50
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 76.) 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 lap and shoulder portions
of the belt 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.
Ta k e u p
slack
Keep as low on hips as possible
To o h i g h
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 pos-
sible.
Do not place the shoulder belt un-
der your arm.
55
—Seat belt pretensioners
The seat belt pretensioners are de-
signed to be activated in response to
a severe frontal impact or a vehicle
rollover.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact or a vehicle rollover, the front seat
belts are quickly drawn back by the re-
tractor 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.Roll sensing of curtain shield airbags
off indicator light
The seat belt pretensioners will not oper-
ate in a vehicle rollover if the roll sensing
of curtain shield airbags off indicator light
is on. For details, see “Roll sensing of
curtain shield airbags off switch” on page
66.
CAUTION
Make sure the roll sensing of cur-
tain shield airbags off indicator
light is not on.
When the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off switch is turned
on (and the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off indicator light is
on), the seat belt pretensioners will
not operate in a vehicle rollover
and turning off the seat belt preten-
sioners can reduce the occupant
protection which your vehicle safety
systems can provide to you in cer-
tain accidents and increase the like-
lihood of death or serious injuries.
56
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. 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 as-
semblies, airbag sensor or sur-
rounding area or wiring. Failure to
follow these instructions may pre-
vent the seat belt pretensioners
from activating correctly, cause sud-
den operation of the system or dis-
able the system, resulting in death
or serious injury.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacturer ’s recom-
mended size. Such a use may cause
the curtain shield airbags and seat
belt pretensioners to inflate acci-
dentally, resulting in death or seri-
ous injury. For details, see “Check-
ing and replacing tires” on page
304.
Do not place luggage heavier than
specified on the roof luggage carri-
er. Such luggage may cause the
curtain shield airbags and seat belt
pretensioners to inflate accidentally,
resulting in death or serious injury.
For details, see “Roof luggage car-
rier” on page 202.
Do not modify or change the sus-
pension system. Such changes may
cause the curtain shield airbags to
inflate accidentally, resulting in
death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious inju-
ries. Consult your Toyota dealer
about any repair and modification.
57
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 two way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
Repairs on or near the front seat
belt retractor assemblies
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, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, inflators, warning light, roll sens-
ing of curtain shield airbags off indicator
light, interconnecting wiring and power
sources. (For details, see “Service remind-
er indicators and warning buzzers” on
page 122.) 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.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion or remains on for more than 6
seconds 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.
60
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 severe 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. Airbag module for front passenger (airbag and inflator)
4. Airbag sensor assembly
5. Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
6. Driver ’s seat position sensor
7. Driver ’s seat belt buckle switch
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 inflat-
ors very quickly fills the airbags with non
−
toxic gas to help restrain the forward mo-
tion 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 immediately.
64
The 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 front airbags are oper-
ating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sensor
assemblies, curtain shield airbag sensor
assemblies, driver ’s seat position sensor,
driver ’s seat belt buckle switch, seat belt
pretensioner assemblies, inflators, warning
light, roll sensing of curtain shield airbags
off indicator light, interconnecting wiring
and power sources. (For details, see “Ser-
vice reminder indicators and warning buzz-
ers” on page 122.)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.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion or remains on for more than 6
seconds or flashes.
The light comes on or starts flashing
while driving.
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 dashboard (shaded in the illustra-
tion) is scratched, cracked, or other-
wise damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
66
Do not allow anyone to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the door or the area of the
seat, front pillar, rear pillar or roof
side rail from which the SRS side
airbag and curtain shield airbag
deploy even if he/she is a child
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the SRS side air-
bag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact of the deploy-
ing airbags could cause death or
serious injury to the occupant.
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 seats of the vehicle and prop-
erly restrained. The rear seats are
the safest for infants and children.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see “Child restraint” on page
76.Roll sensing of curtain shield airbags
off switch
The roll sensing of curtain shield air-
bags off switch can turn off the curtain
shield airbags in a vehicle rollover. This
switch should only be used in a situa-
tion where the inflation is not desired
(such as extreme off road driving). When you push the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off switch for a few sec-
onds with the ignition switch on, the roll
sensing of curtain shield airbags off indi-
cator light comes on and the roll sensing
function is turned off. When you push the
switch again, the indicator light goes off
and the roll sensing function is turned on.
In a severe side impact, the curtain shield
airbag on impacted side will inflate even
if the roll sensing function is turned off.
If the ignition switch is turned to “ACC” or
“LOCK” with the roll sensing function off
and then the ignition switch is turned back
to “ON”, the roll sensing function will be
back on automatically.
67
CAUTION
Make sure the roll sensing of cur-
tain shield airbags off indicator
light is not on.
When the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off switch is turned
on (and the roll sensing of curtain
shield airbags off indicator light is
on), the curtain shield airbags will
not inflate in a vehicle rollover and
turning off the curtain shield air-
bags can reduce the occupant
protection which your vehicle safety
systems can provide to you in cer-
tain accidents and increase the like-
lihood of death or serious injuries.
The SRS side airbags may not inflate if
the vehicle is subjected to a collision
from the side at certain angles, or a
collision to the side of the vehicle body
other than the passenger compartment
as shown in the illustration.
The SRS side airbags are designed to
inflate when the passenger compartment
area suffers a severe impact from the
side.
Always wear your seat belts properly.
Collision from the rear
Collision from the front Vehicle rollover
The SRS side airbags are not generally
designed to inflate if the vehicle is in-
volved in a front or rear collision, if it
rolls over, or if it is involved in a low
speed side collision.