1998 Lexus ES300 child seat

KEYS AND DOORS
14
Locking with inside lock button
11E004

1Lock 2Unlock
Push in the lock button to lock and unlock the door.
When locked, the door cannot be opened with either the outside or inside door\
handle.
Closing the door with the lock button pushed in will also lock the door. Be
careful not to lock your keys in the vehicle. The door will not lock if the ke\
y
is left in the ignition switch when closing the front doors.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the doors are closed and locked,
especially when small children are in the vehicle. Along with
the proper use of seat belts, locking the doors helps prevent the
driver and passengers from being thrown out from the vehicle
during an accident. It also helps prevent the doors from being
opened unintentionally.
Locking with power door lock switch
11E005±1

1 Lock 2Unlock
To lock all the doors simultaneously, push the power door lock switch on
the front side. Pushing on the rear side will unlock them.
The same switch is also equipped on the front passenger's side.

SWITCHES25
EMERGENCY FLASHER SWITCH
12E014±1
To turn on the emergency flashers, push the switch.
All the turn signal lights will flash. The emergency flashers will work with
the engine running or off and with or without the ignition key.
Turn on the emergency flashers to warn other drivers if you must stop your
vehicle where it might be a traffic hazard.
Always pull your vehicle as far off the road as possible.
The turn signal light switch will not work when the emergency flashers are in
operation.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the switch on
longer than necessary when the engine is not running.
SEAT HEATER SWITCHES
12E015±2

1For driver's seat 2For front passenger's seat
To turn on the seat heater, push the switch.
The ignition key must be in the ºONº position.
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when operating the seat heater
because it may make them feel too hot or cause burns at low
temperatures (erythema, varicella). Use extra caution for;
 Baby, small child, elderly person, sick person or
handicapped person
 Persons who have delicate skin
 Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or drugs which induce sleep
(sleeping drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do not use the seat heater with a
blanket, cushion, or other insulating objects which cover the seat.

SECTION 1 ± 6
56
INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
Comfort adjustment
Front seats57
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Trunk storage extension 60
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Head restraints 61
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Tilt steering wheel 62
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Outside rear view mirrors 62
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Inside rear view mirror 64
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Seat belts 64
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Supplemental restraint system (SRS) 69
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Child restraint 80
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Driving position memory system 95
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COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
64
INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR
16E013

1Day 2Night
When driving at night, pull the lever toward you to reduce the glare from
the headlights of vehicles behind you.
Before adjusting the mirror to the position with most clarity, push the
day±night change lever forward (daylight driving position).
Remember that by reducing glare you also lose some rear view clarity.
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt precautions
Lexus strongly urges that the driver and passengers in the vehicle be properly
restrained 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 appropriate for the child until the child
becomes large enough to properly wear the vehicle's seat belts. See ºChild
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 properl\
y. Do
not let the child sit on your lap. It does not provide sufficient restraint. If an
accident occurs and the seat belts are not worn properly, the force of the rapid
inflation of the airbag may cause severe injury to the child.
Do not allow the child to stand up or kneel on either rear or front seats. An
unrestrained child could suffer serious injury during emergency braking or a
collision.

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 .