2004 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER light

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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(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

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2. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put it
in the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended.
To hold the infant seat securely, make
sure the belt is in the lock mode before
letting the belt retract.3. While pressing the infant seat firmly against the seat cushion and seatback,
let the shoulder belt retract as far as
it will go to hold the infant seat secure-
ly.CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.

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4. To remove the infant seat, press the
buckle release button and allow the
belt to retract completely. The belt will
move freely again and be ready to
work for an adult or older child passen-
ger.(B) CONVERTIBLE SEAT INSTALLATION
A convertible seat must be used in for-
wardfacing or rearfacing position de-
pending on the age and size of the
child. When installing, follow the
manufacturer ’s instructions about the
applicable age and size of the child as
well as directions for installing the
child restraint system. Install the child restraint system on the
front passenger seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Your vehicle is equipped with a
front passenger occupant classification
system. In order to activate the occupant
classification system correctly, install the
forward
−facing child restraint system on
the front passenger seat in the following
order:
1. Turn the ignition key to the “ON” posi- tion.
2. Move the front passenger seat to the rearward position.
3. Put the child restraint system on the front passenger seat without putting
your weight on the front passenger
seat.
4. Insert the seat belt tab into the seat belt buckle.
5. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put it in the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended. To hold the seat securely,
make sure the belt is in the lock mode
before letting the belt retract.