1997 TOYOTA CELICA Owners Manual

Part 1SeatsFront seatsÐ
ÐSeat adjustment precautions
21
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
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 the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a folded-
down seatback, or in the luggage
compartment. Persons not proper-
ly seated and not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.

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 position.

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.

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.
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1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LE-
VER
Pull the lever up. Then slide the seat to
the desired position with slight body
pressure and release the 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 in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the
passenger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are re-
clined, 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.
3. DRIVER'S SEAT CUSHION ANGLE
ADJUSTING KNOB
Turn the knob either way.
For easy access to the rear seat, do
this.
1. Lift the seatback angle adjusting lever
or press the pedal behind the seatback.
The seat will slide forward slightly.
2. Move the seat to the front-most posi-
tion.
After passengers are in, lift up the seat-
back and return the seat until it locks.
ÐAdjusting front seats ÐMoving passenger's seat
for rear seat entry
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CAUTION!

After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat forward and rear-
ward to make sure it is secured in
place.

Never allow anyone to rest their
foot on the release pedal while the
vehicle is moving.
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.
This w ill enlarge the trunk room (coupe) or
luggage compartment (liftback) as far as
the front seatbacks. See Luggage stow-
age precautionsº in Part 2 for precautions
to observe in loading luggage.
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 seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and
rearward on the top of the seat-
back.
Fold-down rear seat
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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 restraining is most effective
when it is close to your head. Therefore,
using a cushion on the seatback is not rec-
ommended.
CAUTION!

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

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

Do not drive with the restraints re-
moved. 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.
Head restraints Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
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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 restraining is most effective
when it is close to your head. Therefore,
using a cushion on the seatback is not rec-
ommended.
CAUTION!

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

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

Do not drive with the restraints re-
moved. 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.
Head restraints Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
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If the shoulder belt falls across the child's
neck or face, have the child sit slightly
closer to the center of the vehicle 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 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 onlyÐRe-
place the belt if the warning label
under the sleeve can be seen. The
warning label, REPLACE BELTº,
will appear if the belt receives a
severe impact or other force.
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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 you 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.
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.
ÐSeat belts
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CAUTION!

High-positioned lap belts and
loose-fitting belts both could in-
crease the chance of injury due to
sliding under the lap belt during a
collision. Keep the lap belt posi-
tioned as low on as possible hips.

For your safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under your arm.
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. If 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 you 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.
ÐSeat belt extender
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