2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER child seat

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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 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 Manual is
the most important Section for you and your family to
read.
Section 1 −3 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 can be enhanced when it is used properly
and together with other systems. No single occupant re-
straint 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 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.

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The power door lock switch can be reset
in the following ways.
Turn the ignition key to “ON”.
Unlock all the side doors and back
door with the key or wireless remote
control transmitter.
Unlock the driver’s door or front pas-
senger ’s door with the inside lock
knob, and then unlock all the doors
and back door with the power door
lock switch.
REAR DOOR CHILDPROTECTORS
Move the lock lever to the “LOCK”
position as shown on the label.
This feature allows you to lock a rear
door so it can be opened from the outside
only, not from inside. We recommend us-
ing this feature whenever small children
are in the vehicle.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure that the doors
are closed and locked, especially
when small children are in the ve-
hicle. Along with the proper use of
seat belts, locking the doors helps
prevent the driver and passengers
from being thrown out from the ve-
hicle during an accident. It also helps
prevent the doors from being opened
unintentionally.

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats 36
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Front seats 36
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Rear seats 40
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Flattening seatbacks 49
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Seat heaters 52
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Head restraints 53
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Armrests 54
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Seat belts 54
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SRS airbags 66
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Child restraint 85
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SECTION 1 3

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To turn on the seat heater, push the
switches (“L” switch for the left front
seat and “R” switch for the right front
seat). At this time, the indicator light
will illuminate to indicate the seat heat-
er is operating.
To turn off the seat heater, push the
switch once again.
The key must be in the “ON” position to
operate seat heaters.
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when op-
erating the seat heater because it
may make them feel too hot or cause
burns at low temperatures (erythema,
varicella). Use extra caution for;
Babies, small children, elderly per-
sons, sick persons or handicapped
persons
Persons who have delicate skin
Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or
drugs which induce sleep (sleeping
drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do
not use the seat heater with a blan-
ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-
jects which cover the seat.
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
discharged, turn the switch off
when the engine is not running.
Seat heaters

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Front seats
Second seat
To use the armrest, pull it down as
shown in the illustrations.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the armrest,
avoid putting heavy loads on it.
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 85 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.
Armrests Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions

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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.
Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care that
they do not get caught or pinched
in the seat or doors.
Inspect the belt system periodically.
Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Damaged parts should be re-
placed. Do not disassemble or
modify the system.
Keep the belts clean and dry. If
they need cleaning, use a mild soap
solution or lukewarm water. Never
use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-
ers, or allow them to come into
contact with the belt—they may se-
verely weaken the belts. (See
“Cleaning the interior” on page 353
in Section 5.)
Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.

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Ta b
Buckle
Adjust the seat as needed and sit up
straight and well back in the seat. To
fasten your belt, pull it out of the re-
tractor 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 com-
pletely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that
position and cannot be extended. This fea-
ture is used to hold the child restraint
system securely. (For details, see “Child
restraint” on page 85 in this Section.) 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
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed, because
it cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from injury.
Ta k e u p
slack
To o h i g h
Keep as low on
hips as possible
Adjust the position of the lap and
shoulder belts.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips—not on your waist, then ad-
just it to a snug fit by pulling the shoulder
portion upward through the latch plate.
—Fastening front and rear
seat belts

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Make sure the “AIRBAG ON”
indicator light is illuminated when
using the seat belt extender for the
front passenger seat. If the
“AIRBAG OFF” 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 ON”
indicator light is illuminated. If you
use the seat belt extender while the
“AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is
illuminated, the front passenger
airbag and side airbag on the front
passenger side may not activate
correctly, causing death or serious
injury in the event of collision.
Be sure to wear the seat belt with-
out 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 passen-
ger seat. If installing a child re-
straint 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.
To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the “PRESS” signs on
the buckle release buttons of the ex-
tender and the seat belt are both facing
outward as shown.
You will hear a click when the tab locks
into the buckle.
When releasing the seat belt, press on
the buckle release button on the extender,
not on the seat belt. This helps prevent
damage to the vehicle interior and extend-
er itself.