1999 TOYOTA AVALON airbag

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Indicator symbols on the instrument panel
Brake system warning light∗
1
Seat belt reminder light∗1
Discharge warning light∗1
Malfunction indicator lamp∗1
Low oil pressure warning light∗1
Anti-lock brake system warning light∗1(type A)
(type B)
Open door warning light
∗1
Rear light failure warning light∗1
(type A)
(type B)
SRS airbag warning light
∗1
Low fuel level warning light∗1
Traction control system off indicator/warning
light∗1
Low windshield washer and headlight cleaner
fluid level warning light∗1
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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS—
Chapter 1 −3
Seats, Seat belts,
Steering wheel and
Mirrors
 Seats
 Front seats
 Driving position memory system
 Head restraints
 Armrest
 Seat heaters
 Seat belts
 SRS driver and front passenger
airbags
 SRS side airbags
 Child restraint 
Tilt steering wheel
 Outside rear view mirrors
 Anti −glare inside rear view
mirror
 Vanity mirrors
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 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.
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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.
—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
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
not to hit the seat against a pas-
senger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
The objects may interfere with the
seat −lock mechanism or unexpect-
edly push up the seat position ad-
justing lever; the seat may suddenly
move, causing the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
While adjusting the seat, do not put
your hands under the seat or near
the moving parts. You may catch
and injure your hands or fingers.
Front seats—
—Front seat precautions
(with SRS side airbags)
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To turn on the seat heater, push the
switch.
The key must be in the ”ON” position.
Pushing on the opposite side will turn it
off.
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when op-
erating the seat heater because it
may make them feel too hot or cause
burns at low temperatures (erythema,
varicella). Use extra caution for;
Baby, small child, elderly person,
sick person or handicapped person
Persons who have delicate skin
Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or
drugs which induce sleep (sleeping
drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do
not use the seat heater with a blan-
ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-
jects which cover the seat.
NOTICE
 Do not put unevenly weighed ob-
jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)
into the seat.
 When cleaning the seats, do not
use organic substances (paint thin-
ner, benzine, alcohol, gasoline,
etc.). They may damage the heater
and seat surface.
 To prevent the battery from being
discharge, turn the switch on when
the engine is running.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents.
Child. Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See ”Child restraint”
for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. According to accident
statistics, the child is safer when properly
restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the
seat belts should be worn properly. If an
accident occurs and the seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause death or
serious injury to the child.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions
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CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the seat belt extender 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
Toyota dealer.
—Front seat belt pretensioners
The driver and front passenger ’s seat
belt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in response to a severe fron-
tal impact.
When the airbag sensor detects the shock
of a severe frontal impact, the front seat
belt is quickly drawn back in by the re-
tractor so that the belt snugly restrains
the front seat occupants.
The seat belt pretensioners are activated
even with no passenger in the front seat.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.)
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The seat belt pretensioner system mainly
consists of the following components and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.
1. Front airbag sensors
2. Airbag sensor assembly
3. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
4. SRS airbag warning light
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.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
seat belt pretensioners in some
cases.
 Installation of electronic items such
as a mobile two −way radio, cassette
tape player or compact disc player
 Repairs on or near the front seat
belt retractor assemblies
 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 or con-
sole
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This front seat belt pretensioner system
has a service reminder indicator to inform
the driver of operating problems. If either
of the following conditions occurs, this
indicates a malfunction of the airbags or
pretensioners. Contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible to service the
vehicle.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ”ACC” or
”ON” position, or remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
If either front seat belt does not retract
or can not be pulled out due to a
malfunction or activation of the preten-
sioner.
The front seat belt pretensioner assem-
bly or surrounding area has been dam-
aged.
The front and side parts of the vehicle
(shaded in the illustration) were in-
volved in an accident not of the extent
to cause the seat belt pretensioners to
operate.
The front seat belt pretensioner assem-
bly is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection for occupants in the
following seats when added to the pri-
mary protection provided by the seat
belts.
Vehicles with separate front seats—The
SRS airbags are designed to protect
the driver and front passenger.
Vehicles with bench front seats—The
SRS airbags are designed to protect
the driver and right −front passenger.
They are not designed to protect occu-
pant in the center position.
SRS driver and front
passenger airbags
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In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS airbags work together with the
seat belts to help prevent or reduce injury
by inflating, in order to decrease the likeli-
hood of the driver ’s or front passenger ’s
head or chest directly hitting the steering
wheel or dashboard. The passenger airbag
is activated even with no passenger in the
front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt.CAUTION
A driver or front passenger too close
to the steering wheel or dashboard
during airbag deployment can be
killed or seriously injured. Toyota
strongly recommends that:
The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.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 SRS airbags
are operating properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system
monitors the airbag sensor assembly, in-
flators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources. (For details, see
”Service remainder indicators and warning
buzzers” in Chapter 1 −5.)
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