2016 Lexus ES300h Owner's Manual (OM33B71U)

331-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
The pretensioners help the seat belts to
quickly restrain the occupants by
retracting the seat belts when the vehi-
cle is subjected to certain types of
severe frontal collision or a vehicle roll-
over.
The front seat belt pretensioners also
activate when the vehicle is subjected to
certain types of severe side collision.
The pretensioners do not activate in the event of a minor frontal impact, a minor side
impact or a rear impact.
■Emergency locking retractor (ELR)
The retractor will lock the belt during a sudden stop or on impact. It may also lock if you
lean forward too quickly. A slow, easy motion w ill allow the belt to extend so that you can
move around fully.
■Automatic locking retractor (ALR)
When a passenger’s shoulder belt is completely extended and then retracted even
slightly, the belt is locked in that position an d cannot be extended. This feature is used to
hold the child restraint system (CRS) firmly. To free the belt again, fully retract the belt
and then pull the belt out once more. ( P. 5 7 )
■Child seat belt usage
The seat belts of your vehicle were princi pally designed for persons of adult size.
●Use a child restraint system appropriate fo r the child, until the child becomes large
enough to properly wear the vehicle’s seat belt. ( P. 5 3 )
●When the child becomes large enough to properly wear the vehicle’s seat belt, follow
the instructions regardin g seat belt usage. (P. 3 2 )
■Replacing the belt after the pretensioner has been activated
If the vehicle is involved in multiple collisio ns, the pretensioner will activate for the first
collision of sufficient severity, but will not ac tivate for the second or subsequent collisions.
The seat belt must be replaced if the pretensioner has been activated.
Seat belt pretensioners (front and outboard rear seats)

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■Seat belt extender
If your seat belts cannot be fastened securely
because they are not long enough, a personal-
ized seat belt extender is available from your
Lexus dealer free of charge.
WA R N I N G
Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of injury in the event of sudden
braking, sudden swerving or an accident.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
■Wear a seat belt
●Ensure that all passengers wear a seat belt.
●Always wear a seat belt properly.
●Each seat belt should be used by one person only. Do not use a seat belt for more
than one person at once, including children.
●Lexus recommends that children be seated in the rear seat and always use a seat belt
and/or an appropriate child restraint system.
●To achieve a proper seating position, do not recline the seat more than necessary. The
seat belt is most effective when the occupa nts are sitting up straight and well back in
the seats.
●Do not wear the shoulder belt under your arm.
●Always wear your seat belt low and snug across your hips.
■Pregnant women
Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt
in the proper way. ( P. 3 2 )
Women who are pregnant should position the
lap belt as low as possib le over the hips in the
same manner as other occupants, extending
the shoulder belt completely over the shoulder
and avoiding belt contact with the rounding of
the abdominal area.
If the seat belt is not worn properly, not only the
pregnant woman, but also the fetus could suffer
death or serious injury as a result of sudden
braking or a collision.

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For safety and security
WA R N I N G
■People with medical conditions
Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt in the proper way. (P. 3 2 )
■When children are in the vehicle
Do not allow children to play with the seat belt. If the seat belt becomes twisted around
a child’s neck, it may lead to choking or othe r serious injuries that could result in death.
If this occurs and the child cannot be released from the seat belt, scissors should be
used to cut the belt.
■Seat belt pretensioners
●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 pas-
senger’s weight properly. As a result, the seat belt pretensioner for the front passen-
ger’s seat may not activate in the event of a collision.
●If the pretensioner has activated, the SRS warning light will come on . In that case, the
seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at your Lexus dealer.
■Adjustable shoulder anchor
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of your shoulder.
The belt should be kept away from your neck, but not falling off your shoulder. Failure to
do so could reduce the amount of protection in an accident and cause death or serious
injuries in the event of a sudden stop, sudden swerve or accident. ( P. 3 2 )
■Seat belt damage and wear
●Do not damage the seat belts by allowing th e belt, plate, or buckle to be jammed in
the door.
●Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose parts. Do
not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat belts cannot protect an
occupant from death or serious injury.
●Ensure that the belt and plate are locked and the belt is not twisted.
If the seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your Lexus dealer.
●Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been involved in a
serious accident, even if th ere is no obvious damage.
●Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of the seat belts.
Have any necessary repairs carried out by your Lexus dealer. Inappropriate handling
may lead to incorrect operation.
■Using a seat belt extender
●Do not wear the seat belt extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the extender.
●Do not use the seat belt extender when in stalling a child restraint system because the
belt will not securely hold th e child restraint system, increasing the risk of death or
serious injury in the event of an accident.
●The personalized extender may not be safe on another vehicle, when used by another
person, or at a different seating position other than the one originally intended.

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NOTICE
■When using a seat belt extender
When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release button on the extender, not
on the seat belt.
This helps prevent damage to the vehicle interior and the extender itself.

371-1. For safe use
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For safety and security
SRS airbags
◆SRS front airbags SRS driver airbag/front passenger airbag
Can help protect the head and chest of the driver and front passenger from
impact with interior components
SRS knee airbags
Can help provide driver and front passenger protection
◆SRS side and curtain shield airbagsSRS front side airbags
Can help protect the torso of the front seat occupants
SRS rear side airbags
Can help protect the torso of o ccupants in the rear outer seats
The SRS airbags inflate when the vehi cle is subjected to certain types of
severe impacts that may cause significan t injury to the occupants. They work
together with the seat belts to help redu ce the risk of death or serious injury.
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381-1. For safe use
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SRS curtain shield airbags
●Can help protect primarily the head of occupants in the outer seats
●Can prevent the occupants from being thrown from the vehicle in the
event of vehicle rollover
SRS airbag system components
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Front passenger occupant classifi-
cation system (ECU and sensors)
Side impact sensors (front doors)
Knee airbags
Front passenger airbag
Curtain shield airbags
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator lights
Seat belt pretensioners and force
limiters Side impact sensors (front)
Front side airbags
SRS warning light
Driver airbag
Rear side airbags
Side impact sensors (rear)
Driver’s seat belt buckle switch
Airbag sensor assembly
Front passenger’s seat belt buckle
switch
Front impact sensors1
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5
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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 sensor assembly
(ECU) controls airbag deployment based on information obtained from the sen-
sors etc. shown in the system compon ents 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 moti on of the occupants.
WA R N I N G
■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 device s to be used with the seat belts.
●The SRS driver airbag deploys with consider able force, and can cause death or seri-
ous 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 pedals com- fortably.
• Slightly recline the back of the seat. Although vehicle designs vary, many drivers can achieve the 10 in. (250 mm) dis-
tance, even with the driver seat all the wa y 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 ad justable, tilt it downward. This points the airbag toward
your chest instead of your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as recommen ded by NHTSA above, while still maintain-
ing control of the foot pedals, steering whee l, and your view of the instrument panel
controls.

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WA R N I N G
■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 re strained 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 system. Lexus strongly recom-
mends that all infants and children be placed in the rear seats of the vehicle and prop-
erly restrained. The rear seats are safe r for infants and children than the front
passenger seat. ( P. 5 3 )
●If the seat belt extender has been connected
to the front seat belt buckle but the seat belt
extender has not also been fastened to the
latch plate of the seat belt, the SRS front air-
bags will judge that the driver and front pas-
senger are wearing the seat belt even though
the seat belt has not been connected. In this
case, the SRS front airbags may not activate
correctly in a collision, 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.
●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.