2004 TOYOTA SOLARA Owners Manual (in English)

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
81
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification system
Condition detected by
the front passenger
occupant classification
system
Indicator/warning lightDevices
Front
passenger
occupant
classification
indicator light
SRS warning
light
Front
passenger ’s
seat belt
reminder lightFront
passenger
airbagSide airbag
on the front
passenger
seatCurtain shield
airbag in the
front
passenger
sideFront
passenger ’s
seat belt
pretensioner
1. Adult∗
1“ON”OffFlashing∗
4Activated
2. Child∗
2 or child
restraint system∗
3“OFF”OffFlashing∗
4Deactivated
Activated
Activated
3. UnoccupiedNot
illuminatedOffOffDeactivatedDeactivated
4. There is a
malfunction in the
system
“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/her
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 83 in this Section as for installing the
child restraint system.)
∗
4:
In the event the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
82
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
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.
Make sure the front passenger oc-
cupant classification indicator light
indicates “ON” when using the seat
belt extender for the front passen-
ger seat. If the indicator light indi-
cates “OFF”, disconnect the extend-
er tongue from the seat belt buckle,
then reconnect the seat belt. Recon-
nect the seat belt extender after
making sure the indicator light indi-
cates “ON”. If you use the seat belt
extender while the indicator light
indicates “OFF”, the front passen-
ger airbag and side airbag on the
front passenger side may not acti-
vate correctly, which could cause
death or serious injury in the event
of collision.
Do not recline the front passenger
seatback so far that it touches a
rear seat. This may cause the
“OFF” indicator to be illuminated,
which indicates that the passen-
ger’s airbags will not deploy in the
event of a severe accident. If the
seatback touches the rear seat, re-
turn the seatback to a position
where it does not touches the rear
seat.
Keep the front passenger seatback
as upright as possible when the ve-
hicle is moving. Reclining the seat-
back excessively may lessen the ef-
fectiveness of the seat belt system.
If an adult sits in the front passen-
ger seat, the occupant classification
indicator light should indicate “ON”.
If the “OFF” indicator is illumina-
ted, 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 “OFF” indica-
tor still remains illuminated, 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.
Do not put objects under the front
passenger seat.
Child restraint systems installed on
the rear seat should not contact the
front seatbacks.

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
83
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
The front passenger occupant classifica-
tion indicator light may indicate “ON” (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 forward−facing
child restraint system is installed on the
front passenger seat. Refer to all the cau-
tions in “SRS airbags” on page 59 and
“Child restraint” on page 83 in this Sec-
tion.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 should sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. See “Seat belts” on
page 50 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 front passenger
occupant classification indicator
light indicates “OFF”. In the event
of an accident, the force of the rap-
id inflation of the front passenger
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 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
84
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
Only when it is unavoidable should
a forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem be installed on the front pas-
senger seat. Always move the seat
as far back as possible even if the
front passenger occupant classifica-
tion indicator light indicates “OFF”,
because the front passenger airbag
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
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 dan-
gerous if the side airbag and cur-
tain shield airbag inflate, and the
impact could cause death or seri-
ous 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 you have complied with
all installation instructions provided
by the child restraint manufacturer
and that the system is properly se-
cured. If it is not secured properly,
it may cause death or serious injury
to the child in the event of a sud-
den 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 in the trunk or somewhere other than
the passenger compartment. This will pre-
vent it from injuring passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
—Child restraint system

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
85
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
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 96 (for coupe) and 98 (for convert-
ible) 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 100 (for coupe)
and 101 (for convertible) in this Section.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
—Types of child restraint
system

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
86
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
(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 front passenger
occupant classification indicator
light indicates “OFF”. In the event
of an accident, the impact of the
rapid inflation of the front passen-
ger airbag could cause death or se-
rious injury to the child if the rear
facing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger
seat.
Do not install a child restraint sys-
tem on the rear seat if it interferes
with the lock mechanism of the
front seats. Otherwise, the child or
front seat occupant(s) may be killed
or seriously injured in case of sud-
den 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 rear right
seat. Child restraint system
installed on the rear seat should
not contact the front seatbacks.
—Installation with seat belt

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
87
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
1. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the belt. Keep
the lap portion of the belt tight.
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 your
child from properly latching the tab
and buckle.
If the seat belt does not function
normally, it cannot protect your
child from death or serious injury.
Contact your Toyota dealer immedi-
ately. Do not install the child
restraint system on the seat until
the seat belt is fixed.
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.

’04 Solara_U (L/O 0402)
88
2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
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.
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.