1997 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

28
NOTICE
Do not put unevenly weighed ob-jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)into the seat.
When cleaning the seats, do notuse organic substances (paintthinner, benzine, alcohol, gaso-line, etc.). They may damage the
heater and seat surface.
To prevent the battery from beingdischarge, turn the switch on
when the engine is running.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained 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 ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See Child 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. If an acci-
dent occurs and the seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause serious injury
to the child. Do not allow the child to stand up or kneel
on either rear or front seats. An unre-
strained child could suffer serious injury
during emergency braking or a collision.
Also, do not let the child sit on your lap. It
does not provide sufficient restraint.
If the shoulder belt falls across the child's
neck or face, have the child sit slightly
closer to the buckle side or the seat so that
the belt lays across the shoulder.
Pregnant woman. Toyota 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 on the
waist.
Injured person.
Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Depending on the injury,
first check with your doctor for specific
recommendations.
Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
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28
NOTICE
Do not put unevenly weighed ob-jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)into the seat.
When cleaning the seats, do notuse organic substances (paintthinner, benzine, alcohol, gaso-line, etc.). They may damage the
heater and seat surface.
To prevent the battery from beingdischarge, turn the switch on
when the engine is running.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained 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 ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See Child 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. If an acci-
dent occurs and the seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause serious injury
to the child. Do not allow the child to stand up or kneel
on either rear or front seats. An unre-
strained child could suffer serious injury
during emergency braking or a collision.
Also, do not let the child sit on your lap. It
does not provide sufficient restraint.
If the shoulder belt falls across the child's
neck or face, have the child sit slightly
closer to the buckle side or the seat so that
the belt lays across the shoulder.
Pregnant woman. Toyota 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 on the
waist.
Injured person.
Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Depending on the injury,
first check with your doctor for specific
recommendations.
Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
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29
CAUTION!
Persons should ride in their seats
properly wearing their seat belts
whenever the vehicle is moving.
Otherwise, they are much more like-
ly to suffer serious bodily injury in
the event of sudden braking or a col-
lision.
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 peopleÐeven chil-
dren.

Avoid reclining the seatbacks too
much. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the seat-
backs are in the upright position.
(Refer to the seat adjustment in-
structions.)

Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care
that they do not get caught or
pinched in the seat or side doors.

Inspect the belt system periodical-
ly. Check for cuts, fraying, and
loose parts. Damaged parts should
be replaced. Do not disassemble
or modify the system

Keep the belts clean and dry. If they
need cleaning, use a mild soap
solution or lukewarm water. Never
use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-
ersÐthey may severely weaken the
belts.

Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a se-
vere impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.

Front passenger's seat only (ex-
cept the center position of bench
front seat)-Replace the belt if the
warning label under the sleeve can
be seen. The warning label, RE-
PLACE BELTº, will appear if the
belt receives a severe impact or
other force.
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30
Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out of the retractor and insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may lock
if you lean forward too quickly. A slow,
easy motion will allow the belt to extend,
and you can move around freely. If the seat belt cannot be pulled out of the
retractor,
firmly pull the belt and release it.
You will then be able to smoothly pull the
belt out of the retractor.
When a passenger's shoulder belt is com-
pletely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that posi-
tion and cannot be extended. This feature
is used to hold the child restraint system
securely. (For details, see Child restraintº
in this chapter.) To free the belt again, fully
retract the belt and then pull the belt out
once more.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 Toyota dealer. Do not use the
seat until the seat belt is fixed. It
cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from injury.
Seat belts with an adjustable shoulder
anchorÐ
Adjust the shoulder anchor position
to your size.
To raise: Slide the anchor up.
To lower: Push in the lock release button
and slide the anchor down.
After adjustment make sure the anchor is
locked in position.
ÐFront and rear seat belts
(3-point type)
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31
CAUTION!
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
your shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from your neck, but not
falling off your shoulder. Failure to
do so could reduce the amount of
protection in an accident and cause
severe injures in a collision.
Adjust the position of the lap and
shoulder belts
Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hipsÐnot your waist, then adjust it to
a snug fit by pulling the shoulder portion
upward through the latch plate.
CAUTION!

High-positioned lap belts and
loose-fitting belts both could
cause severe injuries due to slid-
ing under the lap belt during a colli-
sion. Keep the lap belt positioned
as low on hips as possible.

For your safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under your arm.
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32
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button and allow the belt to re-
tract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull
it out and check for kinks or twists. Then
make sure it remains untwisted as it re-
tracts.Sit up straight and well back in the
seat. To fasten your belt, insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
If the belt is not long enough for you, hold
the tab at a right angle to the belt and pull
on the tab.
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 Toyota dealer. Do not use the
seat until the seat belt is fixed. It
cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from injury.
ÐFront center seat belt
(2-point type)
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33
Remove excess length of the belt and
adjust the belt position.
To shorten the belt, pull the free end of the
belt.
Position the lap belt as low as possible on
you hips-not on your waist, then adjust it
to a snug fit.
CAUTION!
High-positioned and loose-fitting
lap belt could cause severe injuries
due to sliding under the lap belt dur-
ing a collision. Keep the lap belt
positioned as low on hips as pos-
sible.
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button.The front center seat belts can be
stowed when not in use.
ÐStowing the front center
seat belt
ProCarManuals.com

34If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seatbelt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer
so that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest
coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is avail-
able at your Toyota dealer.
CAUTION!
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following. Failure to fol-
low these instructions could result
in less effectiveness of the seat belt
restraint system in case of vehicle
accident, increasing the chance of
personal injury.

Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt with-
out it.

Remember that the extender pro-
vided for your may not be safe
when used on a different vehicle,
or for another person or at a differ-
ent seating position than the one
originally intended for.
To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the PRESSº signs on
the buckle-release buttons of the ex-
tender and the seat belt are both facing
outward as shown.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
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 extend-
er itself.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
ÐSeat belt extender
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