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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.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make
sure the tab and buckle are
locked and that the lap and
shoulder portions of the belt and
the seat belt extender 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.
—Seat belt pretensioners
The seat belt pretensioners are de-
signed to be activated in response to
a severe frontal impact or a vehicle
rollover.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact or a vehicle rollover, the front seat
belts are quickly drawn back by the re-
tractor so that the belts snugly restrain
the occupants.
The seat belt pretensioners are activated
even with no passenger in the front seat.
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-
bags may not operate together in all colli-
sions.
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Roll sensing of curtain shield airbags off
indicator light
The seat belt pretensioners will not oper-
ate in a vehicle rollover if the roll sensing
of curtain shield airbags off indicator light
is on. For details, see “Roll sensing of
curtain shield airbags off switch” on page
69.
CAUTION
Make sure the roll sensing of cur-
tain shield airbags off indicator
light is not on.
When the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off switch is turned
on (and the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off indicator light is
on), the seat belt pretensioners will
not operate in a vehicle rollover
and turning off the seat belt preten-
sioners can reduce the occupant
protection which your vehicle safety
systems can provide to you in cer-
tain accidents and increase the like-
lihood of death or serious injuries.
The seat belt pretensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components,
and their locations are shown in the il-
lustration.1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
4. Airbag sensor assembly
The seat belt pretensioners are controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
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When the seat belt pretensioners are acti-
vated, an operating noise may be heard
and a small amount of non−toxic gas may
be released. This does not indicate that
a fire is occurring. This gas is normally
harmless.
Once the seat belt pretensioners have
been activated, the seat belt retractors
remain locked.
CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or
open the seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, airbag sensor or sur-
rounding area or wiring. Doing any
of these may prevent the seat belt
pretensioners from activating cor-
rectly, cause sudden operation of
the system or disable the system,
resulting in death or serious injury.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacturer ’s recom-
mended size. Such a use may cause
the curtain shield airbags and seat
belt pretensioners to inflate acci-
dentally, resulting in death or seri-
ous injury. For details, see “Check-
ing and replacing tires” on page
302.
Do not place luggage heavier than
specified on the roof luggage carri-
er. Such luggage may cause the
curtain shield airbags and seat belt
pretensioners to inflate accidentally,
resulting in death or serious injury.
For details, see “Roof luggage car-
rier” on page 200.
Do not modify or change the sus-
pension system. Such changes may
cause the curtain shield airbags to
inflate accidentally, resulting in
death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious inju-
ries. Consult your Toyota dealer
about any repair and modification.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
front seat belt pretensioners in some
cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
Repairs on or near the front seat
belt retractor assemblies
Modification of the front end struc-
ture
Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure or con-
sole
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the seat belt pretensioners are
operating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, inflators, warning light, roll sens-
ing of curtain shield airbags off indicator
light, interconnecting wiring and power
sources. (For details, see “Service remind-
er indicators and warning buzzers” on
page 126.)If any of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction of the airbags
or seat belt pretensioners. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
When the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position, the light does not come
on, remains on or flashes.
The light comes on or starts flashing
while driving.
If any seat belt does not retract or can
not be pulled out due to a malfunction
or activation of the relevant seat belt
pretensioner.
The seat belt pretensioner assembly or
surrounding area has been damaged.In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause
the seat belt pretensioners to operate.
Either seat belt pretensioner assembly
or surrounding area is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
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2004 L/C100 from Aug ’03 Prod. (OM60A04U)
13c560
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) front airbags are designed to pro-
vide further protection for the driver
and front passenger in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by
the seat belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS front airbags work together with
the seat belts to help reduce injury by
inflating. The SRS front airbags help re-
duce injuries mainly to the driver’s or front
passenger ’s head or chest caused by hit-
ting the vehicle interior.
The front passenger airbag is activated
even with no passenger in the front seat.
Always wear your seat belt properly.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 when the SRS front
airbags are inflated.
CAUTION
SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag
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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.
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Collision from the rear
Collision from the side Vehicle rollover
The SRS front airbags are not generally
designed to inflate if the vehicle is in-
volved in a side or rear collision, if it
rolls over, or if it is involved in a low
speed frontal collision.
Hitting a curb,
edge of pavement
or hard surface Falling into or
jumping over a
deep hole
Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS front airbags may also deploy
if a severe impact occurs to the under-
side of your vehicle. Some examples
are shown in the illustration.The SRS front airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion. 1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Airbag module for front passenger (airbag and inflator)
4. Airbag sensor assembly
5. Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
6. Driver ’s seat position sensor
7. Driver ’s seat belt buckle switch
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
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The front airbag sensors constantly moni-
tor the forward deceleration of the vehicle.
If an impact results in a forward decelera-
tion beyond the designed threshold level,
the system triggers the airbag inflators. At
this time a chemical reaction in the inflat-
ors very quickly fills the airbags with non−
toxic gas to help restrain the forward mo-
tion of the occupants. The front airbags
then quickly deflate, so that there is no
obstruction of the driver ’s vision should it
be necessary to continue driving.
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 immediately. Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is desi
gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, primarily to the head and chest, it
may also cause other, less severe injuries
to the face, chest, arms and hands. These
are usually in the nature of minor burns
or abrasions and swelling, but the force of
a deploying airbag can cause more seri-
ous injuries, especially if an occupant’s
hands, arms, chest or head is in close
proximity to the airbag module at the time
of deployment. This is why it is important
for the occupant to: avoid placing any
object or part of the body between the
occupant and the airbag module; sit
straight and well back into the seat; wear
the available seat belt properly; and sit as
far as possible from the airbag module,
while still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, airbag cover and inflator) may be hot
for several minutes after deployment, so
do not touch! The airbags inflate only
once. The windshield may be damaged by
absorbing some of the force of the inflat-
ing airbag.CAUTION
A driver or front passenger who is
too close to the steering wheel or
dashboard during airbag deployment
can be killed or seriously injured.
Toyota strongly recommends that:
The driver sit as far back as
possible from the steering wheel
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
The front passenger sit as far
back as possible from the dash-
board.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available
seat belts.