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

SRS side airbags

NOTICE

Do not disconnect the battery cables

before contacting your Toyota dealer.

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22p024a

In the following cases, contact your Toyota

dealer as soon as possible:

The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-

tem) side airbags are designed to pro-

vide further protection for the driver

and front passenger in addition to the

primary safety protection provided by

the seat belts.

D The SRS front airbags have been in-

flated.

D The front of the vehicle (shaded in the

illustration) was involved in an accident

that was not severe enough to cause

the SRS front airbags to inflate.

In response to a severe side impact, the

SRS side airbags work together with the

seat belts to help reduce injury by inflat-

ing. The SRS side airbags help to reduce

injuries mainly to the driver’s or front pas-

senger’s chest. The SRS side airbag on

the passenger seat is activated even with

no passenger in the front seat.

D The pad section of the steering wheel

or

front passenger airbag cover

(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,

cracked, or otherwise damaged.

Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.

55

Your vehicle is equipped with

a

crash

sensing and diagnostic module, which will

record the use of the seat belt restraint

system by the driver and passenger when

the SRS side airbags are inflated.

CAUTION

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22p025

SRS side airbags inflate with consid-

erable force. To avoid potential death

or serious injury when they inflate,

the driver and front passenger must:

D Wear their seat belts properly.

D Remain properly seated with their

back upright and against the seat at

all times.

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 SRS side

airbags are operating properly.

The SRS side airbag system may not

inflate 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 as shown in the illustra-

tion.

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.)

The SRS side airbags are designed to

inflate when the passenger compartment

area suffers

side.

a

severe impact from the

For the safety of all occupants, always

wear your seat belts properly.

56

In a severe side impact, the side airbag

sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.

Then a chemical reaction in the inflators

quickly fills the airbags with non−toxic gas

to help restrain the lateral motion of the

occupants.

Collision from the rear

When the airbags inflate, they produce a

fairly loud noise and release some smoke

and residue along with non−toxic gas. This

does not indicate a fire. This gas is nor-

mally harmless; however, for those who

have delicate skin, it may cause a minor

skin irritation. Be sure to wash off any

residue as soon as possible to prevent

any potential skin irritation.

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22p027

Collision from the front

Vehicle rollover

The SRS side airbags are not designed

to inflate if the vehicle is involved in a

front or rear collision, if it rolls over,

or if it is involved in a low−speed side

collision.

The SRS side airbag system consists

mainly of the following components, and

their locations are shown in the illustra-

tion.

Deployment of the airbags happen in a

fraction of a second, so the airbags must

inflate with considerable force. While the

system is designed to reduce serious inju-

ries, it may also cause minor burns or

abrasions and swelling.

1. SRS warning light

2. Side airbag modules

(airbag and inflator)

Front seats may be hot for several min-

utes, but the airbags themselves will not

be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate

only once.

3. Side airbag sensors

4. Airbag sensor assembly

The SRS side airbag system is controlled

by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag

sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-

sor and airbag sensor.

57

D Improperly seated and/or restrained

infants and children can be killed

or seriously injured by the deploy-

ing airbags. An infant or child who

CAUTION

D The SRS side airbag system is de-

signed only as a supplement to the

primary protection of the driver

side and front passenger side seat

belt systems. To ensure maximum

protection in an accident, the driver

and all passengers in the vehicle

must wear their seat belts properly.

Wearing a seat belt properly during

an accident reduces the chances of

death or serious injury or being

thrown out of the vehicle. For in-

structions and precautions concern-

ing the seat belt system, see “Seat

belts” on page 40 in this section.

is too small to use

should be properly secured using a

child restraint system. Toyota

a

seat belt

22p028b

strongly recommends that all in-

fants and children be placed in the

rear seat of the vehicle and proper-

ly restrained. The rear seat is the

safest for infants and children. For

instructions concerning the installa-

tion of a child restraint system, see

“Child restraint” on page 61 in this

section.

D Do not lean against the front door

when the vehicle is in use, since

the side airbag inflates with consid-

erable speed and force. Otherwise,

you may be killed or seriously in-

jured.

D Do not allow a child to lean his/her

head or any part of his/her body

against the front door or the area

of the seat from which the side air-

bag deploys even if he/she is

seated in the child restraint system.

It is dangerous if the side airbag

inflates, and the impact could cause

death or serious injury to the child.

For instructions concerning the

installation of a child restraint sys-

tem, see “Child restraint” on page

61 in this section.

D Sit up straight and well back in the

seat, distributing your weight even-

ly in the seat. Do not apply exces-

sive weight to the outer side of the

front seats on vehicles with side

airbags.

58

NOTICE

D Do not use accessories for the

seats which cover the parts where

the side airbags inflate. Such acces-

sories may prevent the side airbags

from activating correctly, causing

death or serious injury.

Do not perform any of the following

changes without

consulting your

Toyota dealer. Such changes can

interfere with proper operation of the

SRS side airbag system in some

cases.

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D Do not modify or replace the seats

or upholstery of front seats with

the side airbags. Such changes may

disable the system or cause the

side airbags to inflate accidentally,

resulting in death or serious injury.

z Installation of electronic devices

such as

a

mobile two−way radio,

cassette tape player or compact

disc player

z Modification of the suspension sys-

Failure to follow these instructions

can result in death or serious injury.

Consult your Toyota dealer about any

repairs and modifications.

tem

D Do not attach a cup holder or any

other device or object on or around

the door. When the side airbag in-

flates, the cup holder or any other

device or object will be thrown with

great force or the side airbag may

not activate correctly, resulting in

death or serious injury. Likewise,

the driver and front passenger

should not hold objects in their

arms or on their knees.

z Modification of the side structure of

the passenger compartment

z Repairs made on or near the con-

sole or front seat

59

NOTICE

Do not disconnect the battery cables

before contacting your Toyota dealer.

22p010

22p030e

This SRS side airbag system has a ser-

vice reminder indicator to inform the driver

of operating problems. If either of the fol-

lowing conditions occurs, this indicates a

malfunction of the airbags. Contact your

Toyota dealer as soon as possible to ser-

vice the vehicle.

In the following cases, contact your Toyota

dealer as soon as possible:

D The SRS side airbags have been in-

flated.

D The portion of the doors (shaded in the

illustration) were involved in an acci-

dent that was not severe enough to

cause the SRS side airbags to inflate.

D The light does not come on when the

ignition key is turned to the “ACC” or

“ON” position, or the light remains on.

D The surface of the seats with the side

airbag (shaded in the illustration) is

scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-

aged.

D The light comes on or flashes while

driving.

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

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