2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
272001 ECHO (OM52440U)
Fold±down rear seat
SU13109
(A) FOLDING DOWN REAR SEAT1. Pull up the seatback security lock lever 1 to the unlock position.
2. Pull up the lock release button 2.
3. Fold down the seatback.
Each seatback may be folded separately.
SU13004
This will enlarge the trunk as far as the
seatbacks. See ª Luggage stowage
precautionsº in Section 2 for precautions
to observe for loading luggage.
NOTICE
Make sure the luggage loaded in the enlarged trunk will not damage thewebbing of the rear center seat beltwhen the left seatback is folded
down.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to the
upright position:
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in the proper
position and are ready to use.
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
Failure to do so will prevent seat
belt from operating properly.
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
302001 ECHO (OM52440U)
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 ªChild restraintº
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. Do not allow the child to stand up or
kneel on either rear or front seats. An
unrestrained child could suffer serious in-
jury or death during emergency braking or
a collision. Also, do not let the child sit
on your lap. It does not provide sufficient
restraint.
Pregnant woman.
Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Ask your doctor for
specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips and not on the
waist.
Injured person. Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Depending on the inju-
ry, first check with your doctor for specific
recommendations.
CAUTION
Persons should ride in their seats
properly wearing their seat belts
whenever the vehicle is moving.
Otherwise, they are much more likely
to suffer serious bodily injury or
death in the event of sudden braking
or a collision.
When using the seat belts, observe
the following:
Use the belt for only one person at
a time. Do not use a single belt for
two or more peopleÐeven children.
Avoid reclining the seatbacks too
much. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the seatbacks
are in the upright position. (Refer
to the seat adjustment instructions.)
Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care that
they do not get caught or pinched
in the seat or doors.
Inspect the belt system periodically.
Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Damaged parts should be re-
placed. Do not disassemble or
modify the system.
Keep the belts clean and dry. If
they need cleaning, use a mild soap
solution or lukewarm water. Never
use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-
ersÐthey may severely weaken the
belts. (See ªCleaning the interiorº
in Section 5.)
Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
312001 ECHO (OM52440U)
Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.
ÐFront and rear seat belts
SY13014a
Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out of the retractor and insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may
lock if you lean forward too quickly. A
slow, easy motion will allow the belt to
extend, and you can move around freely.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.
When a passenger 's shoulder belt is com-
pletely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that
position and cannot be extended. This fea-
ture is used to hold the child restraint
system securely. (For details, see ªChild
restraintº in this section.) To free the belt
again, fully retract the belt and then pull
the belt out once more.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
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot
protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
332001 ECHO (OM52440U)
CAUTION
High±positioned lap belts and
loose±fitting belts both could in-
crease the chance of injury due to
sliding under the lap belt during an
accident or other unintended result.
Keep the lap belt as low on your
hips as possible.
For your safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under your arm.
SY13017
To release the belt, press the buckle±re-
lease button and allow the belt to re-
tract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull
it out and check for kinks or twists. Then
make sure it remains untwisted as it re-
tracts.
SU13012
REAR CENTER SEAT BELT (WITH
FOLD±DOWN SEAT)
The rear center seat belt is a 3±point type
restraint with 2 buckles. Both seat belt
buckles must be correctly located and se-
curely latched for proper operation
Make sure the buckle 1 (with light gray
buckle±release button) is securely latched
for ready use of the center seat belt.
The buckle 1 should be separated only
when the rear left seatback is folded
down, if the luggage loaded in the en-
larged trunk will damage the webbing of
the rear center seat belt. (See ªFold±down
rear seatº in this section for the instruc-
tion of how to correctly connect the seat
belt.)
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
342001 ECHO (OM52440U)
SU13013
Two buckles and tabs for rear center
seat belt
The two buckles for the rear center seat
belt are distinguished with colors of the
buckle release button. Also the two tabs
have different shape for its end so that
the belt is not buckled in the wrong place.Buckle 1ÐProperly matches with light
gray tab
Buckle 2ÐProperly matches with interi-
or color tab
CAUTION
Make sure the both buckles are cor-
rectly located and securely latched.
Failure to properly match the buckle
and tab may cause severe injury in
case of an accident or a co llision.
SU13014
CAUTION
Do not use the rear center seat belt
with either buckle released. Fastening
only the shoulder belt or lap belt may
cause severe personal injury in case
of sudden braking or a collision.
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
422001 ECHO (OM52440U)
CAUTION
The SRS airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the prima-
ry protection of the driver side and
front passenger side seat belt sys-
tems. The front seat occupants can
be killed or seriously injured by the
inflating airbags if they do not wear
the available seat belts properly.
During sudden braking just before
a collision, an unrestrained driver
or front passenger can move for-
ward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag which
may then deploy during the colli-
sion. To ensure maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts properly. Wear-
ing a seat belt properly during an
accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For
instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
ªSeat beltsº in this section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing front 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
ªChild restraintº in this section.
SU13120
Never put a rear±facing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat because the force of the
rapid inflation of the front passen-
ger airbag can cause death or seri-
ous injury to the child.
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
492001 ECHO (OM52440U)
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
ªChild restraintк on page 51 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 instructors concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see ªChild restraintº in this
section.
SP13008
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.
SP13009
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.
2001MY ECHO (U) L/O0008
522001 ECHO (OM52440U)
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.
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 the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
On vehicles with side airbags, 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 dan-
gerous 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 the lap por-
tion of the lap/shoulder belt. You must
carefully consult the manufacturer 's
instructions which accompany your
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. General directions are also
provided under the following illustrations.
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.