1998 Lexus LS400 steering wheel adjustment

00L0541
PICTORIAL INDEX
xii
SEAT AND STEERING WHEEL
Page
1 Tilt and telescopic steering adjustment
switch 76
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 Seat position, seat cushion
angle and height control
switch 71, 72
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Seatback angle and head
restraint control switch 72, 73
. . . . . . . . . .
4 Lumbar support control switch 73 . . . . . . .
For detailed information, refer to the
description given in each section.

SECTION 1 6
69
INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
Comfort adjustment
Front seats 70. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Head restraints 73. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tilt and telescopic steering wheel 76. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outside rear view mirrors 77. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inside rear view mirror 79. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat belts 80. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supplemental restraint system (SRS) 86. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint 98. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Driving position memory system 113. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
70
FRONT SEATS
Front seat precautions
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in the driver and front
passenger seats. Observe the following precautions.
Do not lean over the front door when the vehicle is in use.
The side airbag inflates with considerable speed and force;
you may be killed or severely injured.
Do not modify or replace the seats or the surface of the seats
with side airbags. Such changes may disable the system, or
cause the side airbags to inflate, resulting in death or
serious injury. Consult your Lexus dealer.
Do not use accessories for the seats which cover the parts
where the side airbags should inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from activating correctly, causing
death or serious injury.
Seat adjustment precautions
Adjust the driver’s seat so that the foot pedals, steering wheel and
instrument panel controls are within easy reach of the driver.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the seat while the vehicle is moving as the seat
may unexpectedly move and cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
Be careful not to hit the seat against a passenger, luggage or
the rear seat.
NOTICE
Do not operate the control switch in more than one dimension
at a time. It may cause electrical overload.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
76
TILT AND TELESCOPIC STEERING
WHEEL
Adjustment of steering wheel tilt
16L0101
To adjust the tilt of the steering wheel, push the control switch
upward or downward to set it to the desired position.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering wheel while the vehicle is moving.
Adjustment of telescopic steering column
16L0111
To adjust the steering column length, push the control switch
forward or backward to set the steering wheel to the desired
position.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the steering column while the vehicle is moving.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
86
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM (SRS)
The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) consists of driver and
front passenger airbags, side airbags and seat belt pretensioners.
The combination of these 3 systems is designed to provide
further protection for the driver and front passenger when
added to the primary protection provided by the seat belts.
16L1181
Driver and front passenger airbags, and seat belt pretensioners
Driver and front passenger airbags:
In response to a severe frontal impact, the driver and front
passenger airbags work together with the seat belts to help
preventing or reduce injury by inflating, in order to decrease the
likelihood of the driver’s or front passenger’s heads or chests
from directly hitting the steering wheel or dashboard.Seat belt pretensioners:
In response to a severe frontal impact, the seat belts are quickly
drawn back in by the retractors so that the belts snugly restrain
the driver and front passenger.
The front passenger airbag is activated even with no passenger in the
front seat.
The seat belt pretensioners are activated together with the driver and
front passenger airbags, even with no passenger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt.
CAUTION
The driver or front passenger too close to the steering wheel
or dashboard during airbag deployment can be killed or
seriously injured. Lexus strongly recommends that:
The driver sit as far back as possible from the steering
wheel while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
The front passenger sit as far back as possible from the
dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly restrained using the
available seat belts.

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
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.