2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER seats

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
452003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
To turn on the seat heater, push the
switch.
At this time, the indicator light on ei-
ther side will illuminate to indicate the
seat heater is operating.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
Push the switch once again to turn the
seat heater off.
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 from overheating,
do not use the seat heater with a
blanket, cushion, or other insulating
objects 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 switch off
when the engine is not running.
Seat heaters

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
462003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
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 66 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 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. 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
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 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.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
492003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
CAUTION
Both highpositioned lap belts and
loosefitting belts could cause seri-
ous injuries due to sliding under
the lap belt during a collision or
other unintended result. Keep the
lap belt positioned as low on hips
as possible.
For your safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under your arm.
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 seat belt buckles can be
stowed when not in use.
Seat belt buckles must be stowed before
you fold the seat back. (See “—Folddown
rear seats” on page 42 in this section.)
—Stowing rear seat belt
buckles

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
632003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
The SRS side airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.
1. SRS warning light
2. Side airbag modules (airbag and inflator)
3. Side airbag sensors
4. Airbag sensor assembly
The SRS side airbag system is controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor. In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.
At this time a chemical reaction in the
inflators quickly fills the air
bags with non
toxic gas to help restrain the lateral mo-
tion 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 happen 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 may be hot for several min-
utes, but the airbags themselves will not
be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.
CAUTION
The SRS side airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver
side and front 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 properly.
Wearing a seat belt properly during
an accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For
instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
“Seat belts” on page 46 in this sec-
tion.

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
642003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. 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 in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” on page 66 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 from which the side air-
bag deploys even if he/she is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, 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
66 in this section.
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or be seriously
injured. Special care should be tak-
en especially when you have a
small child in the vehicle.
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 on vehicles with side airbags.
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.

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
652003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
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 the front seats
with the side airbags. Such changes
may disable the system or cause
the side airbags to inflate acciden-
tally, resulting in death or serious
injury. Consult your Toyota dealer if
you insist on modifications of this
kind.
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 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 or front seat
This SRS side 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.

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
662003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS side airbags have been in-
flated.
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 to inflate.
The surface of the seats with the side
airbag (shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.
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 46 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.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

’03 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0208)
702003 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’02 Prod. (OM48441U)
CAUTION
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat because the force of the
rapid inflation of the front passen-
ger airbag can cause death or seri-
ous injury to the child.
Do not install a child restraint sys-
tem on the rear seat if it interferes
with the lock mechanism of the
front seats. This can cause death or
serious injury to the child and front
passenger in case of sudden brak-
ing or a collision.
If the driver ’s seat position does
not allow sufficient space for safe
installation, install the child re-
straint system on the rear right
seat.
Same angle
When installing a child restraint
system in the rear center position,
align both seatbacks at the same
angle. Otherwise, the child restraint
system cannot be securely re-
strained and this may cause death
or serious injuries in a collision.