2004 Lexus ES330 Destination Input and Route Guidance / LEXUS 2004 ES330 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM33633U)

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
120
Seat belt pretensioners
The driver and front passenger's seat belt pretensioners
are designed to be activated in response to a severe
frontal impact.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal impact, the front seat
belts are quickly drawn back by the retractors so that the belts
snugly restrain the front seat occupants.
The front passengers's seat belt pretensioner will not activate
if no passenger is detected in the front passenger seat by the
front passenger occupant classification system. However, the
front passenger's seat belt pretensioner may activate if
luggage is put on the seat, or the seat belt is buckled up
regardless of the presence of an occupant in the seat. (As for
the front passenger occupant classification system, see page
152.)
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS airbags may not operate
together in case of collisions at a certain speeds and angles.
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1Front passenger occupant classification system
(ECU and sensors)
2Front seat belt pretensioner assemblies
3SRS warning light
4Front passenger's seat belt buckle switch
5Front airbag sensors
6Airbag sensor assembly

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
121 The front seat belt pretensioner system consists mainly of the
above components, and their locations are shown in the
illustration.
The front seat belt pretensioners are controlled by the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
When the front seat belt pretensioners are activated, an
operating noise may be heard and a small amount of non-toxic
gas may be released. This does not indicate that a fire is
occurring. This gas is normally harmless.Once the front seat belt pretensioners have been activated, the
seat belt retractors remain locked.
CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or open the front seat belt
pretensioner assemblies, airbag sensor or surrounding
area or wiring. Failure to follow these instruction may
prevent the seat belt pretensioners from activating
correctly, cause sudden operation of the system or
disable the system, which could result in death or
serious injury. Consult your Lexus dealer about any
repairs and modifications.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
122
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without
consulting your Lexus dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the front seat belt
pretensioners in some cases.
Installation of electronic devices such as a mobile
two-way radio, cassette tape player or compact disc
player
Repairs on or near the front seat belt retractor
assemblies
Modification of the suspension system
Modification of the front end structure
Attachment of a grille guard (bull bar, kangaroo bar,
etc.), snowplow, winches or any other equipment to
the front end
Repair made on or near the front fenders, front end
structure or console

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
123
This indicator comes on when the ignition key is turned to
the ONº position. It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the front seat belt pretensioners are operating
properly.
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor
assembly, front airbag sensors, side and curtain shield airbag
sensor assemblies, curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies,
driver's seat position sensor, driver's seat belt buckle switch,
front passenger occupant classification system, AIRBAG
OFFº indicator light, AIRBAG ONº indicator light, front
passenger's seat belt buckle switch, front seat belt
pretensioner assemblies, inflators, warning light,
interconnecting wiring and power sources. (For details, see
Service reminder indicators and warning buzzersº on page 55
for instructions.)If any of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a
malfunction of the airbags or seat belt pretensioners. Contact
your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
When the ignition switch is turned to the ONº position, the
light does not come on or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.
If either front seat belt does not retract or cannot be pulled
out due to a malfunction or activation of the relevant front
seat belt pretensioner.
The seat belt pretensioner assembly or surrounding area
has bees damaged.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
124
In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible:
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the illustration) was
involved in an accident that was not severe enough to cause
the front seat belt pretensioners to operate.
Either front seat belt pretensioner assembly or surrounding
area is scratched, cracked, or otherwise damaged.
SRS DRIVER AIRBAG AND FRONT
PASSENGER AIRBAG
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) front airbags
are designed to provide further protection for the driver
and front passenger in addition to the primary safety
protection provided by the seat belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact, the SRS front airbags
work together with the seat belts to help reduce injury by
inflating. The SRS front airbags help to reduce injuries mainly
to the driver's or front passenger's head or chest caused hitting
the vehicle interior.
The front passenger airbag will not activate if there is no
passenger sitting in the front passenger seat. However, the
front passenger airbag may deploy if luggage is put in the seat,
or the seat belt is buckled up regardless of the presence of the
occupant in the seat. (As for the front passenger occupant
classification system, see Front passenger occupant
classification systemº on page 152.)

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
125 Always wear your seat belt properly.
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 and front passenger when the SRS front
airbags are inflated.
CAUTION
The SRS front airbag system is designed only as a
supplement to the primary protection of the driver
and front passenger seat belt systems. The driver
and front passenger can be killed or seriously injured
by the inflating airbags if they do not wear the
available seat belts properly. During sudden braking
just before a collision, an unrestrained driver or front
passenger can move forward into direct contact with
or close proximity to the airbag which may then
deploy during the collision. 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 concerning the seat
belt system, see Seat beltsº on page 112.
Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and
children can be killed or seriously injured by the
deploying airbags. An infant or child who is too small
to use a seat belt should be properly secured using
a child restraint system. Lexus strongly
recommends that all infants and children be placed
in the rear seat of the vehicle and properly restrained.
The rear seat is the safest for infants and children.
For instructions concerning the installation of a child
restraint system, see Child restraintº on page 156.
The SRS front airbags are designed to deploy in severe
(usually frontal) collisions where the magnitude and
duration of the forward deceleration of the vehicle
exceeds the designed threshold level.
The SRS front airbags will deploy if the severity of the impact
is above the designed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision when the vehicle has
the impact straight into a fixed barrier that does not move or
deform.
However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if
the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on impact, or if the vehicle is
involved in an underride collision (e.g. a collision in which the
front of the vehicle underridesº, or goes under, the bed of a
truck, etc.).

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
126It is possible that in some collisions where the forward
deceleration of the vehicle is very close to the designed
threshold level, the SRS front airbags and the seat belt
pretensioners may not activate together.
Always wear your seat belts properly.

1Collision from the side
2Collision from the rear
3Vehicle rollover
The SRS front airbags are generally not designed to inflate
if the vehicle is involved in a side or rear collision, if it rolls
over, or if it is involved in a low-speed frontal collision.
But, whenever a collision of any type causes sufficient
forward deceleration of the vehicle, deployment of the
SRS front airbags may occur.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
127

1Hitting a curb, edge of pavement or hard surface
2Falling into or jumping over a deep hole
3Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS front airbags may also deploy if a serious impact
occurs to the underside of your vehicle. Some examples
are shown in the illustration.
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