82
8. Airbag sensor assembly
9. Knee airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
10. Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
11. SRS warning light The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
The front airbag sensors constantly moni-
tor the forward deceleration of the vehicle.
If an impact results in a forward decelera-
tion beyond the designed threshold level,
the system triggers the airbag inflators. At
this time a chemical reaction in the infla-
tors very quickly fills the air bags with
non− toxic gas to help restrain the forward
motion of the occupants. The front airbags
then quickly deflate, so that there is no
obstruction of the driver ’s vision should it
be necessary to continue driving. When the airbags inflate, they produce a
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 imme-
diately. Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is desi
gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, primarily to the head and chest, it
may also cause other, less severe injuries
to the face, chest, arms and hands. These
are usually in the nature of minor burns
or abrasions and swelling, but the force of
a deploying airbag can cause more seri-
ous injuries, especially if an occupant’s
hands, arms, chest or head is in close
proximity to the airbag module at the time
of deployment. This is why it is important
for the occupant to; avoid placing any
object or part of the body between the
occupant and the airbag module; sit
straight and well back into the seat; wear
the available seat belt properly; and sit as
far as possible from the airbag module,
while still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, lower portion of driver ’s side instru-
ment panel, airbag cover and inflator) may
be hot for several minutes after deploy-
ment, so do not touch! The airbags inflate
only once. The windshield may be dam-
aged by absorbing some of the force of
the inflating airbag.
86
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, interconnecting wiring and power
sources. (For details, see “Service remind-
er indicators and warning buzzers” on
page 145 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 switch is set at ON or remains
on for more than 6 seconds.
The light comes on while driving.
The SRS warning light and “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light will come on if there is a
malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS front airbags have been in-
flated.
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 pad section of the steering wheel,
lower portion of driver’s side instrument
panel or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
89
Collision from the rear
Collision from the front Vehicle rollover
The SRS side airbags and curtain shield
airbags are not generally designed to
inflate if the vehicle is involved in a
front or rear collision, if it rolls over,
or if it is involved in a low speed side
collision.The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system consists mainly of the fol-
lowing components, and their locations are
shown in the illustration.1. SRS warning light
2. “AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF” indi- cator lights
3. Curtain shield airbag modules (airbag and inflator)
4. Front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sensors)
5. Side airbag modules (airbag and inflator)
6. Curtain shield airbag sensors
7. Side and curtain shield airbag sensors 8. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle
switch
9. Airbag sensor assembly
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system is controlled by the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor as-
sembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor.
In a severe side impact, the side and
curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the
curtain shield airbag sensor trigger(s) the
side airbag inflators and/or the curtain
shield airbag inflators. At this time a
chemical reaction in the inflators quickly
fills the airbags with non −toxic gas to help
restrain the lateral motion of the occu-
pants.
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 imme-
diately.
93
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
Repairs made on or near the con-
sole or front seat
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion switch is set at ON. It goes off
after about 6 seconds. This means the
SRS side airbags and curtain shield air-
bags 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, interconnecting wiring and power
sources. (For details, see “Service remind-
er indicators and warning buzzers” on
page 145 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 switch is set at ON or remains
on for more than 6 seconds.
The light comes on while driving.
The SRS warning light and “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light will come on if there is a
malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system.
95
The “AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator lights indicate the actuation of
the front passenger airbag, side airbag
on the front passenger seat and front
passenger ’s seat belt pretensioner.
The “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light will be
illuminated when the ignition switch is set
at ON with the condition 2 in the table
shown below.
If the front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system determines that a person of
adult size sits in the front passenger seat
but the “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is
illuminated, one of the following is likely
to have occurred:
A rear passenger lifts the front passen-
ger seat cushion with their legs.
Objects are placed under the front pas-
senger seat.
The front passenger seatback is in
contact with the rear seat.
To ensure the system correctly detects an
adult sitting in the front passenger seat,
make sure the above do not occur.
Make sure that the “AIRBAG ON” indicator
light is illuminated when an adult is
seated in the front passenger seat. If the
“AIRBAG OFF” indicator light is illumina-
ted, ask the passenger to sit up straight,
well back in the seat, and with the seat
belt worn correctly. If the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light still remains illuminated, ei-
ther ask the passenger to move to the
rear seat, or if that is not possible, move
the front passenger seat fully rearward.
The “AIRBAG ON” and “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator lights will be illuminated ini-
tially when the ignition switch is set at
ON. After about 4 seconds, they will go
off. After that, the front passenger oc-
cupant classification system operates
and judges which indicator light be illu-
minated.
The SRS warning light and “AIRBAG
OFF” indicator light will come on if
there is a malfunction in the front pas-
senger occupant classification system.
96
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification systemCondition detected by the front
passenger occupant
classification system
Indicator/warning lightDevices
“AIRBAG ON” and
“AIRBAG OFF”indicator lightsSRS warning
light
Front
passenger ’s seat belt
reminder lightFront
passenger airbagSide airbag
on the front passenger seatCurtain shield
airbag in the front
passenger
sideFront
passenger ’s seat belt
pretensioner
1. Adult∗ 1“AIRBAG ON”OffFlashing∗4Activated
2. Child∗2 or child
restraint system∗ 3“AIRBAG OFF”OffFlashing∗4Deactivated
Activated
Activated
3. UnoccupiedNot illuminatedOffOffDeactivatedDeactivated
4. There is a
malfunction in the
system
“AIRBAG OFF”OnOffDeactivatedActivated
∗1: The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits in the front passenger seat, the system may
recognize him/her as a child depending on his/her physique and posture.
∗2: When a larger child who has outgrown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/h er
as an adult depending on his/her physique or posture.
∗ 3: Never install a rear −facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat. A forward −facing child restraint system should only be
installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable. (See “Child restraint” on page 98 in this Section as for installi ng the
child restraint system.)
∗ 4: In the event that the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.
97
CAUTION
To avoid potential death or serious
injury when the front passenger occu-
pant classification system does not
detect the conditions correctly, ob-
serve the following.
Do not recline the front passenger
seat seatback so that it interferes
with a rear seat as it may cause the
“AIRBAG OFF” indicator light be il-
luminated. If the seatback interferes
with the rear seat, return the seat-
back to a position where it does
not interfere with the rear seat.
Keep the front passenger seatback
as upright as possible when the ve-
hicle is moving. Reclining the seat-
back excessively may lessen the ef-
fectiveness of the seat belt system.
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, which could cause death
or serious injury in the event of
collision.If an adult sits in the front
passenger seat, the “AIRBAG ON”
indicator light should be illumi-
nated. If the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated, ask
the passenger to sit up straight,
well back in the seat, feet on the
floor, and with the seat belt worn
correctly. If the “AIRBAG OFF”
indicator light still remains illumi-
nated, either ask the passenger to
move to the rear seat, or if that is
not possible, move the front
passenger seat fully rearward.
Wear the seat belt properly.
Make sure the front passenger ’s
seat belt tab has not been left in-
serted into the buckle before some-
one sits in the front passenger
seat.
Do not apply a heavy load to the
front passenger seat or equipment
(e.g. seatback pocket).
98
Do not put weight on the front pas-
senger seat by putting your hands
or feet on the front passenger seat
seatback from the rear passenger
seat.
Do not let a rear passenger lift the
front passenger seat with their feet
or press on the seatback with their
legs.
Do not put objects under the front
passenger seat.
Child restraint systems installed on
the rear seat should not contact the
front seatbacks.
When it is unavoidable to install the
forward facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front passenger seat,
install the child restraint system on
the front passenger seat in the
proper order. (As for the installation
order, see “—Child restraint sys-
tem” on page 100 in this Section.)
Do not remove the seat.
Do not kick the front passenger
seat or subject it to severe impact.
Otherwise, the SRS warning light
may come on to indicate a malfunc-
tion of the detection system. In this
case, contact your Toyota dealer im-
mediately.
The “AIRBAG ON” indicator light may be
illuminated (the front passenger airbag and
side airbag on the front passenger seat
may deploy) even if observing the above
cautions, when a child sits in, or a for-
ward−facing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger seat. Re-
fer to all the cautions in “SRS airbags” on
page 79 and “Child restraint” described
below. Toyota strongly urges the use of ap-
propriate child restraint systems for
children.
The laws of all 50 states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a
child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAEJ1819.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s
hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. See “Seat belts” on
page 68 in this Section for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops, a
child must be properly restrained,
using a seat belt or child restraint
system depending on the age and
size of the child. Holding a child in
your arms is not a substitute for a
child restraint system. In an acci-
dent, the child can be crushed
against the windshield, or between
you and the vehicle’s interior.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions