Get OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS - Seats, Seat belts, Steering wheel and mirrors -> Seat belts Guide for Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

Seat belts—

—Seat belt precautions

Head restraints

For your safety and comfort, adjust the

head restraint before driving,

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.

To raise: Pull it up.

To lower: Push it down while pressing the

lock release button.

The head restraint is most effective when

it is close to your head. Therefore, using

a cushion on the seatback is not recom-

mended.

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. (For details, see

“Child restraint—” on page 61 in this sec-

tion.)

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CAUTION

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.

D Adjust the center of the head re-

straint so that it is closest to the

top of your ears.

Front

D After adjusting the head restraint,

make sure it is locked in position.

D Do not drive with the head re-

straints removed.

If a child must sit in the front seat, the

seat belts should be worn properly. If an

accident occurs and 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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Rear

40

Do not allow the child 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. It does not provide sufficient

restraint.

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.

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 bodily injury or

death in the event of sudden braking

or a collision.

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—they may severely weaken the

belts. (See “Cleaning the interior”

on page 189 in Section 6.)

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 Use the belt for only one person at

a time. Do not use a single belt for

two or more people—even children.

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.

Injured person. Toyota recommends the

use of a seat belt. Depending on the inju-

ry, first check with your doctor for specific

recommendations.

D Avoid reclining the seatbacks too

much. The seat belts provide maxi-

mum protection when the seatbacks

are in the upright position. (Refer

to the seat adjustment instructions.)

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 doors.

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—Front and rear seat belts

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.

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 61 in this Section.)

To free the belt again, fully retract the belt

and then pull the belt out once more.

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Adjust the seat as needed (Front seats

only) and sit up straight and well back

in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it

out of the retractor and insert the tab

into the buckle.

Seat belts with an adjustable shoulder

anchor—

CAUTION

D After inserting the tab, make sure

the tab and buckle are locked and

that the belt is not twisted.

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.

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.

After adjustment, make sure the anchor is

locked in 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. It cannot

protect an adult occupant or your

child from 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

Take up slack

Too high

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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

serious injuries in a collision.

D Both high−positioned lap belts and

loose−fitting belts could cause seri-

ous injuries due to sliding under

the lap belt during a collision or

other unintended result. Keep the

lap belt positioned as low on hips

as possible.

D For your safety, do not place the

Keep as low on hips

as possible

shoulder belt under your arm.

Adjust the position of the lap and

shoulder belts.

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.

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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 Remember that the extender pro-

vided for you may not be safe when

used on

a

different vehicle, for

another person, or at

a

different

seating position than the one origi-

nally intended.

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.

22p007

CAUTION

To release the belt, press the buckle−re-

lease button and allow the belt to re-

tract.

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

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.

vehicle

accident,

increasing

the

chance of personal injury.

D Never use the seat belt extender if

you can fasten the seat belt without

it.

44

—Front seat belt

pretensioners

CAUTION

D After inserting the tab, make sure

the tab and buckle are locked and

that the lap and shoulder portions

of the belt is not twisted.

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D Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in

the buckle as this may prevent you

from properly latching the tab and

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. It cannot

protect an adult occupant or your

child from injury.

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.

The driver and front passenger’s seat

belts pretensioners are designed to be

activated in response to a severe fron-

tal impact.

When the airbag sensor detects the shock

of a severe frontal impact, the front seat

belts are quickly drawn back in by the

retractor so that the belts snugly restrain

the front seat occupants.

You will hear a click when the tab locks

into the buckle.

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.

The front seat belt pretensioners are acti-

vated even with no passenger in the front

seat.

Collisions occurring at certain speeds and

angles may cause the seat belt preten-

sioners and SRS airbags not to operate

all together.

When not in use, remove the extender

and store in the vehicle for future use.

45

When the front seat belt pretensioners are

activated, an operating noise may be

heard and a small amount of smoke−like

gas may be released. This gas is harm-

less and does not indicate that a fire is

occurring.

Once the front seat belt pretensioners

have been activated, the seat belt retrac-

tors remain locked.

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CAUTION

Do not modify, remove, strike or open

the front seat belt pretensioner as-

semblies, airbag sensor or surround-

ing area or wiring. Doing any of

these may cause sudden operation of

the front seat belt pretensioners or

disable the system, which could re-

sult in death or serious injury.

This indicator comes on when the igni-

tion key is turned to the “ACC” or

“ON” position. It goes off after about

6 seconds. This means the front seat

belt pretensioners are operating proper-

ly.

The front seat belt pretensioner system

mainly consists of the following compo-

nents and their locations are shown in the

illustration.

1. Front airbag sensors

2. SRS warning light

The warning light system monitors the air-

bag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-

sors, side airbag sensors, front seat belt

pretensioner assemblies, warning light, in-

terconnecting wiring and power sources.

(For details, see “Service reminder indica-

tors and warning buzzers” on page 91 in

Section 2−4.)

Failure to follow these instructions

can result in death or serious inju-

ries.

3. Front seat belt pretensioner assemblies

4. Airbag sensor assembly

The front seat belt pretensioners are con-

trolled by the airbag sensor assembly. The

airbag sensor assembly consists of a saf-

ing sensor and airbag sensor.

46

NOTICE

Do not perform any of the following

changes without

consulting your

Toyota dealer. Such changes can in-

terfere with proper operation of the

front seat belt pretensioners in some

cases.

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22p012

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 front seat belt pretensioner system

has a service reminder indicator to inform

the driver of operating problems. If either

of the following conditions occurs, this in-

dicates a malfunction of the airbags or

pretensioners. Contact your Toyota dealer

as soon as possible to service the ve-

hicle.

In the following cases, contact your Toyota

dealer as soon as possible:

z Modification of the suspension sys-

tem

D The front seat belt pretensioner assem-

bly or surrounding area has been dam-

aged.

z Modification of the front end struc-

ture

D The front part of the vehicle (shaded

in the illustration) was involved in an

accident that was not severe enough to

cause the front seat belt pretensioners

to operate.

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

ignition key is turned to the “ACC” or

“ON” position, or remains on.

z Repairs made on or near the front

fenders, front end structure or con-

sole

D Either front seat belt pretensioner as-

D The light comes on or flashes while

sembly

or

surrounding

area

is

driving.

scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-

D If either front seat belt does not retract

or can not be pulled out due to a

malfunction or activation of the relevant

front seat pretensioner.

aged.

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OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS - Seats, Seat belts, Steering wheel and mirrors -> Seat belts for Your Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

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