2006 LEXUS LS430 Owners Manual

65
1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
■When to contact your Lexus dealer
In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as possible. Do not dis-
connect the battery cables before contacting your Lexus dealer.
●Any of the SRS airbags have been
inflated.
●The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause the
SRS front airbags to inflate.
●The portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause the
SRS side airbags and curtain shield air-
bags to inflate.
●The pad section of the steering wheel,
front passenger airbag cover or lower
portion of instrument panel (shaded in the
illustration) is scratched, cracked or oth-
erwise damaged.
●The surface of the seats with the side air-
bag (shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked or otherwise dam-
aged.
●The portion of the front pillars, rear pillars
or roof side rail garnishes (padding) con-
taining the curtain shield airbags inside
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked or otherwise damaged.

66
1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the airbags. Failure to do so may
ca
use death or serious injury:
●The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts properly. 
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with seat belts.
●The SRS driver airbag deploys by a cons iderable force and can cause death or
serious injury especially, if the driver is very close to the airbag. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) advises: 
Since the risk zone for driver airbag is th e fi
rst 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm) of inflation,
placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) 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 10 in. (250 mm) away now, you can
change your driving position in several ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the pedals
co
mfortably.
• Slightly recline the back of the seat. Alt
hough vehicle designs vary, many driv-
ers can achieve the 10 in. (250 mm) distance, even with the driver seat all the
w
ay forward, simply 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, ti lt it do
wnward. This points the airbag
toward your chest instead of your head and neck.

67
1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
The seat should be adjusted as recommended by NHTSA above, while still main-
taining control of the foot pedals, steerin g
wheel and your view of the instrument
panel controls.
●The SRS front passenger airbag also de ploys by a considerable force and can
cause death or serious injury especially, if the front passenger is very close to the
airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the airbag as possible with
the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits upright.
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the driver’s seat belt buckle but
the seat belt extender has also 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, in
a collision, resulting in death or serious
injury in the event of collision. Be sure to
wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender.

68
1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or lean
against the dashboard.
●Do not allow a child to stand in front of the
SRS front passenger airbag unit or sit on
the passenger’s knees while the vehicle is
moving.
●Do not drive the vehicle while the driver or
passenger has something resting on his or
her knees.
●Do not lean against the door, the front, the
side and rear pillars or the roof side rail.

69
1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or seri-
ously injured by the deploying airbags. An infant or child who is too small to use a
sea
t 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.
(  P.73 )
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on the pas-
senger seat or put their head or hands out-
side the vehicle.
●Do not attach anything to or lean anything
against areas such as the dashboard, steer-
ing wheel pad or lower portion of instru-
ment panel. These items can become
projectiles when SRS driver, front passen-
ger and knee airbags deploy.

70
1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not attach anything to areas such as the
door, windshield glass, side door glass,
front and rear pillars, roof side rail or assist
grip.
●Do not hang a coat hanger or other hard
object on the coat hooks. All of these items
could become projectiles and seriously
injure or kill you, should the SRS curtain
shield airbag deploy.

71
1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●If the vinyl cover is put on the area where the SRS knee airbag will deploy, be sure
to remove it.
●Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side airbags
inflate as this may interfere with inflation of these airbags.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS airbag
components shown on P. 61. Doing so could cause a SRS airbag to malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the SRS airbag has
deployed (inflated) as they become hot.
●If breathing becomes difficult, open a d oor or window to allow fresh air in, or
leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so. Wash off any residue as soon as possible to
prevent skin irritation.
●If the areas where the SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad and
front pillar garnish, are damaged or cracked, have them replaced by your Lexus
dealer.
●Do not attach any heavy, sharp or hard
objects such as keys or accessories to the
ignition key. The obje cts may restrict the
SRS knee airbag inflation or be thrust into
the driver's seat area by the force of the
deploying airbag, thus causing a danger.

72
1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■Modifications and disposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not perform any of the following modifications to o
r dispose of the vehicle with -
out consulting your Lexus dealer. The SRS airb
ag may malfunction and may deploy
(inflate) accidentally, causing death or serious injury.
• Installation, removal, disassembl y and r
epair of the SRS airbags.
• Repairs, modifications, removal or replacement of the steering wheel, instru -
ment panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholste
ry, front, side and rear pillars or
roof side rail.
• Repair or modification of the front fender , fr
ont bumper or side of the occupant
compartment.
• Installation of snow plows, winches, etc. to the front grille (bull bars, kangaroo ba
r, etc.).
• Modifications to the vehi cle
’s suspension system.
• Installation of electronic devices such as a mobile two-way radio, cassette tape pl
ayer or CD player.