2006 Lexus ES330 seats

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
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Adjusting seat position
Move the control switch in the desired direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seat in that position. Do not
place anything under the seat, as this might interfere with the
seat movement.
Adjusting seatback angle
Move the control switch in the desired direction.
Releasing the switch will stop the seatback in that position.
CAUTION
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 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.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
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HEAD RESTRAINTS
For your safety and comfort, adjust the head restraint
before driving.
Front seats
To raise the head restraint, pull it up. To lower it, press the
lock release button and push the head restraint down. To
move the head restraint forward or rearward, pull or push
the base of the head restraint.
The head restraint is most effective when it is close to your
head. Therefore, using a cushion on the seatback is not
recommended.
CAUTION
Adjust the center of the head restraint 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 restraints removed.

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Rear seats
To raise the head restraint, pull it up. To lower it, press the
lock release button and push the head restraint down.
The head restraint is most effective when it is close to your
head. Therefore, using a cushion on the seatback is not
recommended.
CAUTION
Adjust the center of the head restraint 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 restraints removed.
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt precautions
Lexus strongly urges that the driver and passengers in the
vehicle be properly restrained 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 appropriate for the child
until the child becomes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See “Child restraint” on page cxlvii for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint system, the child should
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 inflation 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 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.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM
cxiiPregnant woman.
Lexus 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. Lexus recommends the use of a seat belt.
Depending on the injury, 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 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 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
replaced. 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 cleaners, or allow them
to come into contact with the belts — they may
severely weaken the belts. (See “Cleaning the
interior” on page cdxviii for instructions.)
 Replace the belt assembly (including bolts) if it has
been used in a severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage is not obvious.

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To release the belt, press the buckle release button and
allow the belt to retract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull it out and check for
kinks or twists. Then make sure it remains untwisted as it
retracts.
Seat belt comfort guides
The seat belt comfort guides are installed on the outboard
rear seats to relieve uncomfortableness from the shoulder
belt when it is applied closer to a child’s neck (at the age
of 10 or so), by pulling the shoulder belt a little forward.
Slide the seat belt comfort guide forward to adjust the
shoulder belt.
The seat belt comfort guide should not be in the forward
position for other purposes.

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Seat belt pretensioners
Both front seats and the two outboard rear seats are
equipped with seat belt pretensioners and 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 front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner will not activate
if no passenger is detected in the front passenger seat by the
front passenger occupant classification system. However, the
front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner may activate if
luggage is put on the seat, or the seat belt is buckled up
regardless of the presence of an occupant in the seat. (As for
the front passenger occupant classification system, see page
cxliii.) The outboard rear seat belt pretensioners are activated even
with no passenger in the outboard rear seats.
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS airbags may not operate
together in all collisions.

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CAUTION
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield airbag system
is designed only as a supplement to the primary
protection of the driver, front passenger and rear
outboard passenger seat belt systems. To ensure
maximum protection in an accident, the driver and all
passengers 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
instructions and precautions concerning the seat
belt system, see “Seat belts” on page cxi.
 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 airbag and
curtain shield airbag inflate, and the impact of the
deploying airbag 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
deploying airbags. An infant or child who is too small
to use a seat belt should be properly secured using
a child restraint system. Lexus strongly
recommends that all infants and children be placed
in the rear seats of the vehicle and properly
restrained. The rear seats are the safest for infants
and children. For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” on page cxlvii.

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cxxxvii
When the airbags inflate, they produce a fairly 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.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a fraction of a second,
so the airbags must inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce se rious injuries, it may also
cause minor burns or abrasions and swelling.
Front seats as well as parts of the front and rear pillars, and roof
side rail may be hot for several minutes, but the airbags
themselves will not be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags and curtain shield airbags inflate with
considerable force. To reduce the possibility of death
or serious injury when they inflate, the driver, front
passenger and rear outboard passengers must:
 Wear their seat belts properly.
 Remain properly seated with their backs upright and
against the seats at all times.
Do not allow anyone to lean against the door when
the vehicle is in use, since the side airbag and curtain
shield airbag could inflate with considerable speed
and force. Otherwise, he/she may be killed or
seriously injured. Special care should be taken
especially when you have a small child in the vehicle.
 Sit up straight and well back in the seat, distributing
your weight evenly in the seat. Do not apply
excessive weight to the outer side of the seats with a
side airbag and to the front pillar, rear pillar and roof
side rail with a curtain shield airbag.