2003 Lexus ES300 driver seat adjustment

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FRONT SEATS
Front seat precautions
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in the driver and front
passenger seats. Observe the following precautions.
 Do not lean against the front door when the vehicle
is in use, since the side airbag inflates with
considerable speed and force. Otherwise, you may
be killed or seriously injured.
 Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts
where the side airbags inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from activating correctly,
causing death or serious injury.
 Do not modify or replace the seats or upholstery of
the front seats with the side airbags. Such changes
may disable the system or cause the side airbags to
inflate accidentally, resulting in death or serious
injury. Consult your Lexus dealer if you insist on
modifications of this kind.
Seat adjustment precautions
Adjust the driver’s seat so that the foot pedals, steering wheel
and instrument panel controls are within easy reach of the
driver.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the seat while the vehicle is moving as
the seat may unexpectedly move and cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
 Be careful that the seat does not hit a passenger,
luggage or the rear seat.
NOTICE
Do not operate the control switch in more than one
dimension at a time. It may cause electrical overload.

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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.

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Adjusting lumbar support
(driver’s seat only)
Push the control switch on either side.
The amount of lumbar support will change while the switch is
pushed.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
Front seats
To raise the head restraint, pull it up. To lower it, press the
lock release button and push the head restraint down. To
move the head restraint forward or rearward, pull or push
the base of the head restraint.
The head restraint is most effective when it is close to your
head. Therefore, using a cush ion on the seatback is not
recommended.

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TRUNK STORAGE EXTENSION
 1Lock 2Unlock 3Open
Pull down the center armrest in the rear seat. Push down
the handle and open the armrest door.
Access to the trunk can be prevented by locking the armrest
door with the master key.
See “Luggage stowage precautions” on page 81 for
precautions to observe in loading luggage.
CAUTION
Be sure to close the door when the trunk storage
extension is not in use. Luggage or cargo in the trunk
may be thrown into the passenger compartment in a
sudden stop or crash resulting in injury.
TILT STEERING WHEEL
To change the steering wheel angle, hold the steering
wheel, pull up the lock release lever, tilt the steering wheel
to the desired angle and release the lever.
When the steering wheel is in a low position, it will spring up as
you release the lock release lever.
CAUTION
 Do not adjust the steering wheel 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.
 After adjusting the steering wheel, try moving it up
and down to make sure it is locked in position.

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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.

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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 50
for instructions.)

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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.

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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.