Toyota 1997 Avalon, Owner'S Manual

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78
Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of “P” position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in “ON” position and the lock re-
lease button on the floor shift type trans-
mission depressed or the selector lever
on the column shift type transmission
pulled toward you).
(a) Normal Driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in “How
to start the engine” in Part 3. The trans-
mission must be in “P” or “N”.
2. With your foot holding down the brake
pedal, shift the selector lever to “D”.
In “D” position, the automatic transmis-
sion system will select the most suitable
gear for running conditions such as nor-
mal cruising, hill climbing, hard towing,
etc.
Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low, the
transmission will not shift into overdrive
gear even with the overdrive switch on.
Never put your foot in the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
CAUTION
!
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows:
Turn off the overdrive switch. The “O/D
OFF” indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the “2” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than 136 km/h (83
mph), and more powerful engine brak-
ing will be obtained.
Shift into the “L” position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than 61 km/h (37 mph), and
maximum engine braking will be ap-
plied.
Vehicles with cruise control—When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking is not
applied because the cruise control is not
cancelled. For ways to decrease the ve-
hicle speed, see “Cruise control” in this
chapter.
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
CAUTION
!