2000 TOYOTA AVALON Owners Manual

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In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.
Then a chemical reaction in the inflators
quickly fills the airbags with non- toxic gas
to help restrain the lateral motion of the
occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
and residue along with non- toxic gas. This
does not indicate a fire. This gas is nor-
mally harmless; however, for those who
have delicate skin, it may cause a minor
skin irritation. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
minor skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is desi gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Front seats may be hot for several min-
utes, but the airbags themselves will not
be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.CAUTION

The SRS side airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver
side and front passenger side seat
belt systems. To ensure maximum
protection in an accident, the driver
and all passengers in the vehicle
must wear their seat belts properly.
Wearing a seat belt during an acci-
dent reduces the chances of death
or serious injury or being thrown
out of the vehicle. For instructions
and precautions concerning the seat
belt system, see Seat beltsº in this
section.

Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. An infant or child who
is too small to use a seat belt
should be properly secured using a
child restraint system. Toyota
strongly recommends that all in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
Child restraintº in this section.

Do not allow a child to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the front door or the area
of the seat from which the side air-
bag deploys even if he/she is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see Child restraintº in this
section.
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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 apply excessive weight to
the outer side of the front seats on
vehicles with side airbags.

Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device or object on or around
the door. When the side airbag in-
flates, the cup holder or any other
device or object will be thrown with
great force or the side airbag may
not activate correctly, 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 inflate. Such acces-
sories may prevent the side airbags
from activating correctly, causing
death or serious injury.

Do not modify or replace the seats
or upholstery of the front seats
with the side airbags. Such changes
may disable the system or cause
the side airbags to inflate acciden-
tally resulting in death or serious
injury. Consult your Toyota dealer if
you consider modifications of this
kind.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
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NOTICE
Do not perform any of the followingchanges without consulting yourToyota dealer. Such changes caninterfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag system in somecases.

Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two- way radio,cassette tape player or compactdisc player

Modification of the suspension sys-tem

Modification of the side structure ofthe passenger compartment

Repairs made on or near the con-sole or front seat
This SRS side airbag 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.
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 ACCº or
ONº position, or the light remains on.

The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:

The SRS side airbags have been in-
flated.

The portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) were involved in an acci-
dent that was not severe enough to
cause the SRS side airbags to inflate.

The surface of the seats with the side
airbag (shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.
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NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cablesbefore contacting your Toyota dealer.
Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a
child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819.
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. See Seat beltsº for
details.
CAUTION

For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops,
children must be properly re-
strained using a seat belt or child
restraint system depending on the
age and size of the child. Holding
a child in your arms is not a sub-
stitute for a child restraint system.
In an accident, the child can be
crushed against the windshield, or
between you and the vehicle's inte-
rior.

Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child,
and is put on the rear seat. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, the child
is safer when properly restrained in
the rear seat than in the front seat.

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rear- facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.

Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
Child restraintÐ
ÐChild restraint precautions
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A forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child. Do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.

Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
ÐChild restraint system
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with either the
lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. You must carefully con-
sult the manufacturer 's instructions
which accompany the child restraint
system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er 's instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer of the system. General
directions are also provided under the fol-
lowing instructions.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.CAUTION

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rear- facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.

Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.

A forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child. Do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
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After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place following the manufacturer 's
instructions. If it is not restrained
securely, it may cause death or se-
rious injury to the child in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it in the trunk or somewhere other than
the passenger compartment. This will pre-
vent it from injuring passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to install the
anchor bracket, see ÐUsing a top strapº.Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child's age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
ÐTypes of child restraint
system
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(C) Booster seat(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rear- facing
position only.CAUTION

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat be-
cause the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the passenger airbag can
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
ÐInstallation with 3- point
type seat belt
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Do not put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the rear seat if it
interferes with the lock mechanism
of the front seats. This can cause
severe injury to the child and front
passenger in case of sudden brak-
ing or a collision.1. Run the lap and shoulder belt throughor around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the belt. Keep
the lap portion of the belt tight.

After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap and shoulder portions
of the belt are 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, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is
fixed.
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