iii2005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
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
understand 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.
122005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
SB12035
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH
INSIDE LOCK KNOB
Move the lock knob.
To lock: Push the knob forward.
To unlock: Pull the knob backward.
Closing the door with the lock knob in the
lock position will also lock the door. Be
careful not to lock your keys in the ve-
hicle.
The doors cannot be locked if you leave
the key in the ignition switch.
SB12080a
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WITH
POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH
Push the switch.
To lock: Push the switch down on the
“LOCK” side.
To unlock: Push the switch down on the
“UNLOCK” side.
Both the doors lock or unlock simulta-
neously.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure that the doors
are closed and locked, especially
when small children are in the ve-
hicle. Along with the proper use of
seat belts, locking the doors helps
prevent the driver and passengers
from being thrown out from the ve-
hicle during an accident. It also helps
prevent the doors from being opened
unintentionally.
272005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat belts31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS driver airbag and passenger airbag37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Passenger airbag manual on−off switch45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SECTION 1 3
312005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passenger 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 46 for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child must be restrained using
the vehicle’s seat belt.
If a child must sit in the seat, the seat
belts should be worn properly. If an acci-
dent 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 child to stand up or
kneel on the seat. An unrestrained child
could suffer serious injury 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.
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 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 or your neck may contact
the shoulder belt. In the event of a
frontal collision, the more the seat
is reclined, the greater the risk of
death or 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.
Seat belts—
—Seat belt precautions
322005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
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 188)
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.
—Fastening seat belts
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 46) 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.
342005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
—Seat belt extender
If your seat belt cannot be fastened se-
curely because it is 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.
Do not use the seat belt extender
if it is not absolutely necessary.
Do not use the seat belt extender
when installing a child restraint
system on the passenger seat. If
installing a child restraint system
with the seat belt extender con-
nected 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 passenger in the event of
collision.
SB13071
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.
352005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
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.
—Seat belt pretensioners
SB13089a
The driver and passenger seat belt pre-
tensioners are designed to be activated
in response to a severe frontal impact.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact, the seat belts are quickly drawn
back by the retractors so that the belts
snugly restrain the occupants.
The seat belt pretensioners are activated
even if there is no passenger in the seat.
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-
bags may not operate together in all colli-
sions.
SB13091a
The seat belt pretensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components
and their locations are shown in the il-
lustration.
1. Front airbag sensor
2. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
3. Airbag sensor assembly
4. SRS warning light
The seat belt pretensioners are controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
382005 MR2 from Aug. ’04Prod. (OM17527U)
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 pas-
senger seat belt systems. The driv-
er and 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 colli-
sion, an unrestrained driver or pas-
senger can move forward into direct
contact with or close proximity to
the airbag which may then deploy
during the collision. To ensure max-
imum protection in an accident, the
driver and passenger in the vehicle
must wear their seat belts properly.
Wearing 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—” on page 31.
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. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint—” on page 46.