Page 145 of 500

1454-1. Before driving
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions. 
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the engine
running. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■ When driving the vehicle
● Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and ac\
cel-
erator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal. 
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake
pedal will result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a diffi- culty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly. This allows you to depress the brake and accelera-
tor pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, result-
ing in an accident.
● Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot
parts may cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby. 
     
        
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1474-1. Before driving
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions. 
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
● Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and
reduce your ability to control the vehicle.
● Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shifting, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid.
● After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make
sure that the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent
the brakes from functioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet
and not functioning properly, steering control may be affected.
■ When shifting the shift lever
● Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift lever is in a driving posi-
tion, or roll forward while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering
performance, resulting in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
● Do not shift the shift lever to P while the vehicle is moving. 
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle
control.
● Do not shift the shift lever to R while the vehicle is moving forward. 
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle
control.
● Do not shift the shift lever to D while the vehicle is moving backward. 
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle
control.
● Moving the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the
engine from the transmission. Engine braking is not available when N is
selected.
● Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
Shifting the shift lever to a gear other than P or N may lead to unexpected
rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may cause an accident and result in
death or serious injury. 
     
        
        Page 149 of 500

1494-1. Before driving
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions. 
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When the vehicle is parked
● Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in
the vehicle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a
fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic material of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s
electrical components.
● Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a
place such as the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit accidentally when
luggage is loaded or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.
● Do not attach adhesive discs to the windshield or windows. Do not place
containers such as air fresheners on the instrument panel or dashboard.
Adhesive discs or containers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehi-
cle.
● Do not leave a door or window open if the curved glass is coated with a
metallized film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunlight may cause
the glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
● Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to P, stop the engine
and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the engine is running.
● Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the engine is running or immediately
after turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns. 
     
        
        Page 164 of 500

1644-2. Driving procedures
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
CAUTION
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not depress the
accelerator pedal while starting the engine under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
■ Caution while driving
If engine failure occurs while the vehicle is moving, do not lock or open the
doors until the vehicle reaches a safe and complete stop. Activation of the
steering lock in this circumstance may lead to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
■ Stopping the engine in an emergency
If you want to stop the engine in an emergency while driving the vehicle,
press and hold the engine switch for more than 2 seconds, or press it briefly
3 times or more in succession. ( P. 381)
However, do not touch the engine switch while driving except in an emer-
gency. Turning the engine off while driving will not cause loss of steering or
braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost. This will
make it more difficult to steer and brake, so you should pull over and stop
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
NOTICE
■ To prevent battery discharge
● Do not leave the engine switch in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON mode
for long periods of time without the engine running.
● Do not stop the engine when the shift lever is in a position other than P. If
the engine is stopped in another shift lever position, the engine switch will
not be turned off but instead be turned to ACCESSORY mode. If the vehi-
cle is left in ACCESSORY mode, battery discharge may occur.
■ When starting the engine
● Do not race a cold engine.
● If the engine becomes difficult to star t or stalls frequently, have your vehi-
cle checked by your Toyota dealer immediately.
■ Symptoms indicating a malfunction with the engine switch
If the engine switch seems to be operating somewhat differently than usual,
such as the switch sticking slightly, there may be a malfunction. Contact
your Toyota dealer immediately. 
     
        
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1694-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
The lever will return to its original position after operation.
Right turn
Lane change to the right (move
the lever partway and release
it)
The right hand signals will flash 3
times.
Lane change to the left (move
the lever partway and release
it)
The left hand signals will flash 3
times.
Left turn
■ Turn signals can be operated when
The engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode.
■ If the indicator flashes faster than usual
Check that a light bulb in the front or rear turn signal lights has not burned
out.
■ If the turn signals stop flashing before a lane change has been per-
formed
Operate the lever again.
■ To discontinue flashing of the turn signals during a lane change
Operate the lever in the opposite direction.
■ When the lever is pushed and held partway
The turn signals will keep flashing until the lever is released.
■ Customization
The number of times the turn signals flash during a lane change can be
changed. (Customizable feature  P. 455)
Tur n signal lever
Operating instructions
1
2
3
4 
     
        
        Page 172 of 500
172
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Turning the end of the lever turns on the lights as follows:
Ty p e  AThe headlights, parking
lights, daytime running
lights and so on turn on
and off automatically
(when the engine switch
is in IGNITION ON
mode).
The side marker, park-
ing, tail, license plate,
daytime running lights
and instrument panel
lights turn on.
The headlights and all
the lights listed above
(except daytime running
lights) turn on.
The daytime running
lights turn off.
Headlight switch
The headlights can be operated  manually or automatically. 
Operating instructions
1
2
3
4 
     
        
        Page 173 of 500
1734-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
AVALON (U)_(OM41456U)
Ty p e  BThe headlights, parking
lights, daytime running
lights and so on turn on
and off automatically
(when the engine switch
is in IGNITION ON
mode).
The side marker, park-
ing, tail, license plate,
daytime running lights
and instrument panel
lights turn on.
The headlights and all
the lights listed above
(except daytime running
lights) turn on.
The daytime running
lights turn on.
With the headlights on, push
the lever away from you to turn
on the high beams. 
Pull the lever toward you to the
center position to turn the high
beams off.
Pull the lever toward you and
release it to flash the high
beams once. 
You can flash the high beams with
the headlights on or off.
1
2
3
4
Turning on the high beam headlights
1
2 
     
        
        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.