1998 Lexus LS400 seat adjustment

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
87
16L1732
Side airbags
Side airbags:
In response to a severe side impact, the side airbag for the driver
or front passenger works together with the seat belt to help
preventing or reducing injury by inflating, in order to decrease
the impact mainly on the driver or front passenger’s chest.
The side airbag on the passenger seat is activated even with no
passenger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with considerable force. To avoid
potential death or serious injury during inflation of a side
airbag, Lexus strongly recommends that the driver and front
passenger;
Wear their seat belt.
Remain properly seated with their back against the seat at
all times.
16L136-2
The indicator comes on when the ignition key is turned to the
”ACC” or ”ON” position. It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the SRS is operating properly.
The SRS warning light system monitors the airbag sensor
assemblies, inflators, seat belt pretensioners, warning light,
interconnecting wiring and power sources.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
88
16L029
The driver and front passenger airbags and seat belt
pretensioners are designed to activate in response to a severe
frontal impact within the shaded area between the arrows in the
illustration.
There may be the case that the driver and passenger airbags and seat
belt pretensioners will not activate with such an impact in which the
occupant wearing the seat belt correctly would not get serious injury.
The driver and front passenger airbags and seat belt pretensioners
will work if the severity of the impact is above the designed threshold
level, comparable to an approximate 20 km/h (14 mph) collision
when impacting straight into a fixed barrier that does not move or
deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the above threshold level, the
driver and front passenger airbags and seat belt pretensioners may
not work.However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if the
vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign pole, which
can move or deform on impact, or if it is involved in an underride
collision (e.g. a collision in which the nose of the vehicle
”underrides”, or goes under, the bed of a truck).
It is possible with collision severity at the marginal level of driver
and passenger airbag sensor detection and activation that only one
of your vehicle’s driver and front passenger airbags and seat belt
pretensioners will work.
For the safety of all occupants, be sure to always wear seat belts.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
89
16L1751
1
Collision from the rear
2
Vehicle rollover
The driver and front passenger airbags and seat belt
pretensioners are not designed to inflate if the vehicle is
subjected to a rear impact, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a
lowspeed frontal collision.
The side airbags are designed to inflate when the passenger
compartment gets a severe impact from the side.
The side airbags may rather not to activate in the impact in which the
occupant wearing the seat belt correctly would not get serious injury.
16L187-2
1
Collision from the side at an angle
2
Collision from the side to the vehicle body other
than the passenger compartment
The side airbags may not inflate if the vehicle is subjected to a
collision from the side at an angle, or a collision to the side of the
vehicle body other than the passenger compartment, which
impact is not severe enough for the passenger compartment.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
90
16L1882
Vehicle rollover
The side airbags are not designed to inflate if the vehicle is rolled
over.
If the impact on the body of the passenger compartment is not strong
as illustrated above, the relevant side airbag may not inflate.
16L1931
1
Side airbag module (airbag and inflator)
2
Front passenger airbag module (airbag and inflator)
3
Side airbag sensor assembly
4
Seat belt pretensioner
5
Steering wheel pad assembly (airbag and inflator)
6
SRS warning light
7
Driver and front passenger airbag sensor assembly
The SRS airbag sensor assemblies consist of a safing sensor and
driver and front passenger airbag sensor.
In a severe frontal impact, the driver and front passenger airbag
sensor detects deceleration and the system triggers the front airbag
inflators and seat belt pretensioners. In a severe side impact, the side
airbag sensor triggers the side airbag inflator. Then a chemical
reaction in the inflators momentarily fills the airbags with nontoxic
gas to help restrain the forward or lateral motion of the occupants.
Then the inflators fill the airbags and the seat belts are quickly drawn
back in by the retractors to help restrain forward motion of the
occupants.
When the SRS operates, it produces a fairly loud noise and release

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
91 some smoke along with nontoxic gas. This does not indicate a fire.
Be sure to wash off any residue as soon as possible to prevent minor
skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happen in a fraction of a second, so the
airbags must inflate with considerable force. While the system is
designed to reduce 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 passenger 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 ”Seat belts” on page 80.
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 ”Child restraint” on page 98 .

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
92
16L180-4
Never put a rearfacing child restraint system on the front
seat because the force of the rapid inflation of the front
passenger airbag can cause death or serious injury to the
child.
16L146
Move seat fully back
A forwardfacing 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 ”Child restraint” on page 98.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
93
16L033
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.
16L1782
Do not lean against the front door when the vehicle is in use.
The side airbag inflates with considerable speed and force;
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 ADJUSTMENT
94
16L107
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
restraint system in the rear seat. For instructions
concerning the installation of a child restraint system, see
”Child restraint” on page 98.
16L034-2
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.