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1504-1. Before driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
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 engine off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift
lever or depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an accident or fire
due to engine 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 power brake assist function does not operate, do not follow other\
vehicles closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require braking.
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.
● Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted
brakes.
● The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems; if one of the
systems fails, the other 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.
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1514-1. Before driving
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
● Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time during
driving, as this may restrain driving torque.
● Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake
pedals at the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■ When parking the vehicle
Always shift the shift lever to P. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to
move or the vehicle may accelerate suddenly if the accelerator pedal is
accidentally depressed.
■ Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
● Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for
an extended period of time.
Doing so may damage the power steering motor.
● When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid
damaging the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
■ If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering
wheel firmly and gradually depress the brake pedal to slow down the vehi-
cle.
● It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
● The vehicle will make abnormal sounds or vibrations.
● The vehicle will behave abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire ( P. 400)
Page 159 of 500
159
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
4-2. Driving procedures
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is set in P.
Firmly depress the brake pedal.
Messages indicating how to start the engine and how to turn to ACCES-
SORY mode will be displayed alternately on the multi-information display.
Press the engine switch.
The engine will crank until it starts
or for up to 30 seconds, whichever
is less.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the engine is completely
started.
The engine can be started from
any engine switch mode.
Engine (ignition) switch
Performing the following operations when carrying the elec-
tronic key on your person starts the engine or changes engine
switch modes.
Starting the engine
1
2
3
4
Page 160 of 500
1604-2. Driving procedures
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
Stop the vehicle.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Set the parking brake. (P. 170)
Press the engine switch.
Driving-related data will be displayed on the multi-information display.
( P. 84)
Modes can be changed by pressing the engine switch with brake
pedal released. (The mode changes ea ch time the switch is pressed.)
Off*
The emergency flashers can be
used.
The multi-information display will
not be displayed.
ACCESSORY mode
Some electrical components such
as the audio system can be used.
A message indicating how to start
the engine will be displayed on the
multi-information display.
IGNITION ON mode
All electrical components can be
used.
*: If the shift lever is in a position other than P when turning off the
engine, the engine switch will be
turned to ACCESSORY mode, not
to off.
Stopping the engine
Changing engine switch modes
1
2
3
4
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1614-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
If the engine is stopped with the shift lever in a position other than P, a
message indicating to shift the shift lever to P will be displayed on the
multi-information display. At this time, the engine switch will not be
turned off but instead be turned to ACCESSORY mode. Perform the
following procedure to turn the switch off:
Check that the parking brake is set.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Check that “Turn Power OFF” is displayed on the multi-information
display and then press the engine switch once.
Check that “Turn Power OFF” on the multi-information display is
turned off.
When stopping the engine with the shift lever in a position other
than P
1
2
3
4
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1654-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
While the engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode, move the
shift lever with the brake pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the
vehicle is completely stopped.
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noises, set the shift lever in the Dposition for normal driving.
*2: Selecting shift ranges using S mode restricts the upper limit of the possiblegear ranges, controls engine braking force, and prevents upshifting above
the selected range.
Automatic transmission
Shifting the shift lever
Shift position purpose
Shift positionObjective or function
PParking the vehicle/starting the engine
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2 ( P. 166)
Page 170 of 500
1704-2. Driving procedures
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
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. 237
Parking brake
U.S.A.Canada
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.
Page 174 of 500

1744-3. Operating the lights and wipers
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
■Daytime running light system
●Vehicles with halogen headlights: To make your vehicle more visible to other
drivers, the headlight high beam turn on automatically (at a decreased inten-
sity) whenever the engine is started and the parking brake is released. Day-
time running lights are not designed for use at night.
Vehicles with discharge headlights: To make your vehicle more visible to
other drivers, the parking lights turn on automatically (at an increased inten-
sity) whenever the engine is started and the parking brake is released. Day-
time running lights are not designed for use at night.
Type A: Daytime running lights can be turned off by operating the switch.
● Compared to turning on the headlights, the daytime running light system
offers greater durability and consumes less electricity, so it can help improve
fuel economy.
■ Headlight control sensor
■ Automatic light off system
●When the headlights are on: The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 sec-
onds after the engine switch is turned off and a door is opened and all of the
doors and trunk are closed. (The lights turn off immediately if on the
key is pressed twice after all the doors are closed.)
● When only the tail lights are on: The tail lights turn off automatically if the
engine switch is turned off and the driver’s door is opened.
To turn the lights on again, turn the engine switch to IGNITION ON mode, or
turn the light switch off once and then back to or .
If any of the doors or trunk lid is kept open, the lights automatically turn off
after 20 minutes.
■ Light reminder buzzer
A buzzer sounds when the engine switch is turned off or turned to ACCES-
SORY mode and the driver’s door is opened while the lights are turned on. The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything
that blocks the sensor is affixed to the
windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor
detecting the level of ambient light and
may cause the automatic headlight sys-
tem to malfunction.