322004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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 188)
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.
—Fastening seat belts
SU13239
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 46) 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.
332004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
SB13069
Ta k e u p
slack
To o h i g h
Keep as low on
hips as possibleTa 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 s houlder
portion upward through the latch plate.
CAUTION
Both high positioned lap belts and
loose fitting belts could cause seri-
ous injuries due to sliding under
the lap belt during a collision or
other unintended event. Keep the
lap belt positioned as low on hips
as possible.
Do not place the shoulder belt un-
der your arm.
SB13070
To release the belt, press the buckle
release button and allow the belt to
retract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull
it out and check for kinks or twists. Then
make sure it remains untwisted as it re-
tracts.
342004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
—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, or for
another person or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended for.
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 passenger seat. If
installing a child restraint system
with the seat belt extender con-
nected 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 passenger in the event of
collision.
SB13071
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.
352004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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 extend-
er 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
SB13089a
The driver and passenger seat belt pre-
tensioners are designed to be activated
in response to a severe frontal impact.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact, the seat belts are quickly drawn
back by the retractors so that the belts
snugly restrain the occupants.
The seat belt pretensioners are activated
even if there is no passenger in the seat.
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-
bags may not operate together in all colli-
sions.
SB13091a
The seat belt pretensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components
and their locations are shown in the il-
lustration.1. Front airbag sensor
2. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
3. Airbag sensor assembly
4. SRS warning light
The seat belt pretensioners are controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
362004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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 assemblies,
airbag sensor or surrounding area or
wiring. Failure to follow these instruc-
tions may prevent the seat belt pre-
tensioners from activating correctly,
cause sudden operation of the system
or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury. Con-
sult your Toyota dealer about any re-
pair 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
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 seat belt
retractor assemblies
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
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
Repair made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure or con-
sole
SB13102a
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, seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
inflators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources. (For details, see
“Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers” on page 77.)
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.
372004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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
cannot be pulled out due to a malfunc-
tion or activation of the relevant seat
belt pretensioner.
The seat belt pretensioner assembly or
surrounding area has been damaged.
SB13045a
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.
SB13092a
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection for the driver and
passenger in addition to the primary
safety protection provided by the seat
belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS airbags work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflat-
ing. The SRS airbags help reduce injuries
mainly to the driver ’s or passenger ’s head
or chest caused by hitting the vehicle in-
terior. When the passenger airbag manual
on−off switch is in the “ON” position, the
passenger airbag is activated if there is
no passenger in the seat.
Always wear your seat belt properly.
SRS driver airbag and
passenger airbag
382004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
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 air-
bags are inflated.CAUTION
The SRS airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the prima-
ry protection of the driver and pas-
senger seat belt systems. The driv-
er and passenger can be killed or
seriously injured by the inflating
airbags if they do not wear the
available seat belts properly. During
sudden braking just before a colli-
sion, an unrestrained driver or pas-
senger can move forward into direct
contact with or close proximity to
the airbag which may then deploy
during the collision. To ensure max-
imum protection in an accident, the
driver and passenger 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 in-
structions and precautions concern-
ing the seat belt system, see “Seat
belts—” on page 31.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. An infant or child who
is too small to use a seat belt
should be properly secured using a
child restraint system. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint—” on page 46.
402004 MR2 from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM17518U)
The SRS airbags are designed to deploy
in severe (usually frontal) collisions
where the magnitude and duration of
the forward deceleration of the vehicle
exceeds the designed threshold level.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severi-
ty of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 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 airbags and the seat
belt pretensioners may not activate togeth-
er.
Always wear your seat belts properly.TABLE 1: A PASSENGER RISK GROUP
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) who must ride in the front seat because:
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat because:
Medical condition. A passenger has a medical condition which according to his or
her physician:
Causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk for the passenger: and
Makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag in a crash greater than the
potential harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the passenger, even if
belted, to hit the dashboard, or windshield in a crash.
For more detailed information concerning about the passenger risk group, please
contact NHTSA at 1 −800− 424−9393.
Vehicle has no rear seat:
Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever possible,
children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front because no space is
available in the rear seat(s) of vehicle; or
The child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s physician,
makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Vehicle has no rear seat;
Vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear −facing infant seat; or
The infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s physician,
makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child’s condition.