2008 TOYOTA tC Owners Manual (in English)

49
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.
Collision from the sideVehicle rollover
Collision from the rear
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 co
llision of any type causes suf-
ficient forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle, deployment 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.

50
13T021
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. “AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator 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 8. Driver ’s seat position sensor
9. Airbag sensor assembly
10. Knee airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
11. Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator) 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 inflat-
ors very quickly fills the airbags 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.

51
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 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 instrument panel, air-
bag cover and inflator) may be hot for
several minutes after deployment, so do
not touch! The airbags inflate only once.
The windshield may be damaged by ab-
sorbing some of the force of the inflating
airbag.CAUTION
The driver or front passenger who is
too close to the steering wheel, lower
portion of instrument panel or
dashboard during airbag deployment
can be killed or seriously injured.
Scion strongly recommends that:
The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
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 a collision. Be sure to
wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender. Otherwise, there will also
not be any effective protection in a
sudden stop or a collision provided
by the seat belt.
For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seating position, see
“—Front seat precautions” on page
30.

52
13T022
Do not sit on the edge of the seat
or lean against the dashboard when
the vehicle is in use, since the
front passenger airbag could inflate
with considerable speed and force.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, an airbag when it inflates,
can be killed or seriously injured.
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, and always use your seat belt
properly.
13T023
Scion strongly recommends that all
infants and children be placed in
the rear seat of the vehicle and be
properly restrained.
Do not hold a child on your lap or
in your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” on page 67.
13T076
Do not put anything or any part of
your body on or in front of the
dashboard, lower portion of instru-
ment panel, steering wheel pad that
houses the front airbag system or
in the area where the SRS knee
airbag will inflate. They might re-
strict inflation or cause death or
serious injury as they are projected
rearward by the force of the deploy-
ing airbags. Likewise, the driver
and front passenger should not
hold objects in their arms or on
their knees.

53
If a vinyl cover is put on the area
where the SRS knee airbag will
deploy, be sure to remove it.
Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components such as
the steering wheel pad, steering
wheel, column cover, dashboard
near the front passenger airbag,
front passenger airbag cover, front
passenger airbag, driver knee air-
bag or airbag sensor assembly. Do-
ing so may prevent the front airbag
system from activating correctly,
cause sudden activation of the sys-
tem or disable the system, which
could result in death or serious in-
jury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
Consult your Scion dealer about any
repair and modification.
If you wish to modify your vehicle for
a person with a physical disability,
consult your Scion dealer. It may dan-
gerously interfere with the SRS front
airbags operation.
13T077
Do not attach any heavy, sharp or
hard objects such as keys or acces-
sories to the ignition key. The ob-
jects may restrict the SRS knee air-
bag inflation or be thrust into the
driver’s seat area by the force of
the deploying airbag, thus causing
a danger.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Scion dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS front 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 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, con-
sole, steering column, steering
wheel, lower portion of instrument
panel or dashboard near the front
passenger airbag

54
13T080
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 SRS front airbags are oper-
ating properly.This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sensor
assemblies, curtain shield airbag sensor
assemblies, driver ’s seat position sensor,
driver’s seat belt buckle switch, front pas-
senger occupant classification system,
“AIR BAG ON” indicator light, “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator light, front passenger ’s seat
belt buckle switch, seat belt pretensioner
assemblies, inflators, warning light, inter-
connecting wiring and power sources. (For
details, see “Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers” on page 105.)
If any of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction of the airbags
or seat belt pretensioners. Contact your
Scion dealer as soon as possible.
When the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position, the light does not come
on or remains on for more than 6 sec-
onds.
The light comes on while driving.
The SRS warning light and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator light will come on if there
is a malfunction in the front passenger
occupant classification system.
13T078
In the following cases, contact your Scion
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
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.

55
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Scion dealer.
13T027
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) side airbags and curtain shield air-
bags are designed to provide further
protection for the driver, front passen-
ger and rear outside passengers in
addition to the primary safety protec-
tion provided by the seat belts.
In response to a severe side impact, the
SRS side airbags and curtain shield air-
bags work with the seat belts to help
reduce injury by inflating. The SRS side
airbags help reduce injuries mainly to the
driver ’s or front passenger ’s chest and the
SRS curtain shield airbags help reduce
injuries mainly to the driver’s, front pas-
senger ’s or rear outside passenger ’s head.The SRS side airbag on the passenger
seat will not activate if there is no pas-
senger sitting in the front passenger seat.
However, the side airbag on the passen-
ger seat may deploy if luggage is put in
the seat, or the seat belt is buckled up
regardless of the presence of the occu-
pant in the seat. (As for the front passen-
ger occupant classification system, see
“—Front passenger occupant classification
system” on page 63.)
The SRS curtain shield airbag on the pas-
senger side are activated even with no
passenger in the front seat or rear outside
seat.
The SRS curtain shield airbags may acti-
vate even when the side airbags are not
activated.
Always wear your seat belt properly.
SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags

56
CAUTION
The SRS side airbag and curtain
shield airbag system is designed
only as a supplement to the prima-
ry protection of the driver, front
passenger and rear outside passen-
ger 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 prop-
erly 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 39.
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 air-
bag and curtain shield airbag in-
flate, and the impact of the deploy-
ing airbags 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 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. Scion strong-
ly recommends that all infants and
children be placed in the rear seats
of the vehicle and properly re-
strained. The rear seats are the saf-
est for infants and children. For in-
structions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
“Child restraint—” on page 67.
13T028
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system may not activate if the
vehicle is subjected to a collision from
the side at certain angles, or a collision
to the side of the vehicle body other
than the passenger compartment as
shown in the illustration.
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag are designed to inflate when the
passenger compartment area suffers a se-
vere impact from the side.
Always wear your seat belts properly.