2004 Lexus ES330 ECU

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
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SEAT BELTS
Seat belt precautions
Lexus strongly urges that the driver and passengers in the
vehicle be properly restrained 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 appropriate for the child
until the child becomes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See Child restraintº on page 156 for
details.
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. 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 the seat belts are not worn
properly, the force of the rapid inflation of the airbag may cause
death or serious injury to the child.
Do not allow any children to stand up or kneel on either rear or
front seats. An unrestrained child could suffer serious injury or
death during emergency braking or a collision. Also, do not let
the child sit on your lap. Holding a child in your arms does not
provide sufficient restraint.Pregnant woman. Lexus 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. Lexus recommends the use of a seat belt.
Depending on the injury, 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 Ð even children.
To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during
a collision, avoid reclining the seatback any more
than needed. The seat belts provide maximum
protection in a frontal or rear collision when the
driver and the front passenger are sitting up straight
and well back in the seats. If you are reclined, the lap
belt may slide past your hips and apply restraint
forces directly to the abdomen. In the event of a
frontal collision, the more the seat is reclined, the
greater the risk of personal injury.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
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Fastening front and rear seat belts
Adjust the seat as needed and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it out of the retractor
and insert the tab into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts to your size and the
seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a sudden stop or on
impact. It also may lock if you lean forward too quickly. A slow,
easy motion will allow the belt to extend, and you can move
around freely.When a passenger's shoulder belt is completely extended and
is then retracted even slightly, the belt is locked in that position
and cannot be extended. This feature is used to hold the child
restraint system securely. (For details, see Child restraintº on
page 156.) To free the belt again, fully retract the belt and then
pull the belt out once more.
If the seat belt cannot be pulled out of the retractor, firmly pull
the belt and release it. You will then be able to smoothly pull
the belt out of the retractor.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure the tab and buckle
are locked and that the belt is 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,
immediately contact your Lexus dealer. Do not use
the seat until the seat belt is fixed, because it cannot
protect an adult occupant or your child from injury.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
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CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of the child's shoulder. The belt
should be kept away from the child's neck, and should
not fall off the child's shoulder. Failure to observe these
precautions could reduce the effectiveness of the seat
belt in an accident, causing death or serious injury.
Seat belt extender
If your seat belts cannot be fastened securely because it is not
long enough, a personalized seat belt extender is available
from your Lexus dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Lexus dealer so that the dealer can
order the proper required length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering information is available
at your Lexus dealer.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender, observe the
following precautions. Failure to follow these
instructions could result in less effectiveness of the
seat belt restraint system in case of an accident,
increasing the chance of personal injury.
Remember that the extender provided for you may
not be safe when used on a different vehicle, or for
another person or at a different seating position than
the one originally intended for.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
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If the seat belt extender has been connected to the
driver's seat belt buckle without wearing the seat belt
when using the extender in the driver's seat, the SRS
driver's airbag system will judge that the driver wears
the seat belt even if not wearing it. In this case, the
driver's airbag may not activate correctly, causing
death or serious injury in the event of collision. Be
sure to wear the seat belt with the seat belt extender.
Make sure the AIRBAG ONº indicator light is
illuminated when using the seat belt extender for the
front passenger seat. If the AIRBAG OFFº indicator
light is illuminated, disconnect the extender tongue
from the seat belt buckle, then reconnect the seat
belt. Reconnect the seat belt extender after making
sure the AIRBAG ONº indicator light is illuminated.
If you use the seat belt extender while the AIRBAG
OFFº indicator light is illuminated, the front
passenger airbag and side airbag on the front
passenger side may not activate correctly, which
could cause death or serious injury in the event of
collision.
Be sure to wear the seat belt without the seat belt
extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the
extender.
Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a
child restraint system on the front or rear passenger
seat. If installing a child restraint system with the
seat belt extender connected to the seat belt, the seat
belt will not securely hold the child restraint system,
which could cause death or serious injury to the child
or other passengers in the event of collision.

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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.
16E544

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
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.).

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128

1Front passenger occupant classification system
(ECU and sensors)
2Airbag module for front passenger
(airbag and inflator)
3SRS warning light
4Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
5Driver's seat position sensor
6Driver's seat belt buckle switch
7Front passenger's seat belt buckle switch
8AIRBAG OFFº and AIRBAG ONº indicator lights
9Front airbag sensors
10Airbag sensor assembly
The SRS front airbag system consists mainly of the above
components, and their locations are shown in the illustration.
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor.The front airbag sensors constantly monitor the forward
deceleration of the vehicle. If an impact results in a forward
deceleration beyond the designed threshold level, the system
triggers the airbag inflators. At this time a chemical reaction in
the inflators very quickly fills the airbags with non-toxic gas to
help restrain the forward motion of the occupants. The front
airbags then quickly deflate, so that there is no obstruction of
the driver's vision should it be necessary to continue driving.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a loud noise and
release some smoke and residue along with non-toxic gas.
This does not indicate a fire. This smoke may remain inside the
vehicle for some time, and may cause some minor irritation to
the eyes, skin or breathing. Be sure to wash off any residue as
soon as possible to prevent any potential skin irritation with
soap and water. If you safely exit from the vehicle, you should
do so immediately.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a fraction of a second,
so the airbags must inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious injuries, primarily to the
head and chest, it may also cause other, less severe injuries
to the face, chest, arms and hands. These are usually in the
nature of minor burns or abrasions and swelling, but the force
of a deploying airbag can cause more serious injuries,
especially if an occupant's hands, arms, chest or head are in
close proximity to the airbag module at the time of deployment.
This is why it is important for the occupant to: avoid placing any
object or part of the body between the occupant and the airbag
module; sit straight and well back into the seat; wear the
available seat belt properly; and sit as far as possible from the
airbag module, while still maintaining control of the vehicle.

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138
CAUTION
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield airbag system
is designed only as a supplement to the primary
protection of the driver and front passenger and rear
outside passenger 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 concerning the seat
belt system, see Seat beltsº on page 112.
Do not allow anyone to lean his/her head or any part
of his/her body against the door or the area of the
seat, front pillar, rear pillar or roof side rail from which
the SRS side airbag and curtain shield airbag deploy
even if he/she is a child seated in the child restraint
system. It is dangerous if the SRS side airbag and
curtain shield airbag inflate, and the impact of the
deploying airbags could cause death or serious
injury to the occupant.
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 seats of the vehicle and properly
restrained. The rear seats are the safest for infants
and children. For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint system, see Child
restraintº on page 156.