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While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow any passengers to sit on
top of a folded- down seatback, or
in the luggage compartment or car-
go area. Persons not properly
seated and/or not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow any
passengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Otherwise,
severe injuries can occur in the
event of emergency braking or a
collision.
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with
considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if
the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSAº) advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag
is the first 50Ð75 mm (2Ð3 in.) of
inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your driver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of safety.
This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your
breastbone. If you sit less than 250
mm (10 in.) away now, you can
change your driving position in sever-
al ways:
Move your seat to the rear as far
as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Slightly recline the back of the
seat. Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the 250
mm (10 in.) distance, even with the
driver seat all the way forward, sim-
ply by reclining the back of the
seat somewhat. If reclining the back
of your seat makes it hard to see
the road, raise yourself by using a
firm, non- slippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
If your steering wheel is adjustable,
tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of
your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as rec-
ommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot
pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.
Seats Front seatsÐ
ÐFront seat precautions
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1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
2. SEAT CUSHION ANGLE ADJUSTING KNOB
Turn the knob either way.
3. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.CAUTION
Avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts pro-
vide 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 re-
straint forces directly to the abdomen
or your neck may contact the shoul-
der belt. In the event of a frontal
collision, the more the seat is re-
clined, the greater the risk of death
or personal injury.
ÐAdjusting front seats
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1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
When a person sits in the rear center
position, adjust both seat cushions to
the same position. 2. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING STRAP
Pull the strap up. Then lean back to the
desired angle and release the strap.
When a person sits in the rear center
position, align both seatbacks at the
same angle.CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust both seat cushions to the
same position and align both seat-
backs at the same angle when a
person sits in the rear center posi-
tion. Otherwise, the person cannot
wear the seat belt properly and this
may cause serious injuries in a col-
lision.
Avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection in a
frontal or rear collision when the
passengers 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 colli-
sion, the more the seat is reclined,
the greater the risk of death or per-
sonal injury.
After adjusting the seatback, push
back your body to make sure it is
locked in position.
NOTICE
Do not fold the seatback forward while the luggage cover is set.
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2005 RAV4 from Sep. '04 Prod. (OM42570U)
TUMBLING REAR SEATS1. Hold the center of the lever and pull it up. Then slide the front seat fully
forward.
Tumbling the rear seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See ÐStowage
precautionsº on page 221 in Section 2 for
precautions when loading luggage.2. Hold the center of the lever and pull it up. Then slide the rear seat fully
backward and pull it forward slightly
until it locks.3. Lower the head restraint to the low-est position. Pull up the strap to
unlock the seatback and fold the
seatback forward until it locks.
NOTICE
Do not fold the seatback forward
while the luggage cover is set.
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2005 RAV4 from Sep. '04 Prod. (OM42570U)
2. Unlock the seat by pulling the lockrelease lever. Pull the seat toward
you slightly and lift.
Removing the rear seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See ÐStowage
precautionsº on page 221 in Section 2 for
precautions when loading luggage.
CAUTION
When removing the seat, observe the
following precautions in order to pre-
vent personal injury:
Be careful not to get your hands or
feet pinched in the seat.
Be careful not to hit the removed
seat against a person or drop it on
yourself.
NOTICE
Avoid putting heavy loads on the re- moved seat. The metallic tips of theseat leg may be damaged and theseat cannot be reinstalled.1. While pulling up the lock rel ease le-
ver, place the rear hinge into the
rear hook on the floor.
ÐReinstalling rear seats
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CAUTION
When returning seats to their original
position, observe the following pre-
cautions in order to prevent personal
injury in a collision or sudden stop:
Make sure the seat is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback or
by trying to pull up the edge of the
bottom cushion. Failure to do so
will prevent the seat belt from oper-
ating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught under the seat
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
When removing or reinstalling the
seat, observe the following precau-
tions in order to prevent personal in-
jury:
Do not fold or remove the seat
while the vehicle is moving.
Be careful not to get your hands or
feet pinched in the seat.
Be careful not to hit the removed
seat against a person or drop it on
yourself.
After folding or installing the seat,
push it forward and backward to
make sure it is locked in position.
To prevent personal injury in a colli-
sion or sudden stop:
Do not sit on or place anything on
the folded seatback while driving.
Do not leave the removed seat
loose in the vehicle.
Do not try to sit on or place any-
thing on the removed seat.
When reinstalling the seat, be care-
ful not to hit the seat against you
or inside of the vehicle.
Install each seat in the same posi-
tion from which it was removed.
Failure to do so will prevent rear
seat occupants from using seat
belts properly.
For flattening seatbacks, do the follow-
ing: 1. Hold the center of the lever and pull it up. Then slide the rear seat fully
backward and pull it forward slightly
until it locks.
Flattening seatbacks
(front seat only)
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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.
To turn on the seat heater, push the
switches (Lº switch for the left front
seat and Rº switch for the right front
seat).
At this time, the indicator light on ei-
ther side of each switch will illuminate
to indicate the seat heater is operating.
The seat heater switches have the follow-
ing positions.
HIºÐHigh heating temperature
LOºÐLow heating temperature
The key must be in the ONº position to
operate seat heaters.
Pushing lightly on the opposite side will
turn it off.
Head restraintsSeat heaters
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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
restraintº on page 69 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.
Ta k e u p
slack
To o h i g h
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 hipsÐnot on your waist, then ad-
just it to a snug fit by pulling the shoulder
portion upward through the latch plate.
ÐFastening front and rear
seat belts