1997 Lexus ES300 driver seat adjustment

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT

63
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt precautions
Lexus strongly urges that the driver and passengers in the
vehicle be properly restrained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase the chance of injury
and/or the severity of injury in accidents.
Child. Use a child restraint system appropriate for the child
until the child becomes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See ªChild restraintº for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint system, the child
should sit in the rear seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle's seat belt. According to accident statistics, the child
is safer when properly restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the seat belts should be
worn properly. Do not let the child sit in your lap. It does not
provide sufficient restraint. If an accident occurs and the
seat belts are not worn properly, the force of the rapid
inflation of the airbag may cause severe injury to the child.
Do not allow the child to stand up or kneel on either rear or
front seats. An unrestrained child could suffer serious injury
during emergency braking or a collision.
If the shoulder belt falls across the child's neck or face, move
the child to the center position and use the center lap belt.Pregnant woman. Lexus recommends the use of a seat
belt. Ask your doctor for specific recommendations. The lap
belt should be worn securely and as low as possible over the
hips and not the waist.
Injured person. Lexus recommends the use of a seat belt.
Depending on the injury, first check with your doctor for
specific recommendations.
CAUTION!
Persons should ride in their seats properly wearing
their seat belts whenever the vehicle is moving.
Otherwise, they are much more likely to suffer
serious bodily injury in the event of sudden braking
or a collision.
When using the seat belts, observe the following:
Use the belt for only one person at a time. Do not
use a single belt for two or more people ± even
children.
Avoid reclining the seatbacks too much. The seat
belts provide maximum protection when the
seatbacks are in the upright position. (See
ªAdjusting seatback angle.º)
Be careful not to damage the belt webbing or
hardware. Take care that they do not get caught or
pinched in the seat or doors.
Inspect the belt system periodically. Check for
cuts, fraying, and loose parts. Damaged parts
should be replaced. Do not disassemble or
modify the system.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
67 You will hear a click when the tab locks into the into the
buckle.
When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release
button on the extender, not on the seat belt. This helps
prevent damage to the vehicle interior and extender itself.
When not in use, remove the extender and store in the
vehicle for future use.
CAUTION!
After inserting the tab, make sure the tab and
buckle are locked and that the belt is not twisted.
Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in the buckle as this
may prevent you from properly latching the tab
and buckle.
If the seat belt does not function normally,
immediately contact your Lexus dealer. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot
protect an adult occupant or your child from
injury.
Front seat belt pretensioners
The driver and front passenger's seat belts are
equipped with a pretensioner which is designed to be
activated in response to a severe frontal impact.
The airbag system and each pretensioner operates
independently because each has its own separate sensor.
A pretensioner sensor is located in each front seat belt
retractor assembly. When the pretensioner sensor detects
the shock of a severe frontal impact, the front seat belt is
quickly drawn back in by the retractor so that the belt snugly
restrains the front seat occupant.
When a seat belt pretensioner is activated, an operating
noise may be heard and a small amount of smoke±like gas
may be released. This gas is harmless and does not indicate
that a fire is occuring.
Once the seat belt pretensioner has been activated, the seat
belt retractor remains locked.

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69
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 help preventing 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.
This indicator comes on when the ignition key is turned
to the ªACCº or ªONº position. It goes off after about 6
seconds. This means the SRS airbags are operating
properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system monitors the front
airbag sensors, center airbag sensor assembly, inflators,
warning light, interconnecting wiring and power sources.

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71

Airbag sensor assembly
Steering wheel pad assembly (airbag and
inflator)
Passenger airbag module (airbag and inflator)
SRS airbag airbag warning light
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing sensor and
center 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 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 happens 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 operate only
once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the airbags may break the
windshield as the vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a
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 maximum
protection in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle should always wear
their seat belts when driving because death or
serious injuries can result to unrestrained
occupants. For instructions and precautions
concerning the seat belt system, see ªSeat beltsº
on page 63.