2003 TOYOTA TACOMA airbag off

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
482003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS front airbags have been in-
flated.
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause
the SRS airbags to inflate.
The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection for the driver and
front passenger in addition to the pri-
mary safety protection provided by the
seat belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS airbags work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflat-
ing. The SRS airbags help to reduce inju-
ries mainly to the driver’s or front passen-
ger ’s head or chest caused by directly
hitting the steering wheel or dashboard.
The front passenger airbag is activated
even with no passenger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.
SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag
(vehicles without passenger airbag
manual onoff switch)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
492003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seat belt restraint
system by the driver when the SRS air-
bags are inflated.
CAUTION
The driver or front passenger who is
too close to the steering wheel or
dashboard during airbag deployment
can be killed or seriously injured.
Toyota strongly recommends that:
The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
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 airbags are operating
properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, front seat belt pretensioner assem-
blies, inflators, warning light, interconnect-
ing wiring and power sources. (For details,
see “Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzers” in Section 15.)The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area between
the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severi-
ty of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision when
impacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbags
may not deploy.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
512003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
The SRS airbag system consists mainly of
the following components, and their loca-
tions are shown in the illustration.1. Front airbag sensors
2. Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
3. Airbag module for front passenger (airbag and inflator)
4. Airbag sensor assembly
5. SRS warning light
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor. In a severe frontal impact, the sensors
detect deceleration and the system trig-
gers the airbag inflators. Then a chemical
reaction in the inflators quickly fills the
airbags with nontoxic gas to help restrain
the forward 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.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, dashboard) may be hot for several
minutes, but the airbags themselves will
not be hot. The airbags are designed to
inflate only once. A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the
vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a pas-
senger airbag the windshield may also be
damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
562003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Indicator light
This onoff switch is designed to dis-
able the front passenger airbag in order
to allow usage, if necessary, of a mem-
ber of a passenger risk group identified
in TABLE 1 is occupying the right front
passenger seating position. (For details,
see “SRS driver and front passenger
airbags” in this section.)
Operate onoff switch as follows:
Insert key into the keyhole and turn it.
To turn front passenger airbag on: Turn
the key clockwise to the “ON” position.
To turn front passenger airbag off: Turn
the key counterclockwise to the “OFF”
position.The indicator light comes on when the
front passenger airbag system is off.
CAUTION
Make sure that the indicator light is
off.
Do not turn off the passenger air-
bag manual onoff switch except
when a member of a passenger risk
group identified in TABLE 1 is oc-
cupying the right front passenger
seating position.
When the passenger airbag manual
onoff switch is turned off, the
front passenger airbag will not in-
flate in a collision and turning off
the front passenger airbag can re-
duce the occupant protection which
your vehicle safety systems can
provide to you in certain accidents
and increase the likelihood of seri-
ous personal injuries.
For details, see “SRS driver and front
passenger airbags” in this section.
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 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.
Passenger airbag manual
onoff switch
(on some models) Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
572003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Vehicles with passenger airbag manu-
al onoff switch—
REGULAR CAB MODELS—
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child.
XTRACAB MODELS—
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 infant or child age 1 to
12 in a passenger risk group on the
right front seat with the passenger
airbag manual onoff switch in the
“ON” position. In the event of an
accident, the force of the rapid
inflation of the passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury
to the child.
If you must put infant or child age
1 to 12 in a passenger risk group
on the right front seat, make sure
the passenger airbag manual onoff
switch is in the “OFF” position and
that the indicator light is on. (For
details, see “SRS driver and front
passenger airbags” in this section.)
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
Vehicles without passenger airbag
manual onoff switch—
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.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not
install a forwardfacing child re-
straint system 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.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
582003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
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 either the
lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. You must carefully con-
sult 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. General directions are also
provided under the following illustrations.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat if your vehicle
is equipped with rear seats. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.CAUTION
Vehicles with passenger airbag manu-
al onoff switch—
Never put infant or child age 1 to
12 in a passenger risk group on the
right front seat with the passenger
airbag manual onoff switch in the
“ON” position. In the event of an
accident, the force of the rapid
inflation of the passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury
to the child.
If you must put infant or child age
1 to 12 in a passenger risk group
on the right front seat, make sure
the passenger airbag manual onoff
switch is in the “OFF” position and
that the indicator light is on. (For
details, see “SRS driver and front
passenger airbags” in this section.)
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place according to the manufactur-
er’s instructions. If it is not re-
strained securely, it may cause
death or serious injury to the child
in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.
—Child restraint system

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
592003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Vehicles without passenger airbag
manual onoff switch—
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.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not
install a forwardfacing child re-
straint system 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.
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place according to the manufactur-
er’s instructions. If it is not re-
strained securely, it may cause
death or serious 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.
Your vehicle has anchors for securing the
top strap of a child restraint system.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.
For instructions on how to use the anchor
bracket, see “—Using a top strap” 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” in this section.
—Types of child restraint
system

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
602003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rearfacing
position only.
—Installation with 2point type
seat belt
(vehicles with passenger
airbag manual onoff switch)