Page 318 of 496

3186-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
CAUTION
The engine compartment contains many mechanisms and fluids that may
move suddenly, become hot, or become electrically energized. To avoid death
or serious injury, observe the following precautions.
■When working on the engine compartment
●Keep hands, clothing and tools away from the moving fan and engine
drive belt.
● Be careful not to touch the engine, radiator, exhaust manifold, etc. right
after driving as they may be hot. Oil and other fluids may also be hot.
● Do not leave anything that may burn easily, such as paper and rags, in the
engine compartment.
● Do not smoke, cause sparks or expose an open flame to fuel or the bat-
tery. Fuel and battery fumes are flammable.
● Be extremely cautious when working on the battery. It contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.
■ When working near the electric cooling fans or radiator grille
Be sure the engine switch is off.
With the engine switch in IGNITION ON mode, the electric cooling fans may
automatically start to run if the air conditioning is on and/or the coolant tem-
perature is high. ( P. 328)
■ Safety glasses
Wear safety glasses to prevent flying or falling material, fluid spray, etc.
from getting in your eyes.
NOTICE
■If you remove the air cleaner filter
Driving with the air cleaner filter removed may cause excessive engine wear
due to dirt in the air.
Page 340 of 496

3406-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
CAUTION
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to parts of the drive train as well as
dangerous handling characteristics, which may lead to an accident
resulting in death or serious injury.
●Do not mix tires of different makes, models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably different treadwear.
●Do not use tire sizes other than those recommended by Toyota.
●Do not mix differently constructed ti res (radial, bias-belted or bias-ply
tires).
●Do not mix summer, all season and snow tires.
●Do not use tires that have been used on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not know how they were used previously.
■When initializing the tire pressure warning system
Do not operate the tire pressure warning reset switch without first
adjusting the tire inflation pressure to the specified level. Otherwise, the
tire pressure warning light may not come on even if the tire inflation
pressure is low, or it may come on when the tire inflation pressure is
actually normal.
Page 388 of 496

3887-2. Steps to take in an emergency
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
The following warning indicates the possibility of damage to the vehi-
cle that may lead to an accident. Im mediately stop the vehicle in a
safe place and contact your Toyota dealer.
Failure to investigate the cause of the following warnings may lead to
the system operating abnormally and possibly cause an accident.
Have the vehicle ins pected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
Stop the vehicle immediately.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
Charging system warning light
Indicates a malfunction in the vehicle’s charging system
Low engine oil pressure warning light
Indicates that the engine oil pressure is too low.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer immediately.
Warning lightWarning light/Details
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
Malfunction indicator lamp Indicates a malfunction in:
• The electronic engine control system;
• The electronic throttle control system; or
• The electronic automatic transmission control system
SRS warning lightIndicates a malfunction in:
• The SRS airbag system;
• The front passenger occupant classification system; or
• The seat belt pretensioner system
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)
ABS warning light Indicates a malfunction in:
• The ABS; or
• The brake assist system
Page 390 of 496
3907-2. Steps to take in an emergency
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
After taking the specified steps to correct the suspected problem,
check that the warning light goes off.
Follow the correction procedures.
Warning lightWarning light/DetailsCorrection procedure
Open door warning light
(warning buzzer)
*1
Indicates that a door or the
trunk is not fully closed
Check that all the doors and
the trunk are closed.
Low fuel level warning
lightIndicates remaining fuel is
approximately 2.6 gal. (9.7
L, 2.1 Imp. gal.) or less
Refuel the vehicle.
Seat belt reminder light
(warning buzzer)
*2
Warns the driver and/or
front passenger to fasten
their seat belts
Fasten the seat belt. If the front passenger’s
seat is occupied, the front
passenger’s seat belt also
needs to be fastened to
make the warning light
(warning buzzer) off.
Master warning lightA buzzer sounds and the
warning light comes on
and flashes to indicate that
the master warning system
has detected a malfunc-
tion.
P. 398
Page 392 of 496

3927-2. Steps to take in an emergency
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
*1: Open door warning buzzer:A buzzer will sound if the vehicle reaches a speed of 3 mph (5 km/h) or
more with any door open.
*2: Driver’s seat belt buzzer:The driver’s seat belt buzzer sounds to alert the driver that his or her seat
belt is not fastened. Once the engine switch is turned to IGNITION ON
mode, the buzzer sounds for 6 seconds. If the vehicle reaches a speed of
12 mph (20 km/h), the buzzer sounds once. If the seat belt is still unfas-
tened after 30 seconds, the buzzer will sound intermittently for 10 seconds.
Then, if the seat belt is still unfastened, the buzzer will sound in a different
tone for 20 more seconds.
Front passenger’s seat belt buzzer:
The front passenger’s seat belt buzzer sounds to alert the front passenger
that his or her seat belt is not fastened. The buzzer sounds once if the\
vehicle reaches a speed of 12 mph (20 km/h). If the seat belt is still unfas-
tened after 30 seconds, the buzzer will sound intermittently for 10 seconds.
Then, if the seat belt is still unfastened, the buzzer will sound in a different
tone for 20 more seconds.
Page 393 of 496

3937-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
■SRS warning light
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor assembly, front impact
sensors, side impact sensors (front), side impact sensors (rear), driver’s seat
position sensor, driver’s seat belt buckle switch, front passenger occupant
classification system, “AIR BAG ON” indicator light, “AIR BAG OFF” indicator
light, front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch, seat belt pretensioners, air-
bags, interconnecting wiring and power sources. ( P. 35)
■ Front passenger detection sensor, seat belt reminder and warning
buzzer
If luggage is placed on the front passenger seat, the front passenger detec-
tion sensor may cause the warning light to flash and the warning buzzer to
sound even if a passenger is not sitting in the seat.
■ If the malfunction indicator la mp comes on while driving
First check the following:
● Is the fuel tank empty?
If it is, fill the fuel tank immediately.
● Is the fuel tank cap loose?
If it is, tighten it securely.
The light will go off after several driving trips.
If the light does not go off even after several trips, contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible.
■ Electric power steering system warning light (warning buzzer)
When the battery charge becomes insufficient or the voltage temporarily
drops, the electric power steering system warning light may come on and the
warning buzzer may sound.
■
When the tire pressure warning light comes on
Check the tire inflation pressure and adjust to the appropriate level. Push-
ing the tire pressure warning reset switch will not turn off the tire pressure
warning light.
■The tire pressure warning light may come on due to natural causes
The tire pressure warning light may come on due to natural causes such
as natural air leaks and tire inflation pressure changes caused by temper-
ature. In this case, adjusting the ti re inflation pressure will turn off the
warning light (after a few minutes).
Page 421 of 496

4217-2. Steps to take in an emergency
7
When trouble arises
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
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 other end of the jumper cable connected to the “+” termi-
nal to come into contact with any other parts or metal surfaces in the area,
such as brackets or unpainted metal.
● 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.
NOTICE
■When handling jumper cables
When connecting the jumper cables, ensure that they do not become entan-
gled in the cooling fans or engine drive belt.
Page 424 of 496

4247-2. Steps to take in an emergency
AVALON (U)_(OM41440U)
CAUTION
■When inspecting under the hood of your vehicle
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in serious injury such as burns.
●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.
● Keep hands and clothing (especially a tie, a scarf or a muffler) away from
the fans and belts.
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.
■ To prevent damage to the cooling system
Observe the following precautions:
●Avoid contaminating the coolant with foreign matter (such as sand or dust
etc.).
● Do not use commercially available coolant additives.
●Do not loosen the radiator cap and the
coolant reservoir cap while the engine
and radiator are hot.
High temperature steam or coolant
could spray out.