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CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the driver and the
front passenger 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
directly to the abdomen. In the event
of a frontal collision, the more the
seat is reclined, the greater the risk
of personal injury.
3. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT
ADJUSTING SWITCH
Push the switch on either side.
The amount of lumbar support will change
while the switch is pushed.
4. SEATBACK LOCK RELEASE LEVER
This lever uses for the rear seat entry.
For details, see “—Moving front seats for
rear seat entry” described below.
Coupe
Convertible
Coupe—Before access to the rear seat,
push the seat belt hanger down as far
as it will go when it is in the raised
position.
Convertible—Before access to the rear
seat, remove the seat belt from the seat
belt guide.
—Moving front seats for rear
seat entry
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From the driver’s side
From the front passenger’s side
From the driver’s side—
Pull up the seatback angle adjusting
lever (manual seat) or seatback lock re-
lease lever (power seat), and incline the
seatback.
After passengers are in, lift up on the
seatback.
From the front passenger ’s side—
Pull up the seatback angle adjusting
lever or press the lock release pedal
behind the seatback, and move the seat
to the front most position.
After passengers are in, lift up the seat-
back and return the seat until it locks.
CAUTION
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat forward and rear-
ward to make sure it is secured in
place.
Never allow anyone to rest their
foot on the lock release pedal be-
hind the front passenger seatback
while the vehicle is moving.
1. Pull up the seatback security lock
lever (1) to the unlock position.
2. Pull up the lock release button (2).
3. Fold down the seatback.
Each seatback can be folded separately.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the lock release
button, do not fold down the seatback
by pulling the lock release button.
Fold down rear seat (coupe)
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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
This will enlarge the trunk as far as the
seatbacks. See “—Stowage precautions”
on page 243 in Section 2 for precautions
when loading luggage.
NOTICE
Make sure the luggage loaded in the
enlarged trunk will not damage the
webbing of the rear seat belts when
the seatback is folded down.
CAUTION
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, observe the follow-
ing precautions in order to prevent
personal injury in a collision or sud-
den stop:
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback
and that the red mark at the button
on the top of the seatback cannot
be seen. Failure to do so will pre-
vent the seat belt from operating
properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in the proper
position and are ready to use.
To turn on the seat heater, push the
switch. At this time, the indicator light
will illuminate to indicate the seat heat-
er is operating.
To turn off the seat heater, push the
switch once again.
The key must be in the “ON” position to
operate seat heaters.
Seat heaters
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2004 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
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.
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 restraint,
make sure it is locked in position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
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. See “Child restraint”
on page 83 in this Section for details.
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. 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 SOLARA from Feb. ’04 Prod. (OM33640U)
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—even children.
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision,
avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection in a
frontal or rear collision when the
driver and the front passenger 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 directly
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 periodically.
Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Damaged parts should be re-
placed. Do not disassemble 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 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 282
in Section 5.)
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.
USING FRONT SEAT BELT HANGERS
(coupe)
Raise the front seat belt hanger until it
locks before you fasten the front seat
belt. Then adjust the length of the
hanger by pulling or pushing it.
You will hear a click when the seat belt
hanger locks in raised position.
CAUTION
Make sure the seat belt hanger is
secured in the raised position before
you fasten the seat belt. If it is not,
the seat belt may not work properly.
—Fastening front and rear
seat belts
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USING FRONT SEAT BELT GUIDES
(convertible)
The seat belt guide helps keep the seat
belt in its proper position. The guide
can also be used to reach the seat belt
tab easily.
To use the seat belt guide, detach the
hanger magnet. Place the seat belt
through the guide and reattach the mag-
nets.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned securely across the
shoulder, but kept away from neck.
Use the seat belt guide to position
the belt if necessary. Failure to
properly position the belt may re-
duce the amount of protection in an
accident and could lead to serious
injuries in a collision.
Always make sure that the belt
webbing is not twisted and runs
freely through the guide when using
it.
Always adjust the seat belt webbing
snugly, adjust the seat belt guide
and seat position to assure proper
fit and comfort of your seat belt.
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.
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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 83 in this Section.) 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.
To o h i g hTa k e u p
slack
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 shoulder
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.
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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.
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.
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.