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2004 L/C100 from July ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
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
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 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.
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats35
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Front seats 35
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Armrest 38
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Rear seats 38
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Head restraints 48
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Seat heaters 49
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Seat belts 50
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SRS driver airbag and front passenger airbag 61
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SRS side airbags and curtain shield airbags with roll sensing function 68
Child restraint 79
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SECTION 1 3
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
For your safety and comfort, adjust the
head restraint before driving.
To raise: Pull it up.
To lower: Push it down while pressing the
lock release button.
Front head restraint only—You can also
move the head restraint forward or back-
ward. If such adjustment is desired, pull
or push the head restraint.
Rear center head restraint—When an oc-
cupant sits on the rear center seat, al-
ways pull up the rear center head re-
straint to the lock position.
The head restraint is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, using
a cushion on the seatback is not recom-
mended.
CAUTION
Adjust the center of the head re-
straint so that it is closest to the
top of your ears.
After adjusting the head re-
straint, make sure it is locked in
position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
Seat heaters
Left side
front seatRight side
front seat
To turn on the seat heater, push the
switch to “HI” (high heating tempera-
ture) or “LO” (low heating temperature).
To turn off the seat heater, push the
switch lightly on the opposite side.
The key must be in the “ON” position.
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
persons, sick persons or handi-
capped 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 from overheating,
do not use the seat heater with a
blanket, cushion, or other insulating
objects which cover the seat.
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
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.
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. (For details, see
“Child restraint” on page 79.)
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
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
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—ev-
en children.
To reduce the risk of sliding un-
der the lap belt during a colli-
sion, avoid reclining the seat-
back any more than needed. The
seat belts provide maximum
protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the
passengers 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 direct-
ly 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 periodi-
cally. Check for cuts, fraying,
and loose parts. Damaged parts
should be replaced. Do not dis-
assemble 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 abra-
sive cleaners, or allow them to
come into contact with the belt—
they may severely weaken the
belts. (See “Cleaning the interi-
or” on page 276.)
Replace the belt assembly (in-
cluding bolts) if it has been
used in a severe impact. The en-
tire assembly should be replaced
even if damage is not obvious.
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
Ta bBuckle
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 the shoulder belt is completely ex-
tended and is then retracted even slightly,
the belt is locked in that position and
cannot be extended. This feature is used
to hold the child restraint system securely.
(For details, see “Child restraint” on page
79.) 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 lap and
shoulder portions of the belt are
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.
—Fastening 3 point seat belts
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
—Seat belt extender
If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer to
order the proper required length for the
extender. Bring the heaviest coat you ex-
pect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering in-
formation is available at your Toyota deal-
er.
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following precautions.
Failure to follow these instructions
could reduce the effectiveness of the
seat belt restraint system in case of
an accident, increasing the chance of
personal injury.
Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe
when used on a different vehicle,
for another person, or at a differ-
ent seating position than the one
originally intended.
If the seat belt extender has been
connected to the driver ’s seat belt
buckle without wearing the seat belt
when using the extender in the
driver ’s seat, the SRS driver ’s air-
bag system will judge that the driv-
er wears the seat belt even if not
wearing it. In this case, the driver ’s
airbag may not activate correctly,
causing death or serious injury in
the event of collision. Be sure to
wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender.
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.
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
The SRS front airbag system is
designed only as a supplement
to the primary protection of the
driver and front passenger seat
belt systems. The driver and
front passenger can be killed or
seriously injured by the inflating
airbags if they do not wear the
available seat belts properly. Dur-
ing sudden braking just before a
collision, an unrestrained driver
or front passenger can move for-
ward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag
which may then deploy during
the collision. To ensure maxi-
mum protection in an accident,
the driver and all passengers in
the vehicle must wear their seat
belts properly. Wearing a seat
belt properly during an accident
reduces the chances of death or
serious injury or being thrown
out of the vehicle. For instruc-
tions and precautions concerning
the seat belt system, see “Seat
belts” on page 50.
Improperly seated and/or re-
strained infants and children can
be killed or seriously injured by
the deploying front 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 infants and
children be placed in the rear
seat of the vehicle and properly
restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint
system, see “Child restraint” on
page 79.The SRS front airbags are designed to
deploy in severe (usually frontal) colli-
sions where the magnitude and duration
of the forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle exceeds the designed threshold
level.
The SRS front airbags will deploy if the
severity of the impact is above the de-
signed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision
when the vehicle has the impact straight
into a fixed barrier that does not move or
deform.
However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or
sign pole, which can move or deform on
impact, or if the vehicle is involved in an
underride collision (e.g. a collision in
which the front of the vehicle “underrides”,
or goes under, the bed of a truck, etc.).
It is possible that in some collisions
where the forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle is very close to the designed thresh-
old level, the SRS front airbags and the
seat belt pretensioners may not activate
together.
Always wear your seat belts properly.