1996 Lexus LS400 steering

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
71
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without
consulting your Lexus dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the seat belt
pretensioners in some cases.
Repairs on or near the front seat belt retractor
assemblies.
Modification of the suspension system.
Modification of the front end structure.
Attachment of a grille guard (bull bar, kangaroo bar,
etc.), snow plow, winches or any other equipment
to the front end.
In the following case, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible:
If either front seat belt does not retract or cannot be pulled
out due to a malfunction or activation of the pretensioner.
The front seat belt retractor assembly or surrounding area
has been damaged.
SRS AIRBAGS
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) airbags are
designed to provide further protection to the driver and
front passenger when added to the primary protection
provided by the seat belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact, the SRS airbags
work together with the seat belts to prevent or reduce
injury by inflating, in order to decrease the likelihood of
the driver's or front passenger's head or chest directly
hitting the steering wheel or dashboard.
The passenger airbag is activated even with no passenger
in the front seat.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
73 For the safety of all occupants, be sure to always wear seat
belts.

Collision from the side
Collision from the rear
Vehicle roll±over
The SRS airbags are not designed to inflate if the
vehicle is subjected to a side or rear impact, if it rolls
over, or if it is involved in a low±speed frontal collision.

Airbag sensor assembly
Steering wheel pad assembly (airbag and
inflator)
Passenger airbag module (airbag and inflator)
SRS airbag warning light
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor.
In a severe frontal impact, sensors detect deceleration and
the system triggers the airbag inflators. Then a chemical
reaction in the inflators momentarily fills the airbags with
non±toxic nitrogen gas to help restrain the forward motion of
the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a fairly loud noise and
release some smoke along with the nitrogen gas. This is not
harmful and does not indicate a fire. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent minor skin irritation.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
74Deployment of the airbags happen in a fraction of a second,
so the airbags must inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious injuries, it may also
cause minor burns or abrasions and swellings.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, dashboard)
may be hot for several minutes, but the airbags themselves
will not be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate only once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the airbags may break the
windshield as the vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a front
passenger airbag the windshield may also be damaged by
absorbing some of the force of the inflating airbag.
CAUTION!

The SRS airbag system is designed only as a
supplement to the primary protection of the seat
belt systems of the driver and front passenger. The
front seat occupants are particularly susceptible to
injury if they do not wear their seat belts; when
sudden braking or a collision occurs, they may be
thrown forward. To obtain further protection in an
accident, the driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear their seat belts when
driving. For instructions and precautions
concerning the seat belt system, see ªSeat beltsº
on page 64.
A baby or small child who is too small to use a seat
belt should be properly secured in a rear seat using
a child restraint system.
Do not use a rear±facing child restraint system in
the front seat because the force of the rapid
inflation of the passenger airbag may cause severe
injury to the child. Vehicles with a passenger airbag
display a caution label on the passenger side
instrument panel as shown above to remind you
not to install a rear±facing child restraint system on
the front seat.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
76
Do not put objects on or in front of the dashboard
or steering wheel pad that houses the airbag
system. They might restrict inflation or cause
personal injury as they are projected rearward.
Do not modify, remove or open any component or
wiring, such as the steering wheel, column cover,
front passenger airbag cover, front passenger
airbag, or airbag sensor assembly. Doing any of
these may cause sudden SRS airbag inflation or
disable the system, which could result in personal
injury.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in
severe injuries.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without
consulting your Lexus dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the SRS airbag
system in some cases.
Installation of electronic items such as a mobile
two±way radio, cassette tape player or compact
disc player.
Modification of the suspension system.
Modification of the front end structure.
Attachment of a grille guard (bull bar, kangaroo bar,
etc.), snow plow, winches or any other equipment
to the front end.
Repairs made on or near the front fenders, front
console, steering column, steering wheel or
dashboard near the front passenger airbag.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
78
The front part of the vehicle (shaded in the illustration) was
involved in an accident not of the extent to cause the SRS
airbags to inflate.
The pad section of the steering wheel or front passenger
airbag cover (shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables before
contacting your Lexus dealer.
CHILD RESTRAINT
Child restraint precautions
Lexus strongly urges the use of child restraint systems
for children small enough to use it.
The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A. and Canada now
require the use of a child restraint system.
CAUTION!
For effective protection in automobile accidents and
sudden stops, children must be properly restrained.
Holding a child in your arms is not a substitute for a
child restraint system. In an accident, the child can
be crushed against the windshield, or between you
and the vehicle's interior if you are unrestrained.
Child restraint system
A child restraint system for a small child or baby must
itself be restrained on the seat with the lap portion of the
lap/shoulder belt.
The child restraint system should conform to the size of the
child and properly fit the vehicle seat. For greater safety, the
child restraint system should be installed in the rear seat.
According to accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat.