Page 21 of 204

1998 COROLLA(U)
21
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLS—
Chapter 1−3
Seats, Seat belts,
Steering wheel and
Mirrors
Seats
Front seats
Fold−down rear seat
Head restraints
Seat belts
SRS airbags
Child restraint
Tilt steering wheel
Outside rear view mirrors
Anti−glare inside rear view
mirror
Vanity mirror
Seats
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are not properly seated.
Do not allow sitting on top of a
folded−down seatback, or in the
luggage compartment. Persons not
properly seated and not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in
the driver and front passenger seats.
Observe the following precautions.
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 modify or replace the seats
or surface of the front seats with
the side airbags. Such changes may
disable the system or cause the
side airbags to inflate, resulting in
death or serious injury. Consult
your Toyota 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 correct-
ly, causing death or serious injury.
Front seats—
—Front seat precautions (with
SRS side airbags)
ProCarManuals.com
Page 33 of 204

1998 COROLLA(U)
33
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ”ACC” or
”ON” position. It goes off after about
6 seconds. This means the front seat
belt pretensioners are operating proper-
ly.
This warning light system monitors airbag
sensor assembly, seat belt pretensioner
assembly, warning light, interconnecting
wiring and power sources. (For details,
see ”Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzers” in chapter 1−5.)The seat belt pretensioner system mainly
consists of the following components and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.
1. Front satellite sensor
2. SRS airbag warning light
3. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
4. Airbag sensor assembly
The seat belt pretensioner is controlled by
the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.When a seat belt pretensioner is acti-
vated, an operating noise may be heard
and a small amount of smoke−like gas
may be released. This gas is harmless
and does not indicate that a fire is occur-
ring.
Once the seat belt pretensioner has been
activated, the seat belt retractor remains
locked.
CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or open
the front seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, airbag sensor or surround-
ing area or wiring. Doing any of
these may cause sudden operation of
the front seat belt pretensioners or
disable the system, which could re-
sult in serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in serious injuries.
ProCarManuals.com
Page 40 of 204

1998 COROLLA(U)
40
Do not put objects or your pets on
or in front of the dashboard or
steering wheel pad that houses the
airbag system. They might restrict
inflation or cause death or serious
injury as they are projected rear-
ward by the force of deploying air-
bags. Likewise, the driver and front
passenger should not hold things in
their arms or on their knees.
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components such as
the steering wheel column cover,
front passenger airbag cover, front
passenger airbag, airbag sensor as-
sembly. Doing any of these may
cause sudden SRS airbag inflation
or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious inju-
ries.NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic items such
as a mobile two−way radio, cassette
tape player or compact disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
Modification of the front end struc-
ture
Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure, con-
sole, steering column, steering
wheel or dashboard near the front
passenger ’s airbag
ProCarManuals.com
Page 45 of 204

1998 COROLLA(U)
45
Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device on or around the door.
When the side airbag inflates, the
cup holder or any other device will
be thrown with great force or the
side airbag may not activate cor-
rectly, resulting in death or serious
injury. Likewise, the driver and front
passenger should not hold things in
their arms or on their knees.
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 correct-
ly, causing serious injury.
Do not modify or replace the seats
or surface of the front seats with
the side airbags. Such changes may
disable the system or cause the
side airbags to inflate, resulting in
death or serious injury. Consult
your Toyota dealer.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious inju-
ries.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic items such
as a mobile two−way radio, cassette
tape player or compact disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
Repairs made on or near the con-
sole or front seat
ProCarManuals.com