2009 TOYOTA MATRIX Owners Manual

73 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●The SRS front passenger airbag also deploys with 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 air-
bag as possible with the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
●Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or
seriously injured by a deploying airbag. An infant or child who is too small
to use a seat belt should be properly secured using a child restraint sys-
tem. Toyota 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. 82)
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected 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 air-
bag 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.
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or
lean against the dashboard.

74 1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not allow a child to sit on the knees
of a front passenger while the vehicle is
moving.
●Do not drive the vehicle while the driver
or passenger has items resting on their
knees.
●Vehicles with side airbags and curtain
shield airbags: Do not lean against the
door, the roof side rail or the front, side
and rear pillars.
●Vehicles with side airbags and curtain
shield airbags: Do not allow anyone to
kneel on the passenger seat toward the
door or put their head or hands outside
the vehicle.
●Do not attach anything to or lean any-
thing against areas such as the dash-
board or steering wheel pad.
These items can become projectiles
when SRS driver and front passenger
deploy.

75 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Side airbags: Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the
SRS side airbags inflate as they may interfere with inflation of the airbags.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS air-
bag components (→P. 66).
Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the SRS air-
bags have deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
●Vehicles with side airbags and curtain
shield airbags: 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.
●Curtain shield airbags: Do not hang
coat hangers or other hard objects on
the coat hooks. All of these items could
become projectiles and seriously injure
or kill you, should the SRS curtain
shield airbag deploy.

76 1-7. Safety information
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●If breathing becomes difficult after the SRS airbag has deployed, open a
door 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.
●Vehicles with side and curtain shield airbags: If the areas where the SRS
airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad and front and rear pillar
garnishes, are damaged or cracked, have them replaced by your Toyota
dealer.
●Vehicles without side and curtain shield airbags: If the areas where the
SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad are damaged or
cracked, have them replaced by your Toyota dealer.
■Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or perform any of the following modifications
without consulting your Toyota dealer.
The SRS airbags may malfunction or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing
death or serious injury.
●Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags.
●Vehicles with side airbags and curtain shield airbags: Repairs, modifica-
tions, removal or replacement of the steering wheel, instrument panel,
dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear pillars or roof side
rail.
●Vehicles without side airbags and curtain shield airbags: Repairs, modifi-
cations, removal or replacement of the steering wheel, instrument panel,
dashboard, seats or seat upholstery.
●Repairs or modifications of the front fender, front bumper, or side of the
occupant compartment.
●Installation of snow plows, winches, etc. to the front grille (bull bars, kan-
garoo bar etc.).
●Modifications to the vehicle's suspension system.
●Installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios or CD
players.
●Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability.

77
1
1-7. Safety information
Before driving
Front passenger occupant classification system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system. This system detects the conditions of the front passen-
ger seat and activates or deactivates the devices for the front
passenger.
SRS warning light
“AIR BAG OFF” indicator light
“AIR BAG ON” indicator light
Front passenger's seat belt reminder light

78 1-7. Safety information
Conditions and operation of the front passenger occupant classification system
■Adult*1
■Child*3 or child restraint system*4
Indicator/
warning light
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator
lights“AIR BAG
ON”
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Flashing
*2
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Activated Side airbag on the front
passenger seats (if equipped)
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger side (if equipped)
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner
Indicator/
warning light
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator
lights“AIR BAG
OFF”*5
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Flashing
*2
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front
passenger seats (if equipped)
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger side (if equipped)
Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner

79 1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
■Unoccupied
■There is a malfunction in the system
*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 rec-
ognize him/her as a child depending on his/her physique and pos-
ture.
*2: In the event the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.
*3: When a larger child who has outgrown a child restraint system
sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/
her as an adult depending on his/her physique or posture.
Indicator/
warning light
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator
lightsNot illuminated
SRS warning light
Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front
passenger seats (if equipped)
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger side (if equipped)Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Deactivated
Indicator/
warning light
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator
lights“AIR BAG
OFF”
SRS warning light On
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Off
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front
passenger seats (if equipped)
Curtain shield airbag in the front
passenger side (if equipped)
Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner

80 1-7. Safety information
*4: Never install a rear-facing child restraint system on the front pas-
senger seat. A forward-facing child restraint system should only
be installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable.
(→P. 82)
*5: In case the indicator is not illuminated, consult this manual as for
installing the child restraint system properly. (→P. 8 6 )
CAUTION
■Front passenger occupant classification system precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the front passenger occupant
classification system.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
●Wear the seat belt properly.
●Make sure the front passenger’s seat belt tab has not been left inserted
into the buckle before someone sits in the front passenger seat.
●Make sure the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light is not illuminated when using
the seat belt extender for the front passenger seat. If the “AIR BAG 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 “AIR BAG ON” indicator light is illuminated. If you
use the seat belt extender while the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light is illumi-
nated, 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.
●Do not apply a heavy load to the front passenger seat.
●Do not put weight on the front passenger 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.