1998 Lexus LS400 lexus LS400 1998 Engine / LEXUS 1998 LS400 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM50498U)

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
82When 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 ”Child restraint” on page 98.) 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.
16L116-1
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
Highpositioned lap belts and loosefitting 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
83
16L023-1
Front seat belts only
Adjust the shoulder anchor position to your size.
Manual type: To raise the anchor position, push the anchor up. To
lower the anchor position, support the anchor while you push the
lock release button then slide the anchor down. After adjustment,
make sure the anchor is locked in position.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the
center of your shoulder. The belt should be kept away from
your neck, but not falling off your shoulder. Failure to do so
could reduce the amount of protection in an accident and
cause severe injuries in a collision.
16L024-1
Front seat belts only
Power type: To adjust the shoulder anchor position, press the upper
or lower part of the control switch located on the door. When the
switch is released, the shoulder anchor will stop at that position.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the
center of your shoulder. The belt should be kept away from
your neck, but not falling off your shoulder. Failure to do so
could reduce the amount of protection in an accident and
cause severe injuries in a collision.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
84
16L117-1
To release the belt, press the buckle release button and allow the
belt to retract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull it out and check for kinks
or twists. Then make sure it remains untwisted as it retracts.
Seat belt extender
If the front or rear outside seat belts cannot be fastened securely
because it is not long enough, a personalized seat belt extender is
available from your Lexus dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Lexus dealer so that the dealer can order
the proper required length for the extender. Bring the heaviest coat
you expect to wear for proper measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available at your Lexus dealer.
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.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
85
16L026-1
To connect the extender to the seat belt, insert the tab into the
seat belt buckle so that the ”PRESS” 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
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
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.