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)
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1998 COROLLA(U)
23
1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Pull the lever up. Then slide the seat
to the desired position with slight body
pressure and release the lever.
2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING
LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the pas-
senger are sitting up straight and
well back in the seats. If you are
reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces
directly to the abdomen. Therefore, in
the event of a frontal collision, the
risk of personal injury may increase
with increasing recline of the seat-
back.
Fold−down rear seat
(A) FOLDING DOWN REAR SEAT
1. To unlock the seatback, pull the le-
ver in the luggage compartment.2. Fold down the seatback.
Each seatback may be folded separately.
On vehicles with built−in child restraint,
only the left seatback can be folded down.
This will enlarge the trunk room as far as
the seatbacks. See ”Luggage stowage pre-
cautions” in Part 2 for precautions to ob-
serve in loading luggage.
NOTICE
Make sure the luggage loaded in the
enlarged trunk room will not damage
the webbing of the rear center seat
belt when the left seatback is folded
down.
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’98COROLLA(U) 512
173
Tire surface and wheel nuts
Check the tires carefully for cuts, damage
or excessive wear. See Chapter 7−2 for
additional information. When checking the
tires, make sure no nuts are missing, and
check the nuts for looseness. Tighten
them if necessary.
Tire rotation
Rotate the tires every 12000 km (7500
miles). See Chapter 7−2 for additional in-
formation.
Fluid leaks
Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, wa-
ter or other fluid after the vehicle has
been parked for a while. If you smell fuel
fumes or notice any leak, have the cause
found and corrected immediately.
Doors and engine hood
Check that all doors including trunk lid
operate smoothly and all latches lock se-
curely. Make sure the engine hood sec-
ondary latch secures the hood from open-
ing when the primary latch is released.
INSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing periodic
services, cleaning the vehicle, etc.Lights
Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail
lights, turn signal lights, and other lights
are all working. Check headlight aim.
Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers
Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly.
Steering wheel
Be alert for changes in steering condition,
such as hard steering or strange noise.
Seats
Check that all front seat controls such as
seat adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. op-
erate smoothly and that all latches lock
securely in any position. Check that the
head restraints move up and down
smoothly and that the locks hold securely
in any latched position. For folding−down
rear seatbacks, check that the latches
lock securely.
Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly and smoothly. Make sure that the
belt webbings not cut, frayed, worn or
damaged.Accelerator pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching.
Clutch pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation.
Brake pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance.
Check the brake booster function.
Brakes
At a safe place, check that the brakes do
not pull to one side when applied.
Parking brake
Check that the lever has the proper travel
and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle
is held securely with only the parking
brake applied.
Automatic transmission ”Park” mecha-
nism
Check the lock release button of the se-
lector lever for proper and smooth opera-
tion. On a safe incline, check that your
vehicle is held securely with the selector
lever in ”P” position and all brakes re-
leased.
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