1997 TOYOTA RAV4 lock

29
Rear
seats: Pull out the strap to unlock
the seatback, and push down the seat- back.
Front seats: Remove the head re-
straint and slide the seat to the front-
most position. Then unlock the seat-back and push it down.
CAUTION!
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving;
use the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seatback forward and
rearward to make sure it is secured
in place. Be certain to replace headrestraint.
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.
The head restraint is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, usinga 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 restraint,
make sure it is locked in position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
ÐHead restraints

31
Inspect the belt system periodical-
ly. Check for cuts, fraying and
loose parts. Damaged parts
should be replaced. Do not disas- semble 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
cleaners-they may severely weak-
en the belts.
Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assem-
bly should be replaced even if
damage is not obvious.
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 quiclky. 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.
ÐFront seat belts and rear outside seat belts

32
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 adjust the anchor position, pull the knob out and slide it up or down. Release the knob and make sure the anchor is
locked in position.
CAUTION!
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
your shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from the neck, but not
falling off your shoulder. Failure to
do so could reduce the amount of
protection in an accident and cause
severe injuries in a collision.

34
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.
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 your hips-not on your waist, then adjust it
to a snug fit.
CAUTION!
High-positioned and loose-fitting
lap belts 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.
ÐRear center seat belt (4-door models)

36
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 without 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.
To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the PRESSº signs onthe 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.
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.

44
When not using the child restraint system, keep it secured with the seat belt. This
will
prevent it from injuring passengers in the event of a sudden stop or accident.
Your vehicle has anchors for securing the
top strap of a child restraint system. The
anchor nuts are welded beneath the sheet
metal to permit installation of an anchor
bracket for a child restraint system.
To install an anchor bracket, use an 8 mm
X 30 mm X 1.25 mm coarse thread metric
bolt and a 10 mm (0.4 in.) spacer. Notethat the bolts accompanying many child
restraint systems are not metric. You can
damage the anchor nuts on your vehicle
if you force bolts with different thread into the anchor nuts.
For instructions about how to install the
anchor bracket, see Top strap anchors
and locationsº.
If your child restraint system does not pro-
vide any of the necessary parts, you can
purchase the following items from your
Toyota dealer. CRS installation kit
(Part No. 04731-22012) -contains 1
bolt, 3 types of spacers and 1 locking clip.
Bolt (Part No. 91511-60830) Child restraint systems are classified into the following 3 types depending on the
childs age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
ÐTypes of child restraint system

45
(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rear-facing
position only.
CAUTION!
Do not put a rear-facing child re-
straint system in the rear seat if it in-
terfers with the lock mechanism of
the front seats. This can cause se-
vere injury to the child and front
passenger in case of sudden brak-
ing or a collision.
ÐInstallation with 2-point type
seat belt

46
1. Run the center lap belt through oraround the infant seat following the in-
structions provided by its manufactur- er and insert the tab into the buckle taking care not to twist the lap belt.
CAUTION!
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and that the lap 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, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your To-
yota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt isfixed.
2. While pressing the infant seat firmly
against the seat cushion and seat-
back, tighten the lap belt by pulling its
free end to hold the infant seat
securely.