2014 TOYOTA AVALON HYBRID overheating

781-2. Hybrid system
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery air vent
● Do not put foreign objects near the air vent. The hybrid battery (traction
battery) may overheat and be damaged.
● Clean the air vent regularly to prevent the hybrid battery (traction battery)
from overheating.
● Do not wet or allow foreign substances to enter the air vent as this may
cause a short circuit and damage the hybrid battery (traction battery).
● Do not carry large amounts of water such as water cooler bottles in the
vehicle. If water spills onto the hybrid battery (traction battery), the battery
may be damaged. Have the vehicle inspected by your Toyota dealer.

952. Instrument cluster
2
Instrument cluster
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)■
Customization
The instrument panel light auto dimmer control can be changed.
(Customizable feature: P. 477)
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and its components
● When indicating the tachometer (Using the S mode driving): Do not let the
indicator of the tachometer enter the red zone, which indicates the maxi-
mum engine speed. ( P. 192)
● The engine may be overheating if the engine coolant temperature gauge is
in the red zone (H). In this case, immediately stop the vehicle in a safe
place, and check the engine after it has cooled completely. (P. 444)

1744-1. Before driving
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the hybrid system off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the
shift lever or depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an accident or
fire due to hybrid system overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in
a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle,
leading to death or a serious health hazard.
■ When braking
● When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this may cause
one side of the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also, the
parking brake may not securely hold the vehicle.
● If the electronically controlled brake system does not operate, do not fol-
low other vehicles closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require brak-
ing.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance will increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
● The brake system consists of 2 or more individual hydraulic systems; if
one of the systems fails, the other(s) will still operate. In this case, the
brake pedal should be depressed more firmly than usual and the braking
distance will increase. Have your brakes fixed immediately.

1864-2. Driving procedures
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)■
If the hybrid system does not start
●The immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 79)
Contact your Toyota dealer.
● Check that the shift lever is securely set in P. The hybrid system may not
start if the shift lever is displaced out of P.
■ Steering lock
After turning the power switch off and opening and closing the doors, the
steering wheel will be locked due to the steering lock function. Operating the
power switch again automatically cancels the steering lock.
■ When the steering lock cannot be released
■ Steering lock motor overheating prevention
To prevent the steering lock motor from overheating, the motor may be sus-
pended if the hybrid system is turned on and off repeatedly in a short period
of time. In this case, refrain from operating the hybrid system. After about 10
seconds, the steering lock motor will resume functioning.
■ When a message requesting the smart key system be inspected is dis-
played on the multi-information display
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your
Toyota dealer immediately.
■ If the “READY” indicator does not come on
If the “READY” indicator does not come on when you press the power switch
with the shift lever in P and the brake pedal depressed, contact your Toyota
dealer immediately.
■ If the hybrid system is malfunctioning
P. 7 4
■ If the electronic key battery is depleted
P. 377 A message informing the driver that the
steering wheel is locked will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
Check that the shift lever is set in P. Press
the power switch while turning the steer-
ing wheel left and right.

1954-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)
To set the parking brake, fully
depress the parking brake pedal
with your left foot while depress-
ing the brake pedal with your right
foot.
(Depressing the pedal again
releases the parking brake.)
■Usage in winter time
P. 263
Parking brake
NOTICE
■Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components
overheating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake
wear.

2404-5. Using the driving support systems
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)
■Turning off both TRAC/VSC systems
To turn the TRAC/VSC systems off, press and hold the switch for more than 3
seconds while the vehicle is stopped.
The VSC OFF and “TRAC OFF” indica tor lights will come on and the mes-
sage will be shown on the multi-information display.
Press the switch again to turn the systems back on.
■ When the message is displayed on th e multi-information display show-
ing that TRAC has been disabled and “TRAC OFF” indicator light comes
on even if the TRAC/VSC OFF switch has not been pressed
TRAC and hill-start assist control cannot be operated. Contact your Toyota
dealer.
■ Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, brake assist, TRAC, VSC
systems
●A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the brake pedal
is depressed repeatedly, when the hybrid system is started or just after the
vehicle begins to move. This sound does not indicate that a malfunction has
occurred in any of these systems.
● Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are
operating. None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
■ EPS operation sound
When the steering wheel is operated, a motor sound (whirring sound) may be
heard. This does not indicate a malfunction.
■ Automatic reactivation of TRAC and VSC systems
After turning the TRAC and VSC systems off, the systems will be automati-
cally re-enabled in the following situations:
● When the power switch is turned off
● If only the TRAC system is turned off, the TRAC will turn on when vehicle
speed increases
If both the TRAC and VSC systems are turned off, automatic re-enabling will
not occur when vehicle speed increases.
■ Reduced effectiveness of the EPS system
The effectiveness of the EPS system is reduced to prevent the system from
overheating when there is frequent steering input over an extended period of
time. The steering wheel may feel heavy as a result. Should this occur, refrain
from excessive steering input or stop the vehicle and turn the hybrid system
off. The effectiveness of the EPS system will be restored after a short while.

3065-5. Other interior features
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)
CAUTION
■Burns
● Use caution when seating the following persons in a seat with the seat
heater on to avoid the possibility of burns:
• Babies, small children, the elderly, the sick and the physically chal-
lenged
• Persons with sensitive skin
• Persons who are fatigued
• Persons who have taken alcohol or drugs that induce sleep (sleeping drugs, cold remedies, etc.)
● Do not cover the seat with anything when using the seat heater.
Using the seat heater with a blanket or cushion increases the temperature
of the seat and may lead to overheating.
● Do not use seat heater more than necessary. Doing so may cause minor
burns or overheating.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the seat heaters/seat ventilators
Do not put heavy objects that have an uneven surface on the seat and do
not stick sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.) into the seat.
■ To prevent 12-volt battery discharge
Turn the seat heaters/seat ventilators off when the hybrid system is off.

4447-2. Steps to take in an emergency
AVALON_HV_U (OM41451U)
The engine coolant temperature gauge enters the red zone or a loss
of power is experienced. (For ex ample, the vehicle speed does not
increase.)
“Hybrid System Overheat/Stop the Vehicle in a Safe Place” is shown
on the multi-information display.
Steam comes out from under the hood.
■If the needle of the engine coolant temperature gauge enters
the red zone
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and turn off the air conditioning
system, and then stop the hybrid system.
If you see steam:
Carefully lift the hood after the steam subsides.
If you do not see steam:
Carefully lift the hood.
After the hybrid system has
cooled down sufficiently,
inspect the hoses and radia-
tor core (radiator) for any
leaks.
Radiator
Cooling fan
If a large amount of coolant
leaks, immediately contact your
Toyota dealer.
If your vehicle overheats
The following may indicate that your vehicle is overheating:
Correction procedures
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