iii2005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
Important information about your Toyota
Occupant restraint systems
Toyota encourages you and your family to take the time
to read Section 1−3 of this Owner ’s Manual carefully. In
terms of helping you understand how you can receive
the maximum benefit of the occupant restraint systems
this vehicle provides, Section 1 −3 of this Owner’s Manu-
al is the most important section for you and your family
to read.
Section 1 −3 describes the function and operation con-
cerning seats, seat belts, SRS airbags and child re-
straint systems of this vehicle and some potential haz-
ards you should be aware of. These systems work to-
gether along with the overall structure of this vehicle in
order to provide occupant restraint in the event of a
crash. The effect of each system is enhanced when it is
used properly and together with other systems. No
single occupant restraint system can, by itself, provide
you or your family with the equal level of restraint which
these systems can provide when used together. That is
why it is important for you and your family to under-
stand the purpose and proper use of each of these
systems and how they relate to each other.
The purpose of all occupant restraint systems is to help
reduce the possibility of death or serious injury in the
event of a collision. None of these systems, either indi-
vidually or together, can ensure that there is no injury in
the event of collision. However, the more you know
about these systems and how to use them properly, the
greater your chances become of surviving an accident
without death or serious injury.
Seat belts provide the primary restraint to all occupants
of the vehicle, and every occupant of the vehicle should
wear seat belts properly at all times. Children should
always be secured in child restraint systems that are
appropriate for their age and size. SRS (Supplemental
Restraint System) airbags are, as their names imply,
designed to work with, and be supplemental to, seat
belts and are not substitutes for them. SRS airbags can
be very effective in reducing the risk of head and chest
injuries by preventing contact of the head and chest with
interior portions of the vehicle.
212005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
—Luggage security system
SU12055c
This system deactivates the lock re-
lease lever so that things locked in the
trunk can be protected.1. Push down the security lock levers to lock the rear seatbacks.
On vehicles with built −in child restraint,
only the left seatback has a lock lever
and can be lowered. The right seatback
cannot be folded down.
After locking the rear seatbacks, try fold-
ing them down to make sure they are
securely locked, otherwise someone could
get into the trunk by folding down a rear
seat.
SU12056a
2. After closing the trunk lid, insert the master key and turn it counterclock-
wise to deactivate the lock release
lever.
After closing the trunk lid, try pulling it up
to make sure it is securely locked.
Hood
SU12016a
To open the hood: 1. Pull the hood lock release lever. The hood will spring up slightly.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure that the hood
is closed and securely locked. Other-
wise, the hood may open unexpected-
ly while driving and an accident may
occur.
272005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats28
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Front seats 28
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Fold −down rear seat 32
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Head restraints 34
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Seat belts 35
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SRS driver and front passenger airbags 43
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS side airbags 50
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. . . . . . . .
Child restraint 56
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SECTION 1 3
352005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
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 56 for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould 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.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.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions
362005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
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
205.)
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.
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 56.) 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.
—Fastening front and rear
seat belts
402005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
—Seat belt extender
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.
SU13015
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.
442005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
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 and front passenger
when the SRS front airbags are inflated.CAUTION
The SRS front airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary 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
instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seat belt system, see
“Seat belts” on page 35.
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. Toyota
strongly recommends that all in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” on page 56.
482005 ECHO from Aug. ’04 Prod. (OM52636U)
Do not hold a child on your lap or
in your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” on page 56.
SY13033
Do not put anything or any part of
your body on or in front of the
dashboard or steering wheel pad
that houses the front airbag sys-
tem. They might restrict inflation or
cause death or serious injury as
they are projected rearward by the
force of deploying airbags. Like-
wise, the driver and front passenger
should not hold objects in their
arms or on their knees.
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components such as
the steering wheel pad, steering
wheel, column cover, dashboard
near the front passenger airbag,
front passenger airbag cover, front
passenger airbag or airbag sensor
assembly. Doing so may prevent the
front airbag system from activating
correctly, cause sudden activation
of the system or disable the sys-
tem, which could result in death or
serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
Consult your Toyota dealer about any
repair and modification.