2006 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Owners Manual

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
63
The second and third seat seat belt
buckles can be stowed when not in
use.
Seat belt buckles must be stowed before
you fold the seatback. (See “—Folding
down second seats” on page 45 and
“—Folding down third seat” on page 49 in
this Section.)
To stow the third seat seat belt, insert
the tabs into the slot as shown above.
Make sure the tabs are securely locked
in the slot.
Seat belt must be stowed before you fold
the seatback. (See “—Folding down third
seat” on page 49 in this Section.)
NOTICE
Stow the third seat seat belt when
not in use.
If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer to
order the proper required length for the
extender. Bring the heaviest coat you ex-
pect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering in-
formation is available at your Toyota deal-
er.
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 pro-
vided for you may not be safe when
used on a different vehicle, for
another person, or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended.
—Stowing the third seat seat
belt
—Seat belt extender

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
64
If the seat belt extender has been
connected to the driver ’s seat belt
buckle without wearing the seat belt
when using the extender in the
driver ’s seat, the SRS driver ’s air-
bag system will judge that the driv-
er wears the seat belt even if not
wearing it. In this case, the driver ’s
airbag may not activate correctly,
causing death or serious injury in
the event of collision. Be sure to
wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender.
Make sure the “AIRBAG ON”
indicator light is illuminated when
using the seat belt extender for the
front passenger seat. If the
“AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is
illuminated, disconnect the extender
tongue from the seat belt buckle,
then reconnect the seat belt.
Reconnect the seat belt extender
after making sure the “AIRBAG ON”
indicator light is illuminated. If you
use the seat belt extender while the
“AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is
illuminated, the front passenger
airbag and side airbag on the front
passenger side may not activate
correctly, causing death or serious
injury in the event of collision.
Be sure to wear the seat belt with-
out 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 passen-
ger seat. If installing a child re-
straint 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.

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
65
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 ex-
tender 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 extend-
er itself. As far as the seat belt extender on the
front passenger side is concerned, do not
fail to disconnect the extender from the
seat belt after the above operation in or-
der to activate the front passenger airbag
correctly when getting into the vehicle
next time.
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 extend-
er 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
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.
Vehicles without curtain shield air-
bags—The driver and front passenger
seat belt pretensioners are designed to
be activated in response to a severe
frontal impact.
Vehicles with curtain shield airbags—
The driver and front passenger seat
belt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in response to a severe fron-
tal impact or a vehicle roll over.
Vehicles without curtain shield airbags—
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact, the front seat belts are quickly
drawn back by the retractors so that the
belts snugly restrain the occupants.
—Seat belt pretensioners

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
66
Vehicles with curtain shield airbags—When
the sensor detects a severe frontal impact
or a vehicle roll over, the front seat belts
are quickly drawn back by the retractors
so that the belts snugly restrain the occu-
pants.
The front passenger ’s seat belt pretension-
er will not activate if no passenger is
detected in the front passenger seat by
the front passenger occupant classification
system. However, the front passe nger ’s
seat belt pretensioner may activate if lug-
gage 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 “—Front pass enger occupant
classification system” on page 85 in this
Section.)
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-
bags may not operate together in all colli-
sions.
The seat belt pretensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components
and their locations are shown in the il-
lustration.
1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sensors)
4. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
5. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch
6. Airbag sensor assembly The seat belt pretensioners are controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
When the seat belt pretensioners are acti-
vated, an operating noise may be heard
and a small amount of non
−toxic gas may
be released. This does not indicate that
a fire is occurring. This gas is normally
harmless.
Once the seat belt pretensioners have
been activated, the seat belt retractors
remain locked.CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or open
the seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
airbag sensor or surrounding area or
wiring. Failure to follow these instruc-
tions may prevent the seat belt pre-
tensioners from activating correctly,
cause sudden operation of the system
or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury. Con-
sult your Toyota dealer about any re-
pair and modification.

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
67
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
seat belt pretensioners in some
cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile twoway radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
 Repairs on or near the front seat
belt retractor assemblies
 Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
 Modification of the front end struc-
ture
 Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
 Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure or con-
sole
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the seat belt pretensioners are
operating properly. This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, front passenger occupant
classification system, “AIRBAG ON” indi-
cator light, “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light,
front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch,
seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflat-
ors, warning light, interconnecting wiring
and power sources. (For details, see “Ser-
vice reminder indicators and warning buzz-
ers” on page 133 in Section 1
−6.)
If any of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction of the airbags
or seat belt pretensioners. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion or remains on for more than 6
seconds or flashes.
The light comes on or starts flashing
while driving.
If any seat belt does not retract or
cannot be pulled out due to a malfunc-
tion or activation of the relevant seat
belt pretensioner.
The seat belt pretensioner assembly or
surrounding area has been damaged.

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
68
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an acci dent
that was not severe enough to cause
the seat belt pretensioners to operate.
Either seat belt pretensioner assembly
or surrounding area is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) front airbags are designed to pro-
vide further protection for the driver
and front passenger in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by
the seat belts.
Your vehicle is equipped with “ADVANCED
AIRBAGS” designed based on US motor
vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The
airbag system controls airbag deployment
power for the driver and front passenger.
The driver airbag system consists of the
driver seat’s position sensor etc. The front
passenger ’s airbag system consists of the
front passenger occupant classification
sensor etc. In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS front airbags work with the seat
belts to help reduce injury by inflating.
The SRS front airbags help reduce injuries
mainly to the driver’s or front passenger’s
head or chest caused by hitting the ve-
hicle interior.
The SRS front passenger airbag will not
activate if there is no passenger sitting in
the front passenger seat. However, the
front passenger airbag may deploy if lug-
gage is put in 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 “—Front pass
enger occupant
classification system” on page 85 in this
Section.)
Always wear your seat belt properly.
SRS airbags—
—SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
69
CAUTION
The SRS front airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver and
front passenger seat belt systems.
The driver and front passenger can
be killed or seriously injured by the
inflating airbags if they do not wear
the available seat belts properly.
During sudden braking just before
a collision, an unrestrained driver
or front passenger can move for-
ward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag which
may then deploy during the colli-
sion. To ensure maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts properly. Wear-
ing a seat belt properly during an
accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For in-
structions and precautions concern-
ing the seat belt system, see “Seat
belts” on page 57 in this Section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. An infant or child who
is too small to use a seat belt
should be properly secured using a
child restraint system. Toyota
strongly recommends that all in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint” on page 89 in this
Section.The SRS front airbags are designed to
deploy in severe (usually frontal) colli-
sions where the magnitude and duration
of the forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle exceeds the designed threshold
level.
The SRS front airbags will deploy if the
severity of the impact is above the de-
signed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision
when the vehicle has the impact straight
into a fixed barrier that does not move or
deform.
However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or
sign pole, which can move or deform on
impact, or if the vehicle is involved in an
underride collision (e.g. a collision in
which the front of the vehicle “underrides”,
or goes under, the bed of a truck, etc.).
It is possible that in some collisions
where the forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle is very close to the designed thresh-
old level, the SRS front airbags and the
seat belt pretensioners may not activate
together.
Always wear your seat belts properly.

’06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508)
70
Collision from the rear
Collision from the side Vehicle rollover
The SRS front airbags are not generally
designed to inflate if the vehicle is in-
volved in a side or rear collision, if it
rolls over, or if it is involved in a low
speed frontal collision. But, when ever a
collision of any type causes sufficient
forward deceleration of the vehicle, de-
ployment of the SRS front airbags may
occur.
Hitting a curb,
edge of pavement
or hard surface Falling into or
jumping over a
deep hole
Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS front airbags may also deploy
if a serious impact occurs to the under-
side of your vehicle. Some examples
are shown in the illustration.The SRS front airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion. 1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Airbag module for front passenger (airbag and inflator)
4. “AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF” indi- cator lights
5. Front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sensors)
6. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch
7. Driver ’s seat belt buckle switch