2004 TOYOTA ECHO seats

iii2004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
Important information about your Toyota
Occupant restraint systems
Toyota encourages you and your family to take the time
to read Section 1−3 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 1−3 of this Owner’s Manu-
al is the most important section for you and your family
to read.
Section 1−3 describes the function and operation con-
cerning seats, seat belts, SRS airbags and child re-
straint systems of this vehicle and some potential haz-
ards you should be aware of. These systems work to-
gether 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 under-
stand 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 indi-
vidually or together, can ensure that there is no injury in
the event of collision. However, the more you know
about 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.

272004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front seats28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fold−down rear seat32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Head restraints34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat belts35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS driver and front passenger airbags43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS side airbags50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 3

282004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
Seats
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 5075 mm (23 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.
Front seats—
—Front seat precautions

292004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
Front 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 (with SRS side airbags)
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in
the driver 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 equipped
with side airbags. Such change may
prevent the side airbag system from
activating correctly, disable the sys-
tem or cause the side airbags to
inflate accidentally, resulting in
death or serious injury.
—Seat adjustment precautions
CAUTION
Do not adjust the seat while the ve-
hicle is moving as the seat may un-
expectedly 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
except for putting them in the auxil-
iary box. Otherwise, the objects
may interfere with the seatlock
mechanism or unexpectedly push
up the seat position adjusting lever
and the seat may suddenly move,
causing the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.

302004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
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.
—Adjusting front seats
SU13001
1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING
LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.
CAUTION
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 maxi-
mum 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.

352004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
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”
on page 56 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 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.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—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.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions

512004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
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 side airbags are inflated.CAUTION
The SRS side airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver and
front passenger seat belt systems.
To ensure maximum protection in
an accident, the driver and all pas-
sengers in the vehicle must wear
their seat belts properly. Wearing a
seat belt properly during an acci-
dent 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 belts—” on
page 35.
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 from which the SRS side air-
bag deploys even if he/she is a
child seated in the child restraint
system. It is dangerous if the SRS
side airbag inflates, and the impact
of the deploying airbag 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 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 seats of the vehicle and prop-
erly restrained. The rear seats are
the safest for infants and children.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint—” on page
56.

532004 ECHO from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM52526U)
In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor trigger(s) the side airbag inflators.
At this time a chemical reaction in the
inflators quickly fills the airbags with non−
toxic gas to help restrain the lateral mo-
tion of the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly 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 can safely exit
from the vehicle, you should do so imme-
diately.
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 inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Front seats may be hot for several min-
utes, but the airbags themselves will not
be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with consid-
erable force. To reduce the possibility
of death or serious injury when they
inflate, the driver and front passenger
must:
Wear their seat belts properly.
Remain properly seated with their
backs upright and against the seats
at all times.
SP13008
Do not allow anyone to lean against
the front door when the vehicle is
in use, since the side airbag could
inflate with considerable speed and
force. Otherwise, he/she may be
killed or seriously injured. Special
care should be taken especially
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
seats on vehicles with side airbags.