2002 Lexus ES300 Owner's Manuals (in English)

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
108
Adjust the position of the lap and shoulder belts.
1Position the lap belt as low as possible on your hips not
on your waist.
2 Adjust it to a snug fit by pulling the shoulder portion
upward through the latch plate.
CAUTION
Both highpositioned lap belts and loosefitting
belts could cause serious injuries due to sliding
under the lap belt during a collision or other
unintended result. Keep the lap belt positioned as
low on hip as possible.
 For your safety, do not place the shoulder belt under
your arm.
Front seat belts only
Adjust the shoulder anchor position to your size.
To raise the anchor position, push the anchor up. To lower the
anchor position, support the anchor while you push the lock
release button then slide the anchor down. After the
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 severe injuries in a
collision.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
109
To release the belt, press the buckle release button and
allow the belt to retract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull it out and check for
kinks or twists. Then make sure it remains untwisted as it
retracts.
Seat belt comfort guides
The seat belt comfort guides are installed on the outside
rear seats to relieve uncomfortableness from the
shoulder belt when it is applied closer to a child’s neck (at
the age of 10 or so), by pulling the shoulder belt a little
forward.
Slide the seat belt comfort guide forward to adjust the
shoulder belt.
The seat belt comfort guide should not be in the forward
position for other purposes.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 0
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of the child’s shoulder. The belt
should be kept away from the child’s neck, and should
not fall off the child’s shoulder. Failure to observe these
precautions could reduce the effectiveness of the seat
belt in an accident, causing death or serious injury.
Seat belt extender
If your seat belts cannot be fastened securely because they
are not long enough, a persona lized seat belt extender is
available from your Lexus dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Lexus dealer so that the dealer can
order the proper required length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering information is available
at your Lexus dealer.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender, observe the
following precautions. Failure to follow these
instructions could reduce the effectiveness of the seat
belt restraint system in case of vehicle accident,
increasing the chance of personal injury.
 Never use the seat belt extender if you can fasten the
seat belt without it.
 Remember that the extender provided for you may
not be safe when used on a different vehicle, for
another person, or at a different seating position than
the one originally intended.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
111
To connect the extender to the seat belt, insert the tab into
the seat belt buckle so that the “PRESS” signs on the
buckle release buttons of the extender and the seat belt
are both facing outward as shown.
You will hear a click when the tab locks into the buckle.
When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release
button on the extender, not on the seat belt. This helps prevent
damage to the vehicle interior and extender itself.
When not in use, remove the extender and store in the vehicle
for future use.
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 Lexus dealer. Do not use
the seat until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot protect
an adult occupant or your child from injury.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 2
Front seat belt pretensioners
The driver and front passenger’s seat belt pretensioners
are designed to be activated in response to a severe
frontal impact.
When the airbag sensor detects the shock of a severe frontal
impact, the front seat belts are quickly drawn back in by the
retractors so that the belts snugly restrain the front seat
occupants.
The front seat belt pretensioners are activated even with no
passenger in the front seat.
This indicator comes on when the ignition key is turned to
the “ON” position. It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the front seat belt pretensioners are operating
properly.
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor
assembly, front airbag sensors, side and curtain shield airbag
sensor assemblies, curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies,
driver’s seat position sensor, driver’s seat belt buckle switch,
front seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflators, warning light,
interconnecting wiring and power sources. (For details, see
“Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers” on page 48
for instructions.)

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
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 1Front seat belt pretensioner assemblies
2SRS warning light
3Front airbag sensors
4Airbag sensor assembly
The front seat belt pretensioner system mainly consists of the
above components, and their locations are shown in the
illustration.
The front seat belt pretensioners are controlled by the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
When the front seat belt pretensioners are activated, an
operating noise may be heard and a small amount of
smokelike gas may be released. This gas is harmless and
does not indicate that a fire is occurring.
Once the front seat belt pretensioners have been activated, the
seat belt retractors remain locked.
CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or open the front seat belt
pretensioner assemblies, airbag sensor or surrounding
area or wiring. Doing so may cause sudden operation of
the front seat belt pretensioners or disable the system,
which could result in death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death
or serious injuries. Consult your Lexus dealer about
any repairs and modifications.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without
consulting your Lexus dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the front seat belt
pretensioners in some cases.
 Installation of electronic devices such as a mobile
twoway radio, cassette tape player or compact disc
player
 Repairs on or near the front seat belt retractor
assemblies
 Modification of the suspension system
 Modification of the front end structure

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
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Attachment of a grille guard (bull bar, kangaroo bar,
etc.), snowplow, winches or any other equipment to
the front end
 Repair made on or near the front fenders, front end
structure or console
This front seat belt pretensioner system has a service
reminder indicator to inform the driver of operating problems.
If any of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a
malfunction of the airbags or pretensioners. Contact your
Lexus dealer as soon as possible to service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the ignition key is turned
to the “ON” position, or the light remains on.
 The light comes on or flashes while driving.
 If either front seat belt does not retract or cannot be pulled
out due to a malfunction or activation of the relevant front
seat belt pretensioner.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
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In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible:
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the illustration) was
involved in an accident that was not severe enough to cause
the front seat belt pretensioners to operate.
 Either front seat belt pretensioner assembly or surrounding
area is scratched, cracked, or otherwise damaged.
SRS AIRBAGS
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) airbags are
designed to provide further protection for the driver, front
passenger and rear outside passengers in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by the seat belts.
SRS front airbags
In response to a severe fr ontal impact, the SRS front
airbags work together with the seat belts to help reduce
injury by inflating. The SRS front airbags help to reduce
injuries mainly to the driver’s or front passenger’s head or
chest caused by directly hitting the steering wheel or
dashboard.
The front passenger airbag is activated even with no
passenger in the front seat.