2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Owners Manual

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
81
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
Your vehicle is equipped with a front
passenger occupant classification sys-
tem. This system detects the conditions
1—4 in the table on page 83 and based
on these conditions activates or deacti-
vates front passenger airbags. The sys-
tem monitors the weight and load on
the front passenger seat, and the seat
belt buckle switch to determine condi-
tions 1—4. In order for the system to
detect the conditions correctly, do not
do any of the following.
Put a heavy load in the front passen-
ger seat.
Attach a seatback table to the front
passenger seat seatback.
Put weight on the front passenger by
putting your hands or feet on the front
passenger seat seatback from the rear
passenger seat.
The “AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator lights indicate the actuation of
the front passenger airbag, side airbag
on the front passenger seat and front
passenger ’s seat belt pretensioner.
The “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light will be
illuminated when the ignition switch is in
the “ON” position with the condition 2 in
the table shown below. If the front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system determines that a person of
adult size sits in the front passenger seat
but the “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is
illuminated, one of the following is likely
to have occurred:
A rear passenger lifts the front passen-
ger seat cushion with their legs.
Objects are placed under the front pas-
senger seat.
The front passenger seatback is in
contact with the second seat.
To ensure the system correctly detects an
adult sitting in the front passenger seat,
make sure the above do not occur.
Make sure that the “AIRBAG ON” indicator
light is illuminated when an adult is
seated in the front passenger seat. If the
“AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is illumina-
ted, ask the passenger to sit up straight,
well back in the seat, and with the seat
belt worn correctly. If the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light still remains illuminated, ei-
ther ask the passenger to move to the
rear seat, or if that is not possible, move
the front passenger seat fully rearward.
—Front passenger occupant
classification system

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
82
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
The “AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator lights will be illuminated ini-
tially when the ignition key is turned to
the “ON” position. After about 4 sec-
onds, they will go off. After that, the
front passenger occupant classification
system operates and judges which indi-
cator light be illuminated.
The SRS warning light and “AIRBAG
OFF” indicator light will come on if
there is a malfunction in the front pas-
senger occupant classification system.

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
83
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification system
Condition detected by the front
passenger occupant
classification system
Indicator/warning lightDevices
“AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF”indicator lightsSRS warning light
Front
passenger ’s seat belt
reminder lightFront
passenger airbagSide airbag
on the front passenger seatCurtain shieldairbag in the front
passenger sideFront
passenger ’s seat belt
pretensioner
1. Adult∗ 1“AIRBAG ON”OffFlashing∗4Activated
2. Child∗2 or child
restraint system∗ 3“AIRBAG OFF”OffFlashing∗4Deactivated
Activated
Activated
3. UnoccupiedNot illuminatedOffOffDeactivatedDeactivated
4. There is a
malfunction in the
system
“AIRBAG OFF”OnOffDeactivatedActivated
∗1: The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits in the front passenger seat, the system may
recognize him/her as a child depending on his/her physique and posture.
∗2: When a larger child who has outgrown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/h er
as an adult depending on his/her physique or posture.
∗ 3: Never install a rear −facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat. A forward −facing child restraint system should only be
installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable. (See “Child restraint” on page 85 in this Section as for installi ng the
child restraint system.)
∗ 4:
In the event that the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
84
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
CAUTION
To avoid potential death or serious
injury when the front passenger occu-
pant classification system does not
detect the conditions correctly, ob-
serve the following.
Do not recline the front passenger
seat seatback so that it interferes
with a second seat as it may cause
the “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light
be illuminated. If the seatback inter-
feres with the second seat, return
the seatback to a position where it
does not interfere with the second
seat.
Avoid reclining the front passenger
seat seatback too much while the
vehicle is moving, as it lessens the
effectiveness of the seat belt.
Make sure the “AIRBAG ON” indica-
tor 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 re-
connect 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 “AIR-
BAG OFF” indicator light is illumi-
nated, the front passenger airbag
and side airbag on the front pas-
senger side may not activate cor-
rectly, which could cause death or
serious injury in the event of colli-
sion.If an adult sits in the front
passenger seat, the “AIRBAG ON”
indicator light should be illumi-
nated. If the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated, ask
the passenger to sit up straight,
well back in the seat, feet on the
floor, and with the seat belt worn
correctly. If the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light still remains illumi-
nated, either ask the passenger to
move to the rear seat, or if that is
not possible, move the front
passenger seat fully rearward.
Wear the seat belt properly.
Make sure the front passenger ’s
seat belt tab has not been left in-
serted into the buckle before some-
one sits in the front passenger
seat.
Do not put a heavy load in the
front passenger seatback pocket or
attach a seatback table to the front
passenger seat seatback.
Do not let a rear passenger lift the
front passenger seat with their feet
or press on the seatback with their
legs.

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
85
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
Do not put objects under the front
passenger seat.
Child restraint systems installed on
the second seat should not contact
the front seatbacks.
The “AIRBAG ON” indicator light may be
illuminated (the front passenger airbag and
side airbag on the front passenger seat
may deploy) even if observing the above
cautions, when a child sits in, or a for-
ward −facing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger seat. Re-
fer to all the cautions in “SRS airbags” on
page 66 and “Child restraint” on page 85
in this Section. Toyota strongly urges the use of ap-
propriate child restraint systems for
children.
The laws of all 50 states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a
child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAEJ1819.
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. See “Seat belts” on
page 54 in this Section for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops, a
child must be properly restrained,
using a seat belt or child restraint
system depending on the age and
size of the child. Holding a child in
your arms is not a substitute for a
child restraint system. In an acci-
dent, the child can be crushed
against the windshield, or between
you and the vehicle’s interior.
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child,
installed on the rear seat. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, the child
is safer when properly restrained in
the rear seat than in the front seat.
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat even if the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated. In the
event of an accident, the force of
the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag can cause death or
serious injury to the child if the
rearfacing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger
seat.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
86
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be
installed on the front passenger
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible even if the “AIRBAG
OFF” indicator light is illuminated,
because the front passenger airbag
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
On vehicles with side airbags and
curtain shield airbags, do not allow
the child to lean his/her head or
any part of his/her body against the
door or the area of the seat, front
or rear pillar or roof side rail from
which the side airbags or curtain
shield airbags deploy even if the
child is seated in the child restraint
system. It is dangerous if the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
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.
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured. If it is not se-
cured properly, it may cause death
or serious injury to the child in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with the lap por-
tion of the lap/shoulder belt. You must
carefully consult the manufacturer ’s in-
structions which accompany the child
restraint system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er ’s instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. General directions are also
provided under the following illustrations.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it somewhere other than the passenger
compartment. This will prevent it from in-
juring passengers in the event of a sud-
den stop or accident.
—Child restraint system

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
87
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child’s age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to use the an-
chor bracket, see “—Using a top strap” on
page 99 in this Section.
The child restraint lower anchorages ap-
proved for your vehicle may also be used.
See “—Installation with child restraint low-
er anchorages” on page 101 in this Sec-
tion.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
—Types of child restraint
system

’04 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0308)
88
2004 HIGHLANDER from Aug. ’03 Prod. (OM48478U)
(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat must be used in rear
facing position only.CAUTION
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat even if the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated. In the
event of an accident, the impact of
the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag could cause death or
serious injury to the child if the
rearfacing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger
seat.
Do not install a child restraint sys-
tem on the second (or third) seat if
it interferes with the lock mecha-
nism of the front (or second) seats.
Otherwise, the child or front (or
second) seat occupant(s) may be
killed or seriously injured in case
of sudden braking or a collision.
If the driver ’s seat position does
not allow sufficient space for safe
installation, install the child re-
straint system on the right second
seat.
—Installation with seat belt