2006 Lexus GS430 Scheduled Maintenance Guide / LEXUS 2006 GS430/GS300 FROM JAN. 2005 PROD. OWNER'S MANUAL (OM30649U)

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
148Pregnant
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 belt they may severely
weaken the belts. (See “Cleaning the interior” on
page 594 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.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
149
Fastening front and rear seat belts
G16009
Adjust the seat as needed and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it out of the retractor
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 rear seat belt is completely extended and is then
retracted even slightly, the belt is locked in that position and
cannot be extended. This feature is used to hold the child
restraint
system securely. (For details, see ”Child restraint” on
page 178.) 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 Lexus dealer. Do not use
the seat until the seat belt is fixed, because it cannot
protect an adult occupant or your child from injury.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
150
G16010
Adjust the position of the lap and shoulder belts.
1Position the lap belt as low as possible on your hips − not
on your waist.
2 Adjust it to a snug fit by pulling the shoulder portion
upward through the latch plate.
CAUTION
Both highpositioned lap belts and loosefitting
belts could cause serious 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 possible.
 Do not place the shoulder belt under your arm.
G16011
Front seat belts only
Adjust the shoulder anchor position to your size.
To raise the anchor position, push the anchor up. To lower the
anchor position, support the anchor while you push the lock
release button then slide the anchor down. After adjustment,
make sure the anchor is locked in position.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of your shoulder . The belt should be
kept away from your neck, but not falling off your
shoulder. Failure to do so could reduce the amount of
protection in an accident and cause serious injuries in
a collision.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
151
G16012
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
G16013
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.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
152
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of the shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from the neck, and should not fall off the
shoulder. Failure to observe these precautions could
reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt in an accident,
causing death or serious injury.
Seat belt extender
If your seat belts cannot be fastened securely because they
are not long enough, a persona lized seat belt extender is
available from your Lexus dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Lexus dealer so that the dealer can
order the proper required length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering information is available
at your Lexus 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 provided for you may
not be safe when used on a different vehicle, for
another person, or at a different seating position than
the one originally intended.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
153
G16018
If the seat belt extender has been connected to the
driver’s seat belt buckle but the seat belt extender
has not also been fastened to the latch plate of the
driver’s seat belt, the SRS driver’s airbag system will
judge that the driver is wearing the seat belt even
though the seat belt has not been connected. In this
case, the driver’s airbag may not activate correctly,
causing death or serious injury in the event of a colli-
sion. Be sure to wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender. Otherwise, there will also not be any effec-
tive protection in a sudden stop or a collision pro-
vided by the seat belt.
 Be sure to wear the seat belt without the seat belt
extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the
extender.
 Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a
child restraint system on the front or rear passenger
seat. If installing a child restraint system with the
seat belt extender connected 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 passengers in the event of collision.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
154
G16014
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 extender 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 extender itself.
When not in use, remove the extender and store in the vehicle
for future use.
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 extender 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 Lexus dealer. Do not use
the seat until the seat belt is fixed, because it cannot
protect an adult occupant or your child from injury.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
155
Seat belt pretensioners
G16015
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 retractor so that the belts snugly
restrain the seat occupants.
The front passenger seat belt pretensioner will not activate if
there is no passenger sitting in the front passenger seat.
However, the front passenger seat belt pretensioner may
activate if luggage is put in the seat, or the seat belt is buckled
up regardless of the presence of the occupant in the seat.
The outboard rear seat belt pretensioners are activated even
with no passengers in the outboard rear seats.
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS airbags may not operate
together in all collisions.
G16016
 1 Front airbag sensors
2Occupant detection sensor
3Front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch
4Front seat belt pretensioner assembly
5SRS warning light
6Rear seat belt pretensioner assembly
7Airbag sensor assembly
The seat belt pretensioner system consists mainly of the
above components, and their locations are shown in the
illustration.
The seat belt pretensioners are controlled by the airbag sensor
assembly. The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing
sensor and airbag sensor.