2005 TOYOTA RAV4 airbag

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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 Manual is
the most important Section for you and your family to
read.
Section 1- 3 describes the function and operation concern-
ing seats, seat belts, SRS airbags and child restraint sys-
tems of this vehicle and some potential hazards you
should be aware of. These systems work together 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 individ-
ually or together, can ensure that there is no injury in the
event of collision. However, the more you know a bout
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.

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In order to be effective, the SRS airbags must deploy with
tremendous speed. The rapid deployment of the SRS air-
bags makes the SRS airbags themselves potential sources
of serious injury if an occupant is too close to an airbag,
or if an object or some part of his or her body has been
placed between the occupant and the airbag at the time of
deployment. This is just one example of how the instruc-
tions in Section 1- 3 of this Owner 's Manual will help en-
sure proper use of the occupant restraint systems, and
increase the safety they can provide to you and your fami-
ly in the event of an accident.
Toyota recommends you to read the provisions in Section
1- 3 carefully and refer to them as needed during your time
of ownership of this vehicle.Event data recorder
Your vehicle has computers that monitor and control cer-
tain aspects of your vehicle. These computers assist in
driving and maintaining optimal vehicle performance. Be-
sides storing data useful for troubleshooting, there is a
system to record data in a crash or a near car crash
event. This is called an Event Data Recorder (EDR).
The SRS airbag sensor assembly contains the EDR. In a
crash or a near car crash event, this device records some
or all of the following information:
Engine speed

Whether the brake pedal was applied or not

Vehicle speed

To what extent the accelerator pedal was depressed

Position of the transmission selector lever

Whether the driver and front passenger wore the seat
belts or not

Driver 's seat position

Front passenger 's occupant classification

SRS airbag deployment data

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SRS airbag system diagnostic data
The information above is intended to be used for the
purpose of improving vehicle safety performance. Unlike
general data recorders, the EDR does not record sound
data such as conversation between passengers.
Toyota will not disclose the data recorded in an EDR to a
third party except when:

An agreement from the vehicle's owner (or the leas-
ing company for a leased vehicle) is obtained

Officially requested by the police or other authorities

Used as a defense for Toyota in a law suit

Ordered by the court
However, if necessary Toyota will:

Use the data for research on Toyota vehicle safety
performance

Disclose the data to a third party for research pur-
poses without disclosing details of the vehicle owner,
and only when it is deemed necessary

Disclose summarized data cleared of vehicle identifi-
cation information to a non- Toyota organization for
research purposesNew vehicle warranty
Your new vehicle is covered by the following Toyota limited
warranties:

New vehicle warranty

Emission control systems warranty

Others
For further information, please refer to the Owner's
Warranty Information Bookletº or Owner 's Manual
Supplementº.
Your responsibility for maintenance
It is the owner 's responsibility to make sure that the speci-
fied maintenance is performed. Section 6 gives details of
these maintenance requirements. Also included in Section
6 is general maintenance. For scheduled maintenance in-
formation, please refer to the Scheduled Maintenance
Guideº or Owner 's Manual Supplementº.

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Spark ignition system of yourTo y o t a
The spark ignition system in your Toyota meets all require-
ments of the Canadian Interference- Causing Equipment
Standard.
Installation of a mobiletwo- way radio system
As the installation of a mobile two- way radio system in
your vehicle could affect electronic systems such as multi-
port fuel injection system/sequential multiport fuel injection
system, electronic throttle control system, cruise control
system, anti- lock brake system, traction control system,
vehicle stability control system, SRS airbag system and
seat belt pretensioner system, be sure to check with your
Toyota dealer for precautionary measures or special in-
structions regarding installation.
Tires and loading on your To y o t a
Underinflated or overinflated tire pressure and the
excess load may result in the deterioration of
steering ability and braking ability, leading to an
accident. Check the tire inflation pressure periodi-
cally and be sure to keep the load limits given in
this Owner 's Manual. For details about tire inflation
pressure and load limits, see pages 291 and 221.

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Scrapping of your Toyota
The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner devices in your
Toyota contain explosive chemicals. If the vehicle is
scrapped with the airbags and pretensioners left as they
are, this may cause an accident such as fire. Be sure to
have the systems of the SRS airbag and seat belt preten-
sioner removed and disposed of by the qualified service
shop or by your Toyota dealer before you dispose of your
vehicle.
On- pavement and off- roaddriving tips
This vehicle belongs to the ut ility vehicle class. Utility
vehicles have a significantly higher rollover rate than other
types of vehicles. This vehicle will handle and maneuver
differently from an ordinary passenger car because it is
designed for off- road use also. In addition, this vehicle
has a higher ground clearance and center of gravity than
that of an ordinary passenger car. This vehicle design
feature causes this type of vehicle to be more likely to
rollover. Failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control, accidents or vehicle rollover causing
death or serious injury. Be sure to read Off- road vehicle
precautionsº on page 198 in Section 2 and Off- road
driving precautionsº on page 230 in Section 3.

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLS
Occupant restraint systems
Seats30
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Front seats 30
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Rear seats 33
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Flattening seatbacks 41
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Head restraints 43
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Seat heaters 43
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Seat belts 44
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SRS driver airbag and front passenger airbag 55
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SRS side airbags and curtain shield airbags 61
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Child restraint 69
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SECTION 1- 3

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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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Front passenger seat
CAUTION
The SRS front passenger airbag also
deploys with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious injury es-
pecially if the front passenger is very
close to the airbag. The front passen-
ger seat should be as far from the
airbag as possible with the seatback
adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
Front seats (with SRS side airbags)
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in
the driver and front passenger seats.
Observe the following precautions.

Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured.

Do not use seat accessories which
cover the area where the side air-
bags inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from acti-
vating correctly, causing death or
serious injury.

Do not modify or replace the seats
or upholstery of the seats equipped
with side airbags. Such change may
prevent the side airbag system from
activating correctly, disable the sys-
tem or cause the side airbag sys-
tem to inflate accidentally, resulting
in death or serious injury.
CAUTION

Do not adjust the seat while the
vehicle is moving as the seat may
unexpectedly move and cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Be careful that the seat does not
hit a passenger or luggage.

After adjusting the seat position,
try sliding it forward and backward
to make sure it is locked in posi-
tion.

After adjusting the seatback, push
your body back against the seat to
make sure the seat is locked in
position.

Do not put objects under the seats.
Otherwise, the objects may interfere
with the seat- lock mechanism or
unexpectedly push up the seat posi-
tion adjusting lever and the seat
may suddenly move, causing the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.

While adjusting the seat, do not put
your hands under the seat or near
the moving parts. Otherwise, your
hands or fingers may be caught and
injured.
ÐSeat adjustment precautions