2015 Lexus GS350 Owner's Manual

391-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED AIRBAGS designed based
on the US motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The airbag sen-
sor assembly (ECU) controls airbag deployment based on information
obtained from the sensors etc. shown in the system components diagram
above. This information includes crash severity and occupant information.
As the airbags deploy, a chemical reaction in the inflators quickly fills the
airbags with non-toxic gas to help restrain the motion of the occupants.
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
●The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.
●The SRS driver airbag deploys with considerable force, and can cause death or
serious injury especially if the driver is very close to the airbag. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises:
Since the risk zone for the driver’s airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm) of
inflation, placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from your driver airbag provides you
with a clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from the center of the
steering wheel to your breastbone. If you sit less than 10 in. (250 mm) away now,
you can change your driving position in several ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the pedalscomfortably.
• Slightly recline the back of the seat. Although vehicle designs vary, many drivers can achieve the 10 in. (250 mm)
distance, even with the driver seat all the way forward, simply by reclining the
back of the seat somewhat. If reclining the back of your seat makes it hard to
see the road, raise yourself by using a firm, non-slippery cushion, or raise the
seat if your vehicle has that feature.
• If your steering wheel is adjustable, tilt it downward. This points the airbag toward your chest instead of your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as recommended by NHTSA above, while still
maintaining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view of the
instrument panel controls.
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401-1. For safe use
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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 airbag as possible with
the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits upright.
●Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or seri-
ously 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 system. Lexus strongly
recommends that all infants and children be placed in the rear seats of the vehicle
and properly restrained. The rear seats are safer for infants and children than the
front passenger seat. (→P. 5 5 )
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the front seat belt buckle but the
seat belt extender has not also been fas-
tened to the latch plate of the seat belt, the
SRS front airbags will judge that the driver
and front passenger are wearing the seat
belt even though the seat belt has not been
connected. In this case, the SRS front air-
bags may not activate correctly in a colli-
sion, resulting in death or serious injury in
the event of a 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.
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411-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●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 allow the front seat occupants to
hold items on their knees.
●Do not lean against the door, the roof side
rail or the front, side and rear pillars.
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on the pas-
senger seats toward the door or put their
head or hands outside the vehicle.
●Do not attach anything to or lean anything
against areas such as the dashboard, steer-
ing wheel pad, lower portion of the instru-
ment panel and door of the glove box.
These items can become projectiles when
the SRS driver, front passenger and knee
airbags deploy.
●Do not attach anything to areas such as a
door, windshield glass, side door glass, front
or rear pillar, roof side rail and assist grip.
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421-1. For safe use
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CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not hang coat hangers or hard objects on the coat hooks. All of these items
could become projectiles and may cause death or serious injury, should the SRS
curtain shield airbags deploy.
●If a vinyl cover is put on the area where the SRS knee airbag will deploy, be sure to
remove it.
●Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side airbags
inflate as they may interfere with inflation of the airbags. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from activating correctly, disable the system or cause the
side airbags to inflate accidentally, resulting in death or serious injury.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS airbag
components.
Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the SRS airbags have
deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
●If breathing becomes difficult after the SRS airbags have 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,
door of the glove box and front and rear pillar garnishes are damaged or cracked,
have them replaced by your Lexus dealer.
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431-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
■If the SRS airbags deploy (inflate)
●Bruising and slight abrasions may result from contact with a deploying (inflating)
SRS airbag.
●A loud noise and white powder will be emitted.
●Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, airbag cover and inflator) as well as
the seats, the glove box, parts of the front and rear pillars, and roof side rails may be
hot for several minutes. The airbag itself may also be hot.
●The windshield may crack.
●For Lexus Enform Safety Connect subscribers, if the SRS airbags deploy or in the
event of a severe rear-end collision, the system is designed to send an emergency
call to the response center, notifying them of the vehicle’s location (without needing
to push the “SOS” button) and an agent will attempt to speak with the occupants to
ascertain the level of emergency and assistance required. If the occupants are
unable to communicate, the agent automatically treats the call as an emergency
and helps to dispatch the necessary emergency services. (→P. 3 6 6 )
CAUTION
■Modification and di sposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or perfor m any of the following modifications with-
out consulting your Lexus dealer. The SRS airbags 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, glove box, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear pillars
or roof side rails
●Repairs or modifications of the front fend er, front bumper, or side of the occupant
compartment
●Installation of a grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow plows or winches
●Modifications to the vehicle’s suspension system
●Installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios and CD players
●Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability
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441-1. For safe use
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■SRS airbag deployment conditions (SRS front airbags)
●The SRS front airbags will deploy in the event of an impact that exceeds the set
threshold level (the level of force corresponding to an approximately 12 - 18 mph
[20 - 30 km/h] frontal collision with a fixed wall that does not move or deform).
However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher in the following situa-
tions:
• If the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign pole, which canmove or deform on impact
• If the vehicle is involved in an underride collision, such as a collision in which the front of the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under, the bed of a truck
●Depending on the type of collision, it is possible that only the seat belt pretension-
ers will activate.
●The SRS front airbags for the front passenger will not activate if there is no passen-
ger sitting in the front passenger seat. However, the SRS front airbags for the front
passenger may deploy if luggage is put in the seat, even if the seat is unoccupied.
(→ P. 4 7 )
■SRS airbag deployment conditions (SRS side and curtain shield airbags)
●The SRS side and curtain shield airbags will deploy in the event of an impact that
exceeds the set threshold level (the level of force corresponding to the impact
force produced by an approximately 3300 lb. [1500 kg] vehicle colliding with the
vehicle cabin from a direction perpendicular to the vehicle orientation at an
approximate speed of 12 - 18 mph [20 - 30 km/h]).
●The SRS side and curtain shield airbags may also deploy in the event of a severe
frontal collision.
■Conditions under which the SRS airbags may deploy (inflate), other than a collision
The SRS front airbags, SRS side and curtain shield airbags may also deploy if a seri-
ous impact occurs to the underside of your vehicle. Some examples are shown in the
illustration.
●Hitting a curb, edge of pavement or hard
surface
●Falling into or jumping over a deep hole
●Landing hard or falling
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451-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
■Types of collisions that may not deploy the SRS airbags (SRS front airbags)
The SRS front airbags do not generally inflate if the vehicle is involved in a side or
rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a low-speed frontal collision. But,
whenever a collision of any type causes sufficient forward deceleration of the vehi-
cle, deployment of the SRS front airbags may occur.
■Types of collisions that may not deploy the SRS airbags (SRS side and curtain shield
airbags)
The SRS side and curtain shield airbags 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.
The SRS side and curtain shield airbags do not generally inflate if the vehicle is
involved in a rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a low-speed side or low-
speed frontal collision.
●Collision from the side
●Collision from the rear
●Vehicle rollover
●Collision from the side to the vehicle body
other than the passenger compartment
●Collision from the side at an angle
●Collision from the rear
●Vehicle rollover
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461-1. For safe use
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■When to contact your Lexus dealer
In the following cases, the vehicle will require inspection and/or repair. Contact your
Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
●Any of the SRS airbags have been inflated.
●The front of the vehicle is damaged or
deformed, or was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate.
●A portion of a door or its surrounding area is
damaged or deformed, or the vehicle was
involved in an accident that was not severe
enough to cause the SRS side and curtain
shield airbags to inflate.
●The pad section of the steering wheel, dash-
board near the front passenger airbag,
lower portion of the instrument panel or
door of the glove box is scratched, cracked,
or otherwise damaged.
●The surface of the seats with the side airbag
is scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.
●The portion of the front pillars, rear pillars or
roof side rail garnishes (padding) containing
the curtain shield airbags inside is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
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