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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
Hitting a curb, edge
of pavement or
hard surfaceFalling into or
jumping over
a deep hole
Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS front airbags may also deploy
if a serious 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. Front passenger occupant classification
indicator light
4. Airbag module for front passenger 
(airbag and inflator)
5. Front passenger occupant classification
system (ECU and sensors)
6. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle
switch
7. Driver ’s seat belt buckle switch8. Driver ’s seat position sensor
9. Airbag sensor assembly
10. Airbag module for driver 
(airbag and inflator)
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
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 infla-
tors very quickly fills the airbags with
non−toxic gas to help restrain the forward
motion 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
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 imme-
diately. 

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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side airbag sensors, side and curtain
shield airbag sensors, curtain shield air-
bag sensors, driver ’s seat position sensor,
driver’s seat belt buckle switch, front pas-
senger occupant classification system and
indicator light, front passenger ’s seat belt
buckle switch, seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, inflators, warning light, intercon-
necting wiring and power  sources. (For
details, see “Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers” on page 129 in Sec-
tion 1−6.)
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 or remains on for more than 6 sec-
onds.
The light comes on or starts flashing
while driving.
The SRS warning light will come on and
front passenger occupant classification in-
dicator light will indicate “OFF” if there is
a malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS front airbags have been in-
flated.
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was  involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause
the SRS front airbags to inflate.
The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer. 

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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
The SRS side airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their  locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.
1. SRS warning light
2. Front passenger occupant classification
indicator light
3. Front passenger occupant classification
system (ECU and sensors)
4. Side airbag sensors
5. Side airbag modules 
(airbag and inflator)
6. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle
switch
7. Airbag sensor assemblyThe SRS side airbag system is controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.
At this time a chemical reaction in the
inflators quickly fills  the airbags  with non−
toxic gas to help restrain the lateral mo-
tion of the occupants.
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 imme-
diately.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.Front seats may be hot for several min-
utes, but the airbags themselves will not
be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with consid-
erable force. To reduce the possibility
of death or serious injury when they
inflate, the driver and front passenger
must:
Wear their seat belts properly.
Remain properly seated with their
backs upright and against the seats
at all times. 

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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag system  in some
cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
Repairs made on or near  the con-
sole or front seat
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 SRS side airbags are operat-
ing properly.This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side airbag sensors, driver ’s seat
position sensor, driver ’s seat belt buckle
switch, front passenger occupant classifi-
cation system and indicator light, front
passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch, seat
belt pretensioner assemblies, inflators,
warning light, interconnecting wiring and
power sources. (For details, see “Service
reminder indicators and warning buzzers”
on page 129 in Section 1−6.)
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 or remains on for more than 6 sec-
onds.
The light comes on while driving.
The SRS warning light will come on and
front passenger occupant classification in-
dicator light will indicate “OFF” if there is
a malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system. 

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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system consists mainly of the fol-
lowing components, and their  locations are
shown in the illustration.
1. SRS warning light
2. Front passenger occupant classification
indicator light
3. Curtain shield airbag modules
(airbag and inflator)
4. Front passenger occupant classification
system (ECU and sensors)
5. Side and curtain shield airbag sensors
6. Curtain shield airbag sensors
7. Side airbag modules 
(airbag and inflator)8. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle
switch
9. Airbag sensor assembly
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system is  controlled by  the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor as-
sembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor.
In a severe side impact, the side and
curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the
curtain shield airbag sensor trigger(s) the
side airbag inflators and/or the curtain
shield airbag inflators. At this time a
chemical reaction in the inflators quickly
fills the airbags with non−toxic gas  to help
restrain the lateral motion of the occu-
pants.
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 imme-
diately.Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Front seats as well as parts of the front
and rear pillars, and roof side rail may be
hot for several minutes, but the airbags
themselves will not be hot. The airbags
are designed to inflate only once.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags and curtain shield
airbags inflate with considerable
force. To reduce the possibility of
death or serious injury when they in-
flate, the driver, front passenger and
rear outside passengers must:
Wear their seat belts properly.
Remain properly seated with their
backs upright and against the seats
at all times. 

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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
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 SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags 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, front passenger occupant
classification system and indicator light,
front passenger ’s  seat belt buckle switch,
seat belt pretensioner assemblies, infla-
tors, warning light, interconnecting wiring
and power sources.  (For details,  see “Ser-
vice reminder indicators and warning buzz-
ers” on page 129 in Section 1−6.)
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 or remains on for more than 6 sec-
onds.
The light comes on while driving.
The SRS warning light will come on and
front passenger occupant classification in-
dicator light will indicate “OFF” if there is
a malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system. 

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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
If the front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system determines that a person of
adult size sits in the front passenger seat
but the “OFF” indicator is illuminated, one
of the following is likely to have occurred:
A rear passenger lifts the front passen-
ger seat cushion with their legs.
Objects are placed under the front pas-
senger seat.
The front passenger seatback is in
contact with the rear seat.
To ensure the system correctly detects an
adult sitting in the front passenger seat,
make sure the above do not occur.
Make sure that the “ON” indicator is illu-
minated when an adult is seated in the
front passenger seat. If the “OFF” indica-
tor is illuminated, ask the passenger to sit
up straight, well back in the seat, and
with the seat belt worn correctly. If the
“OFF” indicator 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.The front passenger occupant classifi-
cation indicator light will indicate “ON”
and “OFF” when the ignition key is
turned to the “ON” position. After
about four seconds, it will go off. After
that, the front passenger occupant clas-
sification system operates and judges
whether to indicate “ON” or “OFF”.
The SRS warning light will come on
and front passenger occupant classifi-
cation indicator light will indicate
“OFF” if there is a malfunction in the
front passenger occupant classification
system. 

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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.