2012 TOYOTA CAMRY Owners Manual

5
When trouble arises
457
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
CAUTION
■
Avoiding battery fires or explosions
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidentally igniting the flam-
mable gas that may be emitted from the battery:
●Make sure each jumper cable is connected to the correct terminal and that
it is not unintentionally in contact with any other than the intended terminal.
● Do not allow the + and - clamps of the jumper cables to come into contact
with each other.
● Do not smoke, use matches, cigarette lighters or allow open flame near
the battery.
■ Battery precautions
The battery contains poisonous and corrosive acidic electrolyte, while
related parts contain lead and lead compounds. Observe the following pre-
cautions when handling the battery:
●When working with the battery, always wear safety glasses and take care
not to allow any battery fluids (acid) to come into contact with skin, clothing
or the vehicle body.
● Do not lean over the battery.
● In the event that battery fluid comes into contact with the skin or eyes,
immediately wash the affected area with water and seek medical attention.
Place a wet sponge or cloth over the affected area until medical attention
can be received.
● Always wash your hands after handling the battery support, terminals, and
other battery-related parts.
● Do not allow children near the battery.
■ To prevent damage to the vehicle
Do not pull- or push-start the vehicle as the three-way catalytic converter
may overheat and become a fire hazard.

458 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
NOTICE
■When handling jumper cables
When connecting the jumper cables, ensure that they do not become entan-
gled in the cooling fans or belt.

5
When trouble arises
459
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle overheats
If your engine overheats:
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and turn off the air condi-
tioning system.
Check to see if steam is coming out from under the hood.
If you see steam:
Stop the engine. Carefully lift the hood after the steam sub-
sides and then restart the engine.
If you do not see steam:
Leave the engine running and carefully lift the hood.
Check to see if the cooling fans are operating.
If the fans are operating:
Wait until the high engine coolant temperature warning light
goes off and then stop the engine.
If the fans are not operating:
Stop the engine immediately and call your Toyota dealer.
After the engine has cooled
down sufficiently, check the
engine coolant level and
inspect the radiator core (radi-
ator) for any leaks.STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP5STEP4

460 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
■Overheating
If you observe the following, your vehicle may be overheating:
●The rightmost segment of the engine coolant temperature display is
flashing or a loss of power is experienced.
● Steam comes out from under the hood.
CAUTION
■To prevent an accident or injury when inspecting under the hood of
your vehicle
● If steam is seen coming from under the hood, do not open the hood until
the steam has subsided. The engine compartment may be very hot, caus-
ing serious injuries such as burns.
● Keep hands and clothing away from the fans and drive belt while the
engine is running.
● Do not loosen the coolant reservoir cap while the engine and radiator are
hot.
Serious injury, such as burns, may result from hot coolant and steam
released under pressure.
Add engine coolant if neces-
sary.
Water can be used in an emer-
gency if engine coolant is
unavailable.
(P. 471)
Have the vehicle chec ked at the nearest Toyota dealer as soon as
possible.
STEP5

5
When trouble arises
461
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
NOTICE
■
When adding engine coolant
Wait until the engine has cooled down before adding engine coolant.
When adding coolant, do so slowly. Adding cool coolant to a hot engine too
quickly can cause damage to the engine.

462
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If the vehicle becomes stuck
CAUTION
■When attempting to free a stuck vehicle
If you choose to push the vehicle back and forth to free it, make sure the sur-
rounding area is clear to avoid striking other vehicles, objects or people. The
vehicle may also lunge forward or lunge back suddenly as it becomes free.
Use extreme caution.
■ When shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may
cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■To avoid damage to the transmission and other components
●Avoid spinning the wheels and depressing the accelerator pedal more
than necessary.
● If the vehicle remains stuck even after these procedures are performed,
the vehicle may require towing to be freed.
Carry out the following procedures if the tires spin or the vehicle
becomes stuck in mud, dirt or snow:
Stop the engine. Set the parki ng brake and shift the shift
lever to P.
Remove the mud, snow or sand from around the stuck tire.
Place wood, stones or some other material under the tires
to help provide traction.
Restart the engine.
Shift the shift lever to the D or R position and carefully apply
the accelerator to free the vehicle.
Turn off TRAC and VSC if these functions are hampering your
attempts to free the vehicle. ( P. 204)
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP5

5
When trouble arises
463
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency
Only in an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way, stop the vehicle using the following pro-
cedure:
Steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet and firmly
depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the
effort required to slow the vehicle.
Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N After slowing down, stop the vehi cle in a safe place by the
road.
Stop the engine.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted to N Keep depressing the brake pedal with both feet to reduce
vehicle speed as much as possible.
Vehicles without a smart key
system: Stop the engine by
turning the engine switch to
the “ACC” position.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP3
STEP4

464 5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
CAUTION
■If the engine has to be turned off while driving
●Power assist for the brakes and steering wheel will be lost, making the
brake pedal harder to depress and the steering wheel heavier to turn.
Decelerate as much as possible before turning off the engine.
● Vehicles without a smart key system: Never attempt to remove the key, as
doing so will lock the steering wheel.
Vehicles with a smart key sys-
tem: To stop the engine, press
and hold the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch for 2 consecu-
tive seconds or more, or press
it briefly 3 times or more in
succession.
Stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road.STEP4
Press and hold for 2 seconds or more,
or press briefly 3 times or more
STEP5