2003 Lexus ES300 Rear seat belts

KEYS AND DOORS
23
Locking with inside lock button
 1Lock 2Unlock
Push in the lock button to lock and unlock the door.
The front doors can be opened by pulling the inside handles
even if the lock buttons are in the locked position.
CAUTION
Do not pull the inside handle of the front doors while
driving. The doors will open and an accident may occur.
Lexus strongly recommends that all children be placed
in the rear seat of the vehicle.
Closing the door with the lock button pushed in will also lock
the door. Be careful not to lock your keys in the vehicle. Doors
cannot be locked when either front door is open and the key is
in the ignition.
If the vehicle is subjected to a severe frontal, rear or side
impact with the ignition switch turned to the “ON” position, all
doors will unlock automatically after a few seconds.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the doors are closed and
locked, especially when small children are in the
vehicle. Along with the proper use of seat belts, locking
the doors helps prevent the driver and passengers from
being thrown out from the vehicle during an accident.
It also helps prevent the doors from being opened
unintentionally.

SECTION 1 – 6
93
INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
Comfort adjustment
Front seats94
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Head restraints 97
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Trunk storage extension 99
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Tilt steering wheel 99
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Power adjustable pedals 100
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Outside rear view mirrors 101
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Inside rear view mirror 103
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Seat belts 108
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SRS airbags 11 7
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Child restraint 133
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Driving position memory system 152
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COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
96
Adjusting seatback angle
Move the control switch in the desired direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seatback in that position.
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during a
collision, avoid reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maximum protection in
a frontal or rear collision when the driver and the
passenger are sitting up straight and well back in the
seats. If you are reclined, the lap belt may slide past
your hips and apply restraint forces directly to the
abdomen. In the event of a frontal collision, the more the
seat is reclined, the greater the risk of personal injury.
Adjusting seat cushion angle and height
Move the control switch in the desired direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat cushion in that position.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
108
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt precautions
Lexus strongly urges that the driver and passengers in the
vehicle be properly restrained 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.
The seat belts provided for your vehicle are designed for
people of adult size, large enough to properly wear them.
Child. Use a child restraint system appropriate for the child
until the child becomes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See “Child restraint” on page 133 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. Do not let the child sit on your lap. It does not provide
sufficient restraint. If an accident occurs and the seat belts are
not worn properly, the force of the rapid inflation 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 injury or
death during emergency braking or a collision. Pregnant woman.
Lexus 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. Lexus recommends the use of a seat belt.
Depending on the injury, 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 people even children.
 Avoid reclining the seatbacks too much. The seat
belts provide maximum protection when the
seatbacks are in the upright position. (See
“Adjusting seatback angle” on page 96.)
 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.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
109
Inspect the belt system periodically. Check for cuts,
fraying, and loose parts. Damaged parts should be
replaced. 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 cleaners they may
severely weaken the belts. (See “Cleaning the
interior” on page 359 for instructions.)
 Replace the belt assembly (including bolts) if it has
been used in a severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage is not obvious.Fastening front and rear seat belts
Adjust the seat as needed 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.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 2
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.
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 it is not
long enough, a personalized 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 result in less 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.

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT
11 7
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 9
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.