1996 TOYOTA COROLLA Owners Manual

29
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection to the driver and
front passenger when added to the pri-
mary 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 inflat-
ing, 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 acti-
vated even with no passenger in the front
seat.This indicator comes on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position. It goes off after about 6
seconds. This means the SRS airbags
are operating properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system
monitors the airbag sensor assembly, in-
flators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources.The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area be-
tween the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severity
of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 20 km/h (14 mph) collision when im-
pacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbags
may not deploy.
SRS airbags
(for driver and front passenger)
ProCarManuals.com

30 However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on im-
pact, or if it is involved in an underride col-
lision (a collision in which the nose of the
vehicle underridesº, or goes under, the
bed of a truck).
It is possible with collision severity at the
marginal level of airbag sensor detection
and activation that only one of your ve-
hicle's two airbags will deploy.
For your safety, be sure to always wear
your seat belts.
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.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 air-
bags with non-toxic nitrogen gas to help
restrain the forward motion of the occu-
pants.
ProCarManuals.com

31 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.
Deployment 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 inju-
ries, 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 them-
selves will not be hot. The airbags are de-
signed to inflate only once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the ve-
hicle buckles. In vehicles with a passen-
ger airbag the windshield may also be
damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.
CAUTION!

The SRS airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to
the primary protection of the seat
belt systems of the driver and
front passenger. The front seat oc-
cupants are particularly suscepti-
ble 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 con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
Seat beltsº in this chapter.

A baby or small child who is too
small to use a seat belt should be
properly secured in a rear seat us-
ing a child restraint system.

Do not use a rear-facing child re-
straint system in the front seat be-
cause 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.
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32

When using a forward-facing child
restraint system in the front seat,
the seat must be moved as far back
as possible. For instructions con-
cerning the installation of a child
restraint system, see Child re-
straintº in this chapter.
Do not sit on the edge of the seat or
lean over the dashboard when the
vehicle is in use. The airbags inflate
with considerable speed and force;
you may be severely injured. Sit up
straight and well back in the seat,
and always use your seat belt.
Do not allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger
seat. The airbag inflates with con-
siderable speed and force; the
child may be severely injured.

Do not hold a child on your lap or in
your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see Child
restraintº in this chapter.
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33

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 pas-
senger airbag or airbag sensor as-
sembly. 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.
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota 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 struc-
ture
Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
Repairs made on or near the con-
sole, steering column, steering
wheel or dashboard near the front
passenger airbag
NOTICE
This SRS airbag system has a service re-
minder indicator to inform the driver of op-
erating problems. If either of the following
conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your To-
yota dealer as soon as possible to service
the vehicle.

The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or remains on.

The light comes on while driving.
ProCarManuals.com

34
In the following cases, contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible:

The SRS airbags have been inflated.

The front part of the vehicle (shaded in
the illustration) was involved in an ac-
cident 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.The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbag is designed to provide fur-
ther protection to the driver when add-
ed to the primary protection provided
by the seat belt.
In response to a severe frontal impact, the
SRS airbag works together with the seat
belt to prevent or reduce injury by inflat-
ing, in order to decrease the likelihood of
the driver's head or chest directly hitting
the steering wheel.This indicator comes on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position. It goes off after about 6
seconds. This means the SRS airbag
is operating properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system
monitors the airbag sensor assembly, in-
flator, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources.
SRS airbag (for driver)
ProCarManuals.com

35
The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area be-
tween the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS airbag will deploy if the severity
of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 20 km/h (14 mph) collision when im-
pacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbag
may not deploy.However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on im-
pact, or if it is involved in an underride col-
lision (e.g. a collision in which the nose of
the vehicle underridesº, or goes under,
the bed of a truck).
For the safety of all occupants, be sure to
always wear seat belts.The SRS airbag is not designed to in-
flate 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 colli-
sion.
ProCarManuals.com

36
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
In a severe frontal impact, the sensor de-
tects deceleration and the system triggers
the airbag inflator. Then a chemical reac-
tion in the inflator momentarily fills the air-
bag with non-toxic nitrogen gas to help re-
strain the forward motion of the driver.When the airbag inflates, it produces a
fairly loud noise and releases 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.
Deployment of the airbag happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbag must in-
flate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swellings.
The steering wheel hub may be hot for
several minutes, but the airbag itself will
not be hot. The airbag is designed to in-
flate only once.
CAUTION!
The SRS airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the primary
protection of the seat belt system of
the driver. The driver is particularly
susceptible to injury if he/she does
not wear his/her seat belt; when
sudden braking or a collision oc-
curs, he/she may be thrown for-
ward. To obtain further protection in
an accident, the driver and all pas-
sengers in the vehicle should al-
ways wear their seat belts when
driving. For instructions and pre-
cautions concerning the seat belt
system, see Seat beltsº in this
chapter.
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