2009 TOYOTA PRIUS Owners Manual

97
1-8. Safety information
1
Before driving
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
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. 107)
● 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.

98 1-8. Safety information
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
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 knees of a front passenger.
● Do not drive the vehicle while the driver
or passenger have items resting on
their knees.
● Do not lean against the door, the roof
side rail or the front, side and rear pil-
lars.
● Do not allow anyone to kneel on the
front passenger seat toward the door or
put their head or hands outside the
vehicle.

99
1-8. Safety information
1
Before driving
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
CAUTION
■
SRS airbag precautions
● Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side
airbags inflate as they may interf ere with inflation of the airbags.
● Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS air-
bag components shown on P. 90. 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.
● 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.
● If the areas where the SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel
pad and front pillar garnish, are dam aged or cracked, have them replaced
by your Toyota dealer.
● Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s weight, which prevents the sensor
from detecting the passenger’s weight properly. As a result, the SRS front
passenger airbag may not deploy in the event of a collision.
●Do not attach anything to or lean any-
thing against areas such as the dash-
board, steering wheel pad. These items
can become projectiles when SRS
driver and front passenger airbags
deploy.
● 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 coat hangers or other hard
objects on the coat hooks. All of these
items could become projectiles and
cause death or serious injury should
the SRS curtain shield airbag deploy.

100 1-8. Safety information
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
CAUTION
■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 airbag may malfunction or
deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing death or serious injury.
● Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags
● Repairs, modifications, removal or replacement of the steering wheel,
instrument panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear
pillars or roof side rail
● 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.

101
1
1-8. Safety information
Before driving
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
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 front passenger.
SRS warning light
“AIR BAG OFF” indicator light
“AIR BAG ON” indicator light
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light

102 1-8. Safety information
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classi-
fication 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
Devices Front passenger airbag
Activated
Side airbag on the right side
passenger seats
Curtain shield airbag in the front passenger side
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
Devices Front passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the right side
passenger seats
Curtain shield airbag in the front passenger side Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Activated

103
1-8. Safety information
1
Before driving
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)
■
Unoccupied
Indicator/
warning light “AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator lights Not illumi-
nated
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light
Devices Front passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the right side
passenger seats
Curtain shield airbag in the front passenger side Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Deactivated

104 1-8. Safety information
PRIUS_U_(OM47614U)■
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 large child who has outgro wn 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.
*4:Never install a rear-facing child restraint system on the front pas- senger seat. A forward-facing ch ild restraint system should only
be installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable.
(  P. 107)
*5: In case the indicator is not illuminated, consult this manual as for
installing the child restraint system properly. ( P. 1 1 1 )
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
Devices Front passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the right side
passenger seats
Curtain shield airbag in the front passenger side Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Activated