Get OPERATIONOFINSTRUMENTSANDCONTROLS -> Seat belts Guide for Toyota 4 Runner SUV Fourth Generation (2003-2009)

07 12.25

Seat belts—

—Seat belt precautions

Toyota strongly urges that the driver and

passengers in the vehicle be properly re-

strained at all times with the seat belts

provided. Failure to do so could increase

the chance of injury and/or the severity of

injury in accidents.

NOTICE

CAUTION

z Do not put unevenly weighed ob-

jects on the seat and do not stick

sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)

into the seat.

Occupants must use caution when op-

erating the seat heater because it

may make them feel too hot or cause

burns at low temperatures (erythema,

varicella). Use extra caution for;

The seat belts provided for your vehicle

are designed for people of adult size,

large enough to properly wear them.

z When cleaning the seats, do not

use organic substances (paint thin-

ner, benzine, alcohol, gasoline,

etc.). They may damage the heater

and seat surface.

D Babies, small children, elderly per-

sons, sick persons or persons with

physical disabilities

Child. Use a child restraint system ap-

propriate for the child until the child be-

comes large enough to properly wear the

vehicle’s seat belts. See “Child restraint”

on page 96 in this Section for details.

D Persons who have sensitive skin

D Persons who are exhausted

z To prevent the battery from being

discharged, turn the system off

when the engine is not running.

D Persons who have taken alcohol or

drugs which induce sleep (sleeping

drug, cold remedy, etc.)

If a child is too large for a child restraint

system, the child should sit in the rear

seat and must be restrained using the

vehicle’s seat belt. According to accident

statistics, the child is safer when properly

restrained in the rear seat than in the

front seat.

To prevent the seat overheating, do

not use the seat heater with a blan-

ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-

jects which cover the seat.

If a child must sit in the front seat, the

seat belts should be worn properly. If an

accident occurs and the seat belts are not

worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-

tion of the airbag may cause death or

serious injury to the child.

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07 12.25

Do not allow any children to stand up or

kneel on either rear or front seats. An

unrestrained child could suffer serious in-

jury or death during emergency braking or

a collision. Also, do not let the child sit

on your lap. Holding a child in your arms

does not provide sufficient restraint.

D Be careful not to damage the belt

webbing or hardware. Take care that

they do not get caught or pinched

in the seat or side doors.

CAUTION

Persons should ride in their seats

properly wearing their seat belts

whenever the vehicle is moving.

Otherwise, they are much more likely

to suffer serious injury or death in

the event of sudden braking or a col-

lision.

D Inspect the belt system periodically.

Check for cuts, fraying, and loose

parts. Damaged parts should be re-

placed. Do not disassemble or

modify the system.

Pregnant woman. Toyota recommends the

use of a seat belt. Ask your doctor for

specific recommendations. The lap belt

should be worn securely and as low as

possible over the hips and not on the

waist.

When using the seat belts, observe

the following:

D Keep the belts clean and dry. If

they need cleaning, use a mild soap

solution or lukewarm water. Never

use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-

ers, or allow them to come into

contact with the belts—they may

severely weaken the belts. (See

“Cleaning the interior” on page 417

in Section 5.)

D Use the belt for only one person at

a time. Do not use a single belt for

two or more people—even children.

Injured person. Toyota recommends the

use of a seat belt. Depending on the inju-

ry, first check with your doctor for specific

recommendation.

D Avoid reclining the seatback any

more than needed. The seat belts

provide maximum protection in

a

frontal or rear collision when the

driver and the front passenger are

sitting up straight and well back in

the seats. If you are reclined, the

lap belt may slide past your hips

and apply restraint forces directly

to the abdomen or your neck may

contact the shoulder belt. In the

D Replace the belt assembly (includ-

ing bolts) if it has been used in a

severe impact. The entire assembly

should be replaced even if damage

is not obvious.

event of

a

frontal collision, the

more the seat is reclined, the great-

er the risk of death or serious inju-

ry.

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07 12.25

—Fastening front and rear

seat belts

When a passenger’s shoulder belt is com-

pletely extended and is then retracted

even slightly, the belt is locked in that

position and cannot be extended. This fea-

ture is used to hold the child restraint

system securely. (For details, see “Child

restraint” on page 96 in this Section.) To

free the belt again, fully retract the belt

and then pull the belt out once more.

Take up

slack

Too high

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CY13057

Tab

If the seat belt cannot be pulled out of the

retractor, firmly pull the belt and release

it. You will then be able to smoothly pull

the belt out of the retractor.

Buckle

Keep as low on

hips as possible

Adjust the seat as needed and sit up

straight and well back in the seat. To

fasten your belt, pull it out of the re-

tractor and insert the tab into the

buckle.

Adjust the position of the lap and

shoulder belts.

CAUTION

D After inserting the tab, make sure

the tab and buckle are locked and

that the belt is not twisted.

Position the lap belt as low as possible

on your hips—not on your waist, then ad-

just it to a snug fit by pulling the shoulder

portion upward through the latch plate.

You will hear a click when the tab locks

into the buckle.

D Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in

the buckle as this may prevent you

from properly latching the tab and

buckle.

The seat belt length automatically adjusts

to your size and the seat position.

D If the seat belt does not function

normally, immediately contact your

Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat

until the seat belt is fixed, because

it cannot protect an adult occupant

or your child from death or serious

injury.

The retractor will lock the belt during a

sudden stop or on impact. It also may

lock if you lean forward too quickly. A

slow, easy motion will allow the belt to

extend, and you can move around freely.

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CAUTION

D Both high−positioned lap belts and

loose−fitting belts could cause

death or serious injuries due to

sliding under the lap belt during a

collision or other unintended event.

Keep the lap belt positioned as low

on hips as possible.

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 a colli-

sion.

CY13007

D Do not place the shoulder belt un-

der your arm.

Seat belts with an adjustable shoulder

anchor—

Adjust the shoulder anchor position to

your size.

To raise: Slide the anchor up.

To lower: Push in the lock release button

and slide the anchor down.

After adjustment make sure the anchor is

locked in position.

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—Stowing rear seat belt

buckles

CY13164

CY13107

CY13249

Rear center seat—vehicles without third

seats

Third seats

To release the belt, press the buckle

release button and allow the belt to

retract.

The rear seat belt buckles can be

stowed when not in use.

If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull

it out and check for kinks or twists. Then

make sure it remains untwisted as it re-

tracts.

Seat belt buckle must be stowed before

you fold the seatback. (See “—Folding

down rear seats” on page 50, “—Tumbling

second seats” on page 53, “—Folding up

third seats” on page 55 or “—Removing

third seats” on page 58 in this Section.)

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Second seats—vehicles with third seats

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—Seat belt extender

If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-

curely because they are not long enough,

a personalized seat belt extender is avail-

able from your Toyota dealer free of

charge.

D Make sure the front passenger oc-

cupant classification indicator light

indicates “ON” when using the seat

belt extender for the front passen-

ger seat. If the indicator light indi-

cates “OFF”, disconnect the extend-

er tongue from the seat belt buckle,

then reconnect the seat belt. Recon-

nect the seat belt extender after

making sure the indicator light indi-

cates “ON”. If you use the seat belt

extender while the indicator light

indicates “OFF”, the front passen-

ger airbag and side airbag on the

front passenger side may not acti-

vate correctly, which could cause

death or serious injury in the event

of collision.

Please contact your local Toyota dealer to

order the proper required length for the

extender. Bring the heaviest coat you ex-

pect to wear for proper measurement and

selection of length. Additional ordering in-

formation is available at your Toyota deal-

er.

CY13241

CAUTION

D 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 collision. Be sure to

wear the seat belt with the seat belt

extender.

When using the seat belt extender,

observe the following precautions.

Failure to follow these instructions

could reduce the effectiveness of the

seat belt restraint system in case of

an accident, increasing the chance of

death or serious injury.

D Be sure to wear the seat belt with-

out the seat belt extender if you

can fasten the seat belt without the

extender.

D Remember that the extender pro-

vided for you may not be safe when

used on

another person, or at

a

different vehicle, for

different

a

seating position than the one origi-

nally intended.

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07 12.25

As far as the seat belt extender on the

front passenger side is concerned, do not

fail to disconnect the extender from the

seat belt after the above operation in or-

der to activate the front passenger airbag

correctly when getting into the vehicle

next time.

D Do not use the seat belt extender

when installing

system on the front or rear passen-

ger seat. If installing child re-

a

child restraint

a

straint system with the seat belt

extender connected to the seat belt,

the seat belt will not securely hold

the child restraint system, which

could cause death or serious injury

to the child or other passengers in

the event of collision.

CY13166

When not in use, remove the extender

and store in the vehicle for future use.

CAUTION

D After inserting the tab, make sure

the tab and buckle are locked and

that the lap and shoulder portions

of the belt and the seat belt extend-

er are not twisted.

To connect the extender to the seat

belt, insert the tab into the seat belt

buckle so that the “PRESS” signs on

the buckle release buttons of the ex-

tender and the seat belt are both facing

outward as shown.

D Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in

the buckle as this may prevent you

from properly latching the tab and

buckle.

You will hear a click when the tab locks

into the buckle.

D If the seat belt does not function

normally, immediately contact your

Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat

until the seat belt is fixed, because

it cannot protect an adult occupant

or your child from death or serious

injury.

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 extend-

er itself.

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—Seat belt pretensioners

The seat belt pretensioner will not activate

if no passenger is detected in the front

passenger seat by the front passenger

occupant classification system. However,

the

front

passenger’s

seat

belt

pretensioner may activate if luggage is put

on the seat, or the seat belt is buckled up

regardless of the presence of an occupant

in the seat. (As for the front passenger

CY13018

CY13294

occupant

classification

system,

see

“—Front passenger occupant classification

system” on page 91 in this Section.)

The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-

bags may not operate together in all colli-

sions.

The driver and front passenger seat

belt pretensioners are designed to be

activated in response to a severe fron-

tal impact. The pretensioners are also

activated during vehicle rollover.

The seat belt pretensioners will not oper-

ate in

a

vehicle rollover if the “RSCA

OFF” indicator light is on. For details, see

“Roll sensing of curtain shield airbags off

switch” on page 95 in this Section.

When the sensor detects a severe frontal

impact or a vehicle rollover, the front seat

belts are quickly drawn back by the re-

tractors so that the belts snugly restrain

the occupants.

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The seat belt pretensioners are controlled

by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag

sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-

sor and airbag sensor.

D Do not modify or change the sus-

pension system. Such changes may

cause the curtain shield airbags to

inflate accidentally, which could re-

sult in death or serious injury. Con-

sult your Toyota dealer about any

repair and modification.

When the seat belt pretensioners are acti-

vated, an operating noise may be heard

and a small amount of non−toxic gas may

be released. This does not indicate that

a fire is occurring. This gas is normally

harmless.

CY13293

D Do not use tires or wheels other

than

the

manufacture’s

recom-

mended size. Such a use may cause

the curtain shield airbags and seat

belt pretensioners to inflate acci-

dentally, which could result in death

or serious injury. For details, see

“Checking and replacing tires” on

page 443 in Section 7−2.

Once the seat belt pretensioners have

been activated, the seat belt retractors

remain locked.

The seat belt pretensioner system con-

sists mainly of the following components

and their locations are shown in the il-

lustration.

CAUTION

D Do not modify, remove, strike or

open the seat belt pretensioner as-

semblies, airbag sensor or sur-

rounding area or wiring. Failure to

follow these instructions may pre-

vent the seat belt pretensioners

from activating correctly, cause sud-

den operation of the system or dis-

able the system, which could result

in death or serious injury. Consult

your Toyota dealer about any repair

and modification.

D Do not place luggage heavier than

specified on the roof luggage carri-

er. Such luggage may cause the

curtain shield airbags and seat belt

pretensioners to inflate accidentally,

which could result in death or seri-

ous injury. For details, see “Roof

luggage carrier” on page 334 in

Section 1−10.

1. Front airbag sensors

2. SRS warning light

3. Front passenger occupant classification

indicator light

4. Front passenger occupant classification

system (ECU and sensors)

5. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies

6. Front passenger’s seat belt buckle

switch

7. Airbag sensor assembly

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07 12.25

This warning light system monitors the

airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-

sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-

sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-

er’s seat position sensor, driver’s seat belt

buckle switch, front passenger occupant

classification system and indicator light,

front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch,

seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflat-

ors, “RSCA OFF” indicator light, intercon-

necting wiring and power sources. (For

details, see “Service reminder indicators

and warning buzzers” on page 149 in Sec-

tion 1−6.)

NOTICE

Do not perform any of the following

changes without consulting your

Toyota dealer. Such changes can

interfere with proper operation of the

seat belt pretensioners in some

cases.

CY13295

z Installation of electronic devices

such as

a

mobile two−way radio,

cassette tape player or compact

disc player

z Repairs on or near the front seat

belt retractor assemblies

This indicator comes on when the

engine switch is turned to the “ON”

position. It goes off after about 6 se-

conds. This means the seat belt preten-

sioners are operating properly.

If any of the following conditions occurs,

this indicates a malfunction of the airbags

or seat belt pretensioners. Contact your

Toyota dealer as soon as possible.

z Modification of the front end struc-

ture

z Attachment of a grille guard (bull

bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,

winches or any other equipment to

the front end

D The light does not come on when the

engine switch is turned to the “ON”

position or remains on for more than

6 seconds or flashes.

z Repairs made on or near the front

fenders, front end structure or con-

sole

D The light comes on or starts flashing

while driving.

D If any seat belt does not retract or can

not be pulled out due to a malfunction

or activation of the relevant seat belt

pretensioner.

D The seat belt pretensioner assembly or

surrounding area has been damaged.

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OPERATIONOFINSTRUMENTSANDCONTROLS -> Seat belts for Your Toyota 4 Runner SUV Fourth Generation (2003-2009)

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