2003 TOYOTA CAMRY airbag

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2003 CAMRY from Jan. ’03 Prod. (OM33593U)
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags are operating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, front seat belt pretensioner
assemblies, inflators, warning light, inter-
connecting wiring and power sources. (For
details, see “Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers” on page 105 in Sec-
tion 15.)The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system may not inflate if the
vehicle is subjected to a collision from
the side at certain angles, or a collision
to the side of the vehicle body other
than the passenger compartment as
shown in the illustration.
The SRS side airbags and curtain shield
airbags are designed to inflate when the
passenger compartment area suffers a se-
vere impact from the side.
Always wear your seat belts properly.
Collision from the rear
Collision from the front Vehicle rollover
The SRS side airbags and curtain shield
airbags are not designed to inflate if
the vehicle is involved in a front or
rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is
involved in a lowspeed side collision.

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The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system mainly consists of the fol-
lowing components, and their locations are
shown in the illustration.1. SRS warning light
2. Curtain shield airbag modules (airbag and inflator)
3. Side airbag modules (airbag and inflator)
4. Curtain shield airbag sensors
5. Side and curtain shield airbag sensors
6. Airbag sensor assembly 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
and rear pillars, and roof side may be hot
for several minutes, but the airbags them-
selves 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 45 in this section.

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2003 CAMRY from Jan. ’03 Prod. (OM33593U)
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 69 in this
section.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, rear pillar
or roof side from which the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag
deploy even if he/she is seated in
the child restraint system. It is dan-
gerous if the side airbag and cur-
tain shield airbag inflate, and the
impact could cause death or seri-
ous injury to the child. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” on page 69 in this sec-
tion.
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.

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2003 CAMRY from Jan. ’03 Prod. (OM33593U)
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.Do not allow a child to kneel on the
passenger seat facing the passen-
ger ’s side door, since the side air-
bag and curtain shield airbag inflate
with considerable speed and force.
Otherwise, the child may be killed
or seriously injured.Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device or object on or around
the door. When the side airbag in-
flates, the cup holder or any other
device or object will be thrown with
great force or the side airbag may
not activate correctly, resulting in
death or serious injury. Likewise,
the driver and front passenger
should not hold objects in their
arms or on their knees.

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2003 CAMRY from Jan. ’03 Prod. (OM33593U)
Do not attach a microphone or any
other device or object around the
part where the curtain shield airbag
activates such as on the windshield
glass, side door glass, front and
rear pillars, roof side and assist
grips. When the curtain shield air-
bag inflates, the microphone or oth-
er device or object will be thrown
with great force or the curtain
shield airbag may not activate cor-
rectly, resulting in death or serious
injury.
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, rear pillar and roof side
rail containing the curtain shield
airbags. Such changes may disable
the system or cause the curtain
shield airbags to inflate accidental-
ly, resulting in death or serious in-
jury.
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

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2003 CAMRY from Jan. ’03 Prod. (OM33593U)
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 CAMRY from Jan. ’03 Prod. (OM33593U)
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 accident
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, rear
pillars and roof side rail garnishes
(padding) containing the curtain shield
airbags inside (shaded in the illustra-
tion) is scratched, cracked, or other-
wise 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 SAEJ1819.
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 45 for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops, a
child must be properly restrained,
using a seat belt or child restraint
system depending on the age and
size of the child. Holding a child in
your arms is not a substitute for a
child restraint system. In an acci-
dent, the child can be crushed
against the windshield, or between
you and the vehicle’s interior.
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child,
installed on the rear seat. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, the child
is safer when properly restrained in
the rear seat than in the front seat.
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rearfacing child restraint system
is installed on the front seat.
A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be
installed on the front passenger
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible, because the force of
the deploying front passenger air-
bag could cause death or serious
injury to the child.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

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On vehicles with side airbags and
curtain shield airbags, do not allow
the child to lean against the door
or around the door even if the child
is seated in the child restraint sys-
tem. It is dangerous if the side air-
bag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with the lap por-
tion of the lap/shoulder belt. You must
carefully consult the manufacturer ’s in-
structions which accompany the child
restraint system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er ’s instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. General directions are also
provided under the following illustrations.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.CAUTION
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rearfacing child restraint system
is installed on the front seat.
A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be
installed on the front passenger
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible, because the force of
the deploying front passenger air-
bag could cause death or serious
injury to the child.
On vehicles with side airbags and
curtain shield airbags, do not allow
the child to lean against the door
or around the door even if the child
is seated in the child restraint sys-
tem. It is dangerous if the side air-
bag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
—Child restraint system