2004 TOYOTA TACOMA belt

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
39
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer so
that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is available
at your Toyota dealer.
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, for
another person, or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended.
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.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
—Seat belt extender

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
40
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
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.
The driver and front passenger seat
belt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in response to a severe fron-
tal impact.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact, the front seat belts are quickly
drawn back by the retractors 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.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.
—Seat belt pretensioners

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
41
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
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 twoway radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
 Repairs on or near the front seat
belt pretensioner 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
 Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure or con-
sole
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” in Section 1 −6.)

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
42
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
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.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection for the driver and
front passenger in addition to the pri-
mary safety protection provided by the
seat belts.
Vehicles with bench type front seats:
The SRS airbags are designed to protect
the driver and front outside passenger,
and they are not designed to protect an
occupant in the front center seating posi-
tion.
SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag
(vehicles with passenger airbag
manual onoff switch)

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
43
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
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 front passenger ’s
head or chest caused by hitting the ve-
hicle interior.
When the passenger airbag manual on−off
switch is in the “ON” position, 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 air-
bags are inflated.CAUTION
The SRS airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the prima-
ry 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.
During 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 colli-
sion. To ensure maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts properly. Wear-
ing 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” in this Section.
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. As to Xtra
cab models, Toyota strongly recom-
mends 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 con-
cerning the installation of a child
restraint system, see “Child re-
straint” in this Section.

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
45
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
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 front 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:
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.
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat because:
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.
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 the passenger risk group, please contact
NHTSA at 1 −800− 424−9393 or Transport Canada at 1 −800− 333−0371.

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
47
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
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 airbags then
quickly deflate, so that there is no ob-
struction 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. 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
The 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 pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seating position, see
“—Front seat precautions” in this
Section.

’04 Tacoma U (L/O 0309)
48
2004 TACOMA from Sep. ’03 Prod. (OM35814U)
CAUTION
A member of a passenger risk group
should never sit or be occupied in
the right front passenger seat with
airbag manual onoff switch in the
“ON” position. (For details, see “SRS
driver and front passenger airbags”
in this Section.)
CAUTION
Do not sit on the edge of the seat
or lean against the dashboard when
the vehicle is in use, since the
front passenger airbag could inflate
with considerable speed and force.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, an airbag when it inflates,
can be killed or seriously injured.
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, and always use your seat belt
properly.
Toyota strongly recommends that all
infants and children be placed in
the rear seat of the vehicle and be
properly restrained.
Do not allow a child to stand up or
kneel on the front passenger seat,
since the front passenger airbag
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.