1997 TOYOTA CAMRY Owners Manual

21

Always make sure nobody places
his/her head, hands and other parts
of the body in the roof opening be-
fore you close the roof . If some-
one's neck, head or hands gets
caught in the closing roof, it could
result in a serious injury. When any-
one closes the roof, first make sure
it is safe to do so.

Never leave small children alone in
the vehicle, especially with the igni-
tion key still inserted. They could
use the moon roof switches and get
trapped in the roof opening. Unat-
tended children can become in-
volved in serious accidents.

Never sit on top of the vehicle
around the roof opening.
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Part 1SeatsFront seatsÐ
ÐSeat adjustment precautions
23
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1-3
Seats, Seat belts, Steering
wheel and Mirrors

Seats

Front seats

Fold-down rear seat

Head restraints

Seat belts

SRS airbags

Child restraint

Tilt steering wheel

Outside rear view mirrors

Anti-glare inside rear view
mirror

Sun visors
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belt provided.
CAUTION!

Do not drive with the occupants not
properly seated such as sitting on
top of a folded-down seatback, or
in the luggage compartment. Per-
sons not properly seated and not
properly restrained by seat belts
can be severely injured in the event
of emergency braking or a colli-
sion.

During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.Adjust the driver's seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of the
driver.
CAUTION!

Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.

When adjusting the seat, be careful
not to hit the seat against a passen-
ger or luggage.

After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.

After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.

Do not put objects under the seats
as they may interfere with the seat-
lock mechanism or unexpectedly
push up the seat position adjusting
lever; the seat may suddenly move,
causing the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
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24

While adjusting the seat, do not put
your hands under the seat or near
the moving parts. You may catch
and injure your hands or fingers.1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LE-
VER
Pull the lever up. Then slide the seat to
the desired position with slight body
pressure and release lever.
2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING
LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.
CAUTION!
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the driver and
the passenger are sitting up straight
and well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. Therefore,
in the event of a frontal collision, the
risk of personal injury may increase
with increasing recline of the seat-
back.
ÐAdjusting front seats
(manual seat)
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25
3. SEAT CUSHION HEIGHT ADJUST-
ING KNOB
Turn the knob either way.
4. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT AD-
JUSTING LEVER
Pull the lever upward or downward.1. SEAT POSITION AND SEAT CUSH-
ION HEIGHT ADJUSTING SWITCH
More the control switch in the desired
direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat at
that position.
Do not place anything under the front
seats. It might interfere with the seat-lock
mechanism.
2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING
SWITCH
Move the control switch in the desired
direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat-
back at that position.
ÐAdjusting front seats
(power seat)
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26
CAUTION!
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the driver and
the passenger are sitting up straight
and well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. Therefore,
in the event of a formal collision, the
risk of personal injury may increase
with increasing recline of the seat-
back.
3. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT AD-
JUSTING LEVER
Pull the lever upward or downward
1. Pull up the seatback security lock
lever 1 to the unlock position.
2. Pull up the lock release button 2.
3. Fold down the seatback.
Each seatback may be folded separately.
On vehicles with built-in child restraint,
only the left seatback can be folded down.This will enlarge the trunck room as far as
the seatbacks. See Luggage stowage
precautionsº in Part 2 for precautions to
observe in loading luggage.
NOTICE
Make sure the luggage loaded in the
enlarged trunk room will not
damage the webbing of the rear
center seat belt when the left
seatback is folded down.
Fold-down rear seat
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27
CAUTION!
When returning the seatback to the
upright position:

Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in the proper
position for ready to use.

Make sure the rear center seat belt
can be pulled out of the retractor. If
it cannot, firmly pull the belt and re-
lease it. You will then be able to
smoothly pull the belt out of the re-
tractor.

Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and
rearward on the top of the seat-
back.
Front
For your safety, adjust the head re-
straint before driving.
To raise: Pull it up.
To lower: Push it down while pressing the
lock release button.
On some models, you can also move the
head restraint forward or backward. If
such adjustment is desired, pull or push
the head restraint.
The head restraing is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, using
a cushion on the seatback is not recom-
mended.
CAUTION!

Adjust the top of the head restraint
so that it is closest to the top of
your ears.

After adjusting the head resstraint,
make sure it is locked in position.

Do not drive with the restraints re-
moved.
Head restraints
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28 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 myst be restrained using the vehicle's
seat belt. According to accident statistics,
the shild 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 oocurs 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 suffiecent restraint.
If the shoulder belt falls across the child's
neck or face, have the child sit slightly
closer to the buckely side ot 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.
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.
(See the seat adjustment instruc-
tions.)

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 periodical-
ly. Check for cuts, fraying, and
loose parts. Damaged parts should
be replaced. Do not desassemble
or modify the system.
Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
ProCarManuals.com

29

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.
Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) and sit up straight and well back
int eh seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out tf 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 you size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It aslo 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.
ÐFront and rear seat belts
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