1997 TOYOTA RAV4 Owners Manual

40
A forward-facing child restraint
system should be put on the front
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible because the force of a
deploying airbag could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see Child restraintº in this
chapter. Do not sit on the edge of the seat
or lean over the dashboard when
the vehicle is in use. The airbags
inflate with considerable speed
and force; you may be killed or se-riously injured. Sit up straight and
well back in the seat, and always
use your seat belt.Do not allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger
seat. The airbag inflates with con-
siderable speed and force; the
child may be killed or seriously in-jured.
Do not hold a child on your lap orin your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For in-
structions concerning the installa- tion of a child restraint system, see
Child restraintº in this chapter.

41
Do not put objects on or in front of
the dashboard or steering wheel
pad that houses the airbag sys-
tem. They might restrict inflation
or cause serious injury as they are
projected rearward by the force of deploying airbags.
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components, such as
the steering wheel column cover,
front passenger airbag cover, front
passenger airbag, airbag sensor
assembly. Doing any of these may cause sudden SRS airbag inflation or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death or serious inju-ries.
Do not perform any of the following changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can interfere with proper operation ofthe SRS airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic itemssuch as a mobile two-way radio,
cassette tape player or compactdisc player
Modification of the suspension
system
Modification of the front endstructure
Attachment of a grille guard (bullbar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow-
plow, winches or any other equip-
ment to the front end
Repairs made on or near the frontend structure, console, steeringcolumn, steering wheel or dash-board near the front passenger
airbag
NOTICE

42
This SRS airbag system has a service re-
minder indicator to inform the driver of op-
erating problems. If either of the following
conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your To-
yota dealer as soon as possible to service
the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.In the following cases, contact your Toyo-
ta dealer as soon as possible: The SRS airbags have been inflated.
The front part of the vehicle (shaded in the illustration) was involved in an ac-
cident not of the extent to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate
The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged. Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a child
restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAEJ1819.
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. See Seat beltsº for details.CAUTION!
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops,
children must be properly re-
strained using a seat belt or child
restraint system depending on the
age and size of the child. Holding
a child in your arms is not a substi-
tute for a child restraint system. In
an accident, the child can be
crushed against the windshield, or
between you and the vehicle's in-
terior.
Child restraintÐ ÐChild restraint precautions

42
This SRS airbag system has a service re-
minder indicator to inform the driver of op-
erating problems. If either of the following
conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your To-
yota dealer as soon as possible to service
the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.In the following cases, contact your Toyo-
ta dealer as soon as possible: The SRS airbags have been inflated.
The front part of the vehicle (shaded in the illustration) was involved in an ac-
cident not of the extent to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate
The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged. Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a child
restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAEJ1819.
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. See Seat beltsº for details.CAUTION!
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops,
children must be properly re-
strained using a seat belt or child
restraint system depending on the
age and size of the child. Holding
a child in your arms is not a substi-
tute for a child restraint system. In
an accident, the child can be
crushed against the windshield, or
between you and the vehicle's in-
terior.
Child restraintÐ ÐChild restraint precautions

43
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system
which conforms to the size of the
child and is put on the rear seat.
According to accident statistics,
the child is safer when properly re- strained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
Never put a rear-facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury
if a rear-facing child restraint sys- tem is put on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not
put a forward-facing child re-
straint system on the front seat.
A forward-facing child restraint
system should be put on the front
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible, because the force of a
deploying airbag could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions
provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the systemis properly secured. A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with either the
lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. You must carefully con-
sult the manufacturer's instructions
which accompany your child restraint system.
To provide proper restraint, use a
child re-
straint system following the manufactur-
er's instructions about the appropriate
age and size of the child for the child re-
straint system. Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer of the system. General di- rections are also provided under the fol-
lowing illustrations.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to ac-
cident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than in
the front seat.
CAUTION!
Never put a rear-facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury
if a rear-facing child restraint sys- tem is put on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not
put a forward-facing child re-
straint system on the front seat.
a forward-facing child restraint
system should be put on the front
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible, because the force of a
deploying airbag could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
After installing the child restraint system, make sure it is secured in
place following the manufactur-
er's instructions. If it is not re-
strained securely, it may cause
death or serious injury to the child
in the event of a sudden stop or ac- cident.
ÐChild restraint system

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.