2002 Lexus ES300 ESP

EXTERIOR EQUIPMENT
90
Always make sure nobody places his/her head,
hands and other parts of the body in the roof opening
before you close the roof. If someone’s neck, head or
hands get caught in the closing roof, it could result in
a serious injury. When anyone closes the roof, first
make sure it is safe to do so.
 Never leave small children alone in the vehicle,
especially with the ignition key still inserted. They
could use the moon roof switches and get trapped in
the roof opening. Unattended children can be
involved in serious accidents.
 Never sit on top of the vehicle around the roof
opening.
 Never try jamming any part of your body to make the
jam protection function work intentionally.
 The jam protection function may not work if
something gets caught just before the moon roof
fully closed.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
101
INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR
Adjust the mirror so that you can just see the rear of your
vehicle in the mirror.
Pushing the “MIRROR” switch changes the mode
between AUTO and DAY.
The indicator comes on when the AUTO mode is selected.
DAY mode: The mirror surface is normal.
AUTO mode: If the mirror detects light from the headlights
of the vehicle behind you, the mirror surface darkens
slightly to reduce the reflected light.
When the inside rear view mirror surface changes, the outside
rear view mirror surfaces will also become darker.
When the ignition key is inserted and turned on, the inside rear
view mirror always turns on in the AUTO mode. When the outside air temperature is low, it may take a little
longer for the mirror to darken in response to the detection of
headlights.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so may cause the
driver to mishandle the vehicle
and an accident may occur resulting in death or serious
injuries.
An antiglare mirror sensor is located on the back side of
the mirror. In order not to disturb correct functioning of
the mirror, do not touch or cover the sensor with your
finger or a piece of cloth, etc.

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
11 5
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.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 6Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic
module, which will record the use of the seat belt restraint
system by the
driver and front passenger when the SRS front
airbags are inflated.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.
CAUTION
The driver or front passenger who is too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard during airbag deployment
can be killed or seriously injured. Lexus strongly
recommends that:
 The driver sit as far back as possible from the
steering wheel while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
 The front passenger sit as far back as possible from
the dashboard.
 All vehicle occupants be properly restrained using
the available seat belts.
SRS side airbags
In response to a severe side impact, the SRS side airbags
for the driver or front passenger work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflating. The SRS side
airbags help to reduce injuries mainly to the driver’s or
front passenger’s chest.
The SRS side airbag on the passenger seat is activated even
with no passenger in the front seat.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic
module, which will record the use of the seat belt restraint
system by the driver and front passenger when the SRS side
airbags are inflated.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 7
CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with considerable force. To
avoid potential death or serious injury when they inflate,
the driver and front passenger must:
 Wear their seat belts properly.
 Remain properly seated with their back upright and
against the seat at all times.
SRS curtain shield airbags for front and rear outside
occupants
In response to a severe side impact, the SRS curtain
shield airbag on either side works together with the seat
belts by inflating. The SRS curtain shield airbags help to
reduce injuries mainly to the driver’s head, front
passenger’s head and rear outside passenger’s head.
The SRS curtain shield airbag is activated even with no
passenger in the front seat or rear seat.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic
module, which will record the use of the seat belt restraint
system by the driver and front passenger when the SRS
curtain shield airbags are inflated.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 9
The SRS front airbag system is designed to activate in
response to a severe frontal impact within the shaded area
between the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS front airbags will deploy if the severity of the impact
is above the designed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision when impacting
straight into a fixed barrier that does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the above threshold level,
the SRS front airbags may not deploy.However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if
the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on impact, or if it is involved
in an underride collision (e.g. a collision in which the nose of
the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under, the bed of a truck,
etc.).
It is possible that in some collisions at the lower zone of airbag
sensor
detection and activation the SRS airbags and seat belt
pretensioners will not operate all together.
For the safety of all occupants, always wear your seat belts
properly.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
125
Do not sit on the edge of the seat or lean over the
dashboard when the vehicle is in use, since the front
airbags inflate with considerable speed and force.
Otherwise, you may be killed or seriously injured. Sit
up straight and well back in the seat, and always use
your seat belt properly. Do not lean against the front door when the vehicle
is in use, since the side airbag and curtain shield
airbag inflate with considerable speed and force.
Otherwise, you may be killed or seriously injured.
Special care should be taken especially when you
have a small child in the vehicle.
 Sit up straight and well back in the seat, distributing
your weight evenly in the seat. Do not apply
excessive weight to the outer side of the front seats
on vehicles with side airbags.