
54
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 should sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. See “Seat belts” 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 put a rear facing 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 rear facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
A forward facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
On vehicles with side airbags, do
not allow the child to lean against
the front door or around the front
door even if the child is seated in
the child restraint system. It is dan-
gerous if the side airbag inflates,
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.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

55
—Child restraint system
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
instructions which accompany your
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 put a rear facing 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 rear facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a child restraint system on the
front seat.
A forward facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
On vehicle with side airbags, do not
allow the child to lean against the
front door or around the front door
even if the child is seated in the
child restraint system. It is danger-
ous if the side airbag inflates, and
the impact could cause death or
serious injury to the child.
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place following the manufacturer ’s
instructions. If it is not restrained
securely, it may cause death or se-
rious injury to the child in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it in the trunk or somewhere other than
the passenger compartment. This will pre-
vent it from injuring passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)

56
Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child’s age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to use the an-
chor bracket, see “—Using a top strap” in
this section.
The child restraint lower anchorages
approved for your vehicle may also be
used. See “—Installation with child
restraint lower anchorages” in this section.
SU13201
(A) Infant seat
SU13032
(B) Convertible seat
SU13033
(C) Booster seat
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)
—Types of child restraint
system

58
SU13037
1. Run the lap and shoulder belt throughor around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the belt. Keep
the lap portion of the belt tight.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap and shoulder portions
of the belt are 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, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the child restraint system until
the seat belt is fixed.
SU13038
2. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put itin the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended.
To hold the infant seat securely, make
sure the belt is in the lock mode before
letting the belt retract.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)

59
SU13039
3. While pressing the infant seat firmlyagainst the seat cushion and seatback,
let the shoulder belt retract as far as
it will go to hold the infant seat secure-
ly.
SU13040
CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
SY13063
4. To remove the infant seat, press thebuckle release button and allow the
belt to retract completely. The belt will
move freely again and be ready to
work for an adult or older child passen-
ger.
2003 ECHO from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM52481U)