2004 TOYOTA AVALON airbag

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Important information about your Toyota
Occupant restraint systems
Toyota encourages you and your family to take the time to
read Section 13 of this Owner ’s Manual carefully. In
terms of helping you understand how you can receive the
maximum benefit of the occupant restraint systems this
vehicle provides, Section 13 of this Owner ’s Manual is
the most important Section for you and your family to
read.
Section 13 describes the function and operation concern-
ing seats, seat belts, SRS airbags and child restraint sys-
tems of this vehicle and some potential hazards you
should be aware of. These systems work together along
with the overall structure of this vehicle in order to provide
occupant restraint in the event of a crash. The effect of
each system is enhanced when it is used properly and
together with other systems. No single occupant restraint
system can, by itself, provide you or your family with the
equal level of restraint which these systems can provide
when used together. That is why it is important for you and
your family to understand the purpose and proper use of
each of these systems and how they relate to each other.
The purpose of all occupant restraint systems is to help
reduce the possibility of death or serious injury in the
event of a collision. None of these systems, either individ-
ually or together, can ensure that there is no injury in the
event of collision. However, the more you know a bout
these systems and how to use them properly, the greater
your chances become of surviving an accident without
death or serious injury.
Seat belts provide the primary restraint to all occupants of
the vehicle, and every occupant of the vehicle should wear
seat belts properly at all times. Children should always be
secured in child restraint systems that are appropriate for
their age and size. SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
airbags are, as their names imply, designed to work with,
and be supplemental to, seat belts and are not substitutes
for them. SRS airbags can be very effective in reducing
the risk of head and chest injuries by preventing contact of
the head and chest with interior portions of the vehicle.

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In order to be effective, the SRS airbags must deploy with
tremendous speed. The rapid deployment of the SRS air-
bags makes the SRS airbags themselves potential sources
of serious injury if an occupant is too close to an airbag,
or if an object or some part of his or her body has been
placed between the occupant and the airbag at the time of
deployment. This is just one example of how the instruc-
tions in Section 13 of this Owner ’s Manual will help en-
sure proper use of the occupant restraint systems, and
increase the safety they can provide to you and your fami-
ly in the event of an accident.
Toyota recommends you to read the provisions in Section
13 carefully and refer to them as needed during your time
of ownership of this vehicle.New vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by the following Toyota limited
warranties: New vehicle warranty
 Emission control systems warranty
 Others
For further information, please refer to the “Owner’s War-
ranty Information Booklet” or “Owner ’s Manual Supple-
ment”.

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Accessories, spare parts andmodification of your Toyota
A wide variety of nongenuine spare parts and accessories
for Toyota vehicles are currently available in the market.
You should know that Toyota does not warrant these prod-
ucts and is not responsible for their performance, repair, or
replacement, or for any damage they may cause to, or
adverse effect they may have on, your Toyota vehicle.
This vehicle should not be modified with nongenuine
Toyota products. Modification with nongenuine Toyota
products could affect its performance, safety or durab ility,
and may even violate governmental regulations. In addi-
tion, damage or performance problems resulting from the
modification may not be covered under warranty.
Spark ignition system of your To y o t a
The spark ignition system in your Toyota meets all require-
ments of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment
Standard.
Installation of a mobile twowayradio system
As the installation of a mobile twoway radio system in
your vehicle could affect electronic systems such as multi-
port fuel injection system/sequential multiport fuel injection
system, cruise control system, antilock brake system,
traction control system, vehi cle stability control system,
SRS airbag system and seat belt pretensioner system, be
sure to check with your Toyota dealer for precautionary
measures or special instructions regarding installation.

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Tires and loading on yourTo y o t a
Underinflated or overinflated tire pressure and the
excess load may result in the deterioration of
steering ability and braking ability, leading to an
accident. Check the tire inflation pressure periodi-
cally and be sure to keep the load limits given in
this Owner ’s Manual. For details about tire inflation
pressure and load limits, see “Checking tire infla-
tion pressure” in Sectio n 72 and “Vehicle load
limits” in Section 2.
Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner devices in your
Toyota contain explosive chemicals. If the vehicle is
scrapped with the airbags and pretensioners left as they
are, this may cause an accident such as fire. Be sure to
have the systems of the SRS airbag and seat belt preten-
sioner removed and disposed of by the qualified service
shop or by your Toyota dealer before you dispose of your
vehicle.

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats42
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Front seats 42
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Driving position memory system 46
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Trunk storage extension 48
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Head restraints 49
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Armrest 49
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Seat heaters 50
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Seat belts 51
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SRS driver airbag and front passenger airbag 61
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SRS side airbags 68
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Child restraint 73
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SECTION 1 3

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While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow any passengers to sit on
top of a foldeddown seatback, or
in the luggage compartment or car-
go area. Persons not properly
seated and/or not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow any
passengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Otherwise,
severe injuries can occur in the
event of emergency braking or a
collision.
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with
considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if
the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (“NHTSA”) advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag
is the first 50—75 mm (2—3 in.) of
inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your driver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of safety.
This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your
breastbone. If you sit less than 250
mm (10 in.) away now, you can
change your driving position in sever-
al ways:
Move your seat to the rear as far
as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Slightly recline the back of the
seat. Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the 250
mm (10 in.) distance, even with the
driver seat all the way forward, sim-
ply by reclining the back of the
seat somewhat. If reclining the back
of your seat makes it hard to see
the road, raise yourself by using a
firm, nonslippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
If your steering wheel is adjustable,
tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of
your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as rec-
ommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot
pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.
Seats Front seats—
—Front seat precautions

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Front outside passenger seat
CAUTION
The SRS front passenger airbag also
deploys with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious injury es-
pecially if the front passenger is very
close to the airbag. The front passen-
ger seat should be as far from the
airbag as possible with the seatback
adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
Front seats
CAUTION
SRS side airbags are installed in the
outboard side of the driver’s and
front passenger seats. Observe the
following precautions.
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 seriously in-
jured.
Do not use seat accessories which
cover the area 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 seats with side
airbags. Such change may prevent
the side airbag system from activat-
ing correctly, disable the system or
cause the side airbag system to in-
flate accidentally, resulting in death
or serious injury.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the seat while the
vehicle is moving as the seat may
unexpectedly move and cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Be careful that the seat does not
hit a passenger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position, re-
lease the lever and try sliding the
seat forward and backward to make
sure it is locked in position.
After adjusting the seatback, push
your body back against the seat to
make sure the seat is locked in
position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
Otherwise, the objects may interfere
with the seatlock mechanism or
unexpectedly push up the seat posi-
tion adjusting lever and the seat
may suddenly move, causing the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
While adjusting the seat, do not put
your hands under the seat or near
the moving parts. Otherwise, your
hands or fingers may be caught and
injured.
—Seat adjustment precautions

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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
discharge, turn the switch off when
the engine is not running.
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”
in this Section 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 the 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 any children 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. Holding a child in your arms
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.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions