Toyota Camry (2018 year). Manual - part 44

186

4-1. Before driving

Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of brake
system needs bedding-down of the brake shoes periodically or whenever the
parking brake shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Toyota dealer per-
form the bedding down operation.

■

Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability
of the correct fuel. (

→P. 551)

■

Eco-friendly driving
→P. 97, 111, 116

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4-1. Before driving

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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 accel-
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.

●

During normal driving, do not turn off the engine. 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. 
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible
to stop the vehicle in the normal way: 

→P. 487

●

Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving
down a steep hill. 
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose
effectiveness. (

→P. 206)

●

Do not adjust the display, the positions of the steering wheel, the seat, or
the inside or outside rear view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control.

●

Always check that all passengers’ arms, heads or other parts of their body
are not outside the vehicle.

●

Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even if the legal speed limit per-
mits it, do not drive over 85 mph (140 km/h) unless your vehicle has high-
speed capability tires. Driving over 85 mph (140 km/h) may result in tire
failure, loss of control and possible injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer
to determine whether the tires on your vehicle are high-speed capability
tires or not before driving at such speeds.

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4-1. Before driving

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 a driving position while the vehicle is moving
backward. 
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle
control.

●

Shifting 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.

■

If you hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear limit indica-
tors)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by your Toyota dealer as soon
as possible. 
Rotor damage may result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads
and/or those of the brake discs are exceeded.

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Observe the following precautions. 
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.

■

When the vehicle is stopped

●

Do not race the engine.
If the shift lever is any position other than P or N, the vehicle may acceler-
ate suddenly and unexpectedly, causing an accident.

●

In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the engine is running, and apply the
parking brake as necessary.

●

If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused
by the vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal
and securely apply the parking brake as needed.

●

Avoid revving or racing the engine. 
Running the engine at high speed while the vehicle is stopped may cause
the exhaust system to overheat, which could result in a fire if combustible
material is nearby.

■

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.