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3. To unlock the seat, hold the upper
back of the seat with your hand and
pull the lock release strap up. Swing
the whole seat down and set the
rear legs to the hooks on the floor.
Make sure the rear legs are securely
set to the hooks by trying to pull up
the rear part of the seat.4. Pull the seatback release strap and
swing the seatback up.
CAUTION
When returning seats to their original
position:
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught under the seat
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
Make sure the seat is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback or
by trying to pull up the edge of the
bottom cushion. Failure to do so
will prevent seat belt from operat-
ing properly.
When removing or reinstalling the
seat, observe the following to prevent
personal injury:
Do not fold or remove the seat
while the vehicle is moving.
Be careful not to get your hands or
feet pinched in the seat.
Be careful not to hit the removed
seat against a person or drop it on
yourself.
After folding or installing the seat,
push it forward and backward to
make sure it is locked in position.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
392001 RAV4 (OM42483U)
3. Pull the seatback angle adjusting le-
ver to unlock and push down the
seatback.
When returning the seatback upright, be
careful not to make yourself hit by the
seatback which will bound with consid-
erable spring force.
After returning the seat to its original
position, be certain to replace the head
restraint.
CAUTION
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving; use
the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat and seatback for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is secured in place. Be certain to
replace head restraint.
Head restraints
For your safety and comfort, adjust the
head restraint before driving.
To raise: Pull it up.
To lower: Push it down while pressing the
lock release button.
The head restraint is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, using
a cushion on the seatback is not recom-
mended.
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CAUTION
Adjust the center of the head re-
straint so that it is closest to the
top of your ears.
After adjusting the head restraint,
make sure it is locked in position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
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
on page 57 for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child should 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 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.
Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
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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 on page 57 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.
Seat belts with an adjustable shoulder
anchorÐ
Adjust the shoulder anchor position to
your size.
To raise: Slide the anchor up.
To lower: Push in the lock release button
and slide the anchor down.
After adjustment, make sure the anchor is
locked in position.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
your shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from your neck, but not
falling off your shoulder. Failure to
do so could reduce the amount of
protection in an accident and cause
serious injuries in a collision.
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SEAT BELT FOR REAR CENTER 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 that buckle 1 (with light gray
buckle±release button) is securely latched
for ready use of the center seat belt.Two buckles and tabs for rear center
seat belt
The 2 buckles for the rear center seat
belt are distinguished with colors of the
buckle release button. Also the 2 tabs
have different shape for its end so that
the belt is not buckled in the wrong place.
Buckle 1 (with light gray buckle±re-
lease button)ÐProperly matches with
concave end tab
Buckle 2 (with red buckle±release but-
ton)ÐProperly matches with round end
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 collision.
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2. Insert the round end tab into the
cover. You will hear a click when the
tabs are locked in the seat belt cov-
er. Make sure the tabs are securely
locked in the cover.
Seat belt must be stowed before you fold
the seatback. (See ªÐFolding up rear
seatsº on page 32 or ªÐRemoving rear
seatsº on page 35 in this section.)
NOTICE
Stow the rear center seat belt except
when you are wearing it.
PULLING OUT THE REAR CENTER SEAT
BELT
To use the rear center seat belt, pull
the belt out a little and then pull the
tabs out from the cover.
ÐSeat belt extender
If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer so
that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available
at your Toyota dealer.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
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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 restraintº on page 57 in this
section.
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.
Move seat
fully back
A forward±facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front passenger seat only when
it is unavoidable. Always move the
seat as far back as possible, be-
cause the force of the deploying
front passenger airbag could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see ªChild restraintº on page
57 in this section.
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'01 Rav4_U (L/O 0008)
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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 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. 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.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 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.
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.
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