2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Owners Manual

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Front seats as well as parts of the front
pillar and roof side may be hot for several
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 passenger side seat belt sys-
tems. To ensure maximum protec-
tion in an accident, the driver and
all passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts properly. Wear-
ing 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 60 in this sec-
tion.
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 87 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
87 in this section.
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag and curtain shield
airbag inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, you
may be killed or seriously injured.
Special care should be taken espe-
cially 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 with a side airbag, and to the
front pillar and roof side portion
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 allow a child to kneel on the
front passenger seat facing the
front passenger ’s side door, since
the side airbag and curtain shield
airbag inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.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.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 and front
and side pillar. When the curtain
shield airbag inflates, the micro-
phone or other device or object will
be thrown with great force or the
curtain shield airbag may not acti-
vate correctly, resulting in death or
serious injury.

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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
first and third pillars 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
 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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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 and roof
side rail garnish (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 60 in this section 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

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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.
On vehicles with side airbags and
curtain shield 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 dangerous if
the side airbag and curtain shield
airbag inflate, because 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
instructions 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 of the system. General
directions are also provided under the fol-
lowing 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.
—Child restraint system

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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 front
door or around the front door even
if the child is seated in the child
restraint system. It is dangerous if
the side airbag and curtain shield
airbag inflate, because 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 somewhere other than the passenger
compartment. This will prevent it from in-
juring passengers in the event of a sud-
den stop or accident.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” on
pages 100 and 102 in this section.
The child restraint lower anchorages ap-
proved for your vehicle may also be used.
See “—Installation with child restraint low-
er anchorages” on page 104 in this section.
—Types of child restraint
system

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(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rearfacing
position only.
—Installation with seat belt