmission................... 156
Turn signal lever .............. 161
Parking brake ................... 162
Horn ................................. 1632-2. Instrument cluster
Gauges and meters ......... 164
Indicators and warning
lights .............................. 167
Multi-information
display............................ 170
2-3. Operating the lights and
windshield wipers
Headlight switch ............... 173
Fog light switch ................ 176
Windshield wipers and
washer ........................... 177
2-4. Using other driving systems
Cruise control ................... 182
Rear view monitor
system ........................... 186
Driving assist systems ..... 195
2-5. Driving information
Cargo and luggage .......... 200
Vehicle load limits ............ 205
Winter driving tips ............ 207
Trailer towing ................... 212
Dinghy towing .................. 213

159 2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
AVALON_U (OM41428U)■Shift ranges and their functions
●Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 6 according to
vehicle speed and driving condition. (However the gear is limited
according to selected shift range.)
●You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
●A lower shift range will provide greater engine braking force than
a higher shift range, and the engine speed will also increase.
■S mode
●When the shift range is 5 or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets
the shift range to 6.
●To prevent excessive engine speed, a function was adopted that auto-
matically selects a higher shift range before engine speed becomes too
high.
●To protect the automatic transmission, a function is adopted that auto-
matically selects a higher shift range when the fluid temperature is high.
■Down shifting restrictions warning buzzer (in the S mode)
To help ensure safety and driving performance, downshifting operation may
sometimes be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be
possible even when the shift lever is operated. (The warning buzzer will
sound twice.)
■When driving with the cruise control system
Engine braking will not occur in the S mode, even when downshifting to 5 or
4. (P. 182)
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
P. 491