2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER seats

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when op-
erating the seat heater because it
may make them feel too hot or cause
burns at low temperatures (erythema,
varicella). Use extra caution for;
Babies, small children, elderly per-
sons, sick persons or handicapped
persons
Persons who have delicate skin
Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or
drugs which induce sleep (sleeping
drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do
not use the seat heater with a blan-
ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-
jects which cover the seat.
NOTICE
 Do not put unevenly weighed ob-
jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)
into the seat.
 When cleaning the seats, do not
use organic substances (paint thin-
ner, benzine, alcohol, gasoline,
etc.). They may damage the heater
and seat surface.
 To prevent the battery from being
discharged, turn the system off
when the engine is not running.
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.
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 ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See “Child restraint”
on page 73 in this Section for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould 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 the 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.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions

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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
recommendation.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 maxi-
mum protection when the seatbacks
are in the upright position. (Refer
to the seat adjustment instructions.)
Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care that
they do not get caught or pinched
in the seat or side doors.
Inspect the belt system periodically.
Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Damaged parts should be re-
placed. 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 clean-
ers—they may severely weaken the
belts. (See “Cleaning the interior”
on page 305 in Section 5.)
Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.

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Adjust the seat as needed (front seats
only) 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. 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 “Child
restraint” on page 73 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
anchor—
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.
—Front and rear seat belts

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
To release the belt, press the bucklere-
lease button and allow the belt to re-
tract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull
it out and check for kinks or twists. Then
make sure it remains untwisted as it re-
tracts.The rear center seat belt buckle can be
stowed when not in use.
Seat belt buckle must be stowed before
you fold the seat back. (See “Folddown
rear seats” on page 46 in this Section.) If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are 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.
—Stowing rear center seat belt
buckle
—Seat belt extender

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system is controlled by the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor as-
sembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor.
In a severe side impact, the side and
curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the
curtain shield airbag sensor trigger(s) the
side airbag and curtain shield airbag inflat-
ors and/or the curtain shield airbag inflat-
ors. At this time a chemical reaction in
the inflators quickly fills the air bags with
nontoxic gas to help restrain the lateral
motion of the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
and residue along with nontoxic gas. This
does not indicate a fire. This gas is nor-
mally harmless; however, for those who
have delicate skin, it may cause a minor
skin irritation. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
any potential skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is desi gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling. Front seats as well as parts of the front
pillar, and roof side may be hot for sever-
al minutes, but the airbags themselves will
not be hot. The airbags are designed to
inflate only once.
CAUTION
The SRS side airbag and curtain
shield airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the prima-
ry protection of the driver side, and
front and rear outside passenger
side seat belt systems. To ensure
maximum protection in an accident,
the driver and all passengers in the
vehicle must wear their seat belts.
Wearing a seat belt during an acci-
dent reduces the chances of death
or serious injury or being thrown
out of the vehicle. For instructions
and precautions concerning the seat
belt system, see “Seat belts” on
page 50 in this Section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by a deploying
airbag. 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 infants and
children be placed in the rear seat
of the vehicle and properly re-
strained. The rear seat is the safest
for infants and children. For in-
structions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” on page 73 in this
Section.

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Do not allow a child to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the front door or the area
of the seat, front pillar or roof side
from which the side airbag and cur-
tain shield airbag deploy even if he/
she is seated in the child restraint
system. It is dangerous if the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint” on page
73 in this Section.
Do not lean against the door when
the vehicle is in use, since the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate 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 ve-
hicle.
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 with a side airbag, and to the
front pillar, rear pillar and roof side
rail with a curtain shield airbag.
Do not get your head closer to the
area where the side airbag and cur-
tain shield airbag inflate, since
these airbags inflate with consider-
able speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured. Special care should be taken
especially when you have a small
child in the vehicle.

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Do not hook a hanger, heavy or
sharp pointed objects on the coat
hook. If the curtain shield airbag
inflates, those items will be thrown
away with great force or the curtain
shield airbag may not activate cor-
rectly. When you hang clothes,
hang them on the coat hook direct-
ly.
Do not use seat accessories which
cover the parts where the side air-
bags inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from acti-
vating correctly, causing death or
serious injury.
Do not modify or replace the seats
or upholstery of front seats with
side airbags. Such changes may
disable the system or cause the
side airbags to inflate accidentally,
resulting in death or serious injury.
Do not disassemble or repair the
front pillar and roof side rail con-
taining the curtain shield airbags.
Such changes may disable the sys-
tem or cause the curtain shield air-
bags to inflate accidentally, result-
ing in death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
Consult your Toyota dealer about any
repairs and modifications.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile twoway radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
 Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
 Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
 Repairs made on or near the con-
sole
This SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system has a service reminder
indicator to inform the driver of operating
problems. If either of the following
conditions occurs, this indicates a
malfunction of the airbags. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to
service the vehicle.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion, or the light remains on.
The light comes on or flashes while
driving.

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2003 4RUNNER from Apr. ’03 Prod. (OM 35820U)
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags have been inflated.
The portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an acci dent
that was not severe enough to cause
the SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags to inflate.
The surface of the seats with the side
airbag (shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.
The portion of the front pillars and roof
side rail garnishes (padding) containing
the curtain shield airbags inside
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all 50 states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a
child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. See “Seat belts” on
page 50 in this Section for details.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions