1998 Lexus ES300 Child

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT65
Pregnant wom
an. Lexus 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. Lexus 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 likely to suffer serious bodily injury in the event
of sudden braking or a collision.
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 people ± even children.
 Avoid reclining the seatbacks too much. The seat belts
provide maximum protection when the seatbacks are in the
upright position. (See ºAdjusting seatback angleº.)
 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 periodically. 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
cleaners ± they may severely weaken the belts.
 Replace the belt assembly (including bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assembly should be replaced even if
damage is not obvious.
Fastening front and rear seat belts
16E014±1
Adjust the seat as needed 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 pos\
ition.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
66
The retractor will lock the belt during a sudden stop or on impact. It als\
o may
lock if you lean forward too quickly. A slow, easy motion will allow the belt
to extend, and you can move around freely.
When a passenger's shoulder belt is completely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that position and cannot be extended. This
feature is used to hold the child restraint system securely. (For details, see
ºChild restraintº on page 80.) To free the belt again, fully retract the belt and
then pull the belt out once more.
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.
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 Lexus dealer. Do not use the seat until the seat
belt is fixed. It cannot protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.
16E015±1
Adjust the position of the lap and shoulder belts.
1 Position the lap belt as low as possible on your hips ± not on your waist.
2
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 sliding under the lap belt
during a collision or other unintended result. Keep the lap
belt positioned as low on hip as possible.
 For your safety, do not place the shoulder belt under your
arm.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
68
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender, observe the following.
Failure to follow 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 provided for you may not be
safe when used on a different vehicle, or for another person
or at a different seating position than the one originally
intended for.
16E018±2
To connect the extender to the seat belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the ºPRESSº signs on the buckle release buttons of the
extender 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 extender 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 Lexus dealer. Do not use the seat until the seat
belt is fixed. It cannot protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
74
serious injuries, it may also cause minor burns or abrasions and swellings.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, dashboard, front seats)\
may
be hot for several minutes, but the airbags themselves will not be hot. \
The
airbags are designed to inflate only once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the driver and front passenger airbags \
may
break
the windshield as the vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a front passeng\
er
airbag, the windshield may also be damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.
CAUTION
 The SRS is designed only as a supplement to the primary
protection of the driver side and front passenger side seat
belt systems. The front seat occupants can be killed or
seriously injured by an inflating airbag if they do not wear
the available seat belts. During sudden braking just before
a collision, an unrestrained driver or front passenger can
move forward into direct contact with or close proximity to
the airbag which may then deploy during the collision. To
obtain maximum protection in an accident, the driver and
all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts.
Wearing a seat belt during an accident reduces the chances
of death or serious injuries or being thrown out of the
vehicle. For instructions and precautions concerning the
seat belt system, see ºSeat beltsº on page 64.
 Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children
can be killed or seriously injured by a deploying airbag. An
infant or child who is too small to use a seat belt should be
properly secured using a child restraint system. Lexus
strongly recommends that all infants and children be
placed in the rear seat of the vehicle and properly
restrained. The rear seat is the safest for infants and
children. For instructions concerning the installation of a
child restraint system, see ºChild restraintº on page 80 .

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT75
16E100-1
Never put a rear±facing child restraint system on the front seat
because the force of the rapid inflation of the fr ont passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury to the child.
16L146

Move seat fully back
 A forward±facing child restraint system should be allowed to 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. Do not allow the child to
lean against the front door or around the front door even if the child
is seated in a child restraint system. It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause death or serious injury to the
child. For instructions concerning the installation of a child
restraint system, see ºChild restraintº on page 80.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
76
16E028
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 seriously injured. Sit up straight and
well back in the seat, and always use your seat belt.
16E126
Do not lean against the front door when the vehicle is in use. The side
airbag inflates with considerable speed and for ce; you may be killed
or seriously injured.
 Do not apply excessive weight to the outer side of the front seats on
vehicles with side airbags.
 The child head should not be leaned against the vicinity of the part
where the side airbag activates.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT77
16E029
Do not allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger
seat. The airbag inflates with considerable speed and force; the
child may be killed or seriously injured.
 Do not hold a child on your lap or in your arms. Use a child r estraint
system in the rear seat. For instructions concerning the installation
of a child restraint system, see ºChild restraintº on page 80.
16E030
 Do not put objects or your pets on or in front of the dashboard or
steering wheel pad that houses the driver and front passenger
airbag system. They might restrict inflation or cause death or
serious injury as they are projected rearward by the force of the
deploying airbags. Likewise, the driver and front passenger should
not hold things in their arms or on their knees.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
80

The front seat belt retractor assembly or surrounding area has been
damaged.
 The front part of the vehicle and portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) were involved in an accident that did not cause the SRS to
work.
 The surface of the seats with the side airbags or the pad section of the
steering wheel or front passenger airbag cover (shaded in the illustration)
is scratched, cracked, or otherwise damaged.
CHILD RESTRAINT
Child restraint precautions
Lexus 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 o\
f
a child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819.
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 ºSeat beltsº on
page 64 for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automobile accidents and
sudden stops, children must be properly restrained using a
seat belt or child restraint depending on age and size.
Holding a child in your arms is not a substitute for a child
restraint system. In an accident, the child can be crushed
against the windshield, or between you and the vehicle's
interior if you are unrestrained.
 Lexus strongly urges use of a proper child restraint 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 restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat.