Get OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS Occupant restraint systems -> SRS side airbags and curtain shield airbags Guide for Toyota Prius 4 Door Second Generation (2004-2009)

SRS side airbags and curtain

shield airbags

In response to a severe side impact, the

SRS side airbags and curtain shield air-

bags work with the seat belts to help

reduce injury by inflating. The SRS side

airbags help reduce injuries mainly to the

driver’s or front passenger’s chest and the

SRS curtain shield airbags help reduce

injuries mainly to the driver’s, front pas-

senger’s or rear outboard passenger’s

head.

CAUTION

ꢀ The SRS side airbag and curtain

shield airbag system is designed

only as a supplement to the prima-

ry protection of the driver, front

passenger and rear outside passen-

ger 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 prop-

erly during an accident reduces the

chances of death or serious injury

or being thrown out of the vehicle.

For instructions and precautions

concerning the seat belt system,

see “Seat belts” on page 58.

22p024c

The SRS side airbag and curtain shield

airbag on the passenger side are activated

even with no passenger in the front seat

or rear outboard seat.

The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-

tem) side airbags and curtain shield air-

bags are designed to provide further

protection for the driver, front passen-

ger and rear outboard passengers in

addition to the primary safety protec-

tion provided by the seat belts.

The SRS curtain shield airbags may acti-

vate even when the side airbags are not

activated.

Always wear your seat belt properly.

74

ꢀ Do not allow anyone to lean his/her

head or any part of his/her body

against the door or the area of the

seat, front pillar, rear pillar or roof

side rail from which the SRS side

airbag and curtain shield airbag

Collision from the rear

22p025a

deploy even if he/she is

a

child

22p026c

seated in the child restraint system.

It is dangerous if the SRS side air-

bag and curtain shield airbag in-

flate, and the impact of the deploy-

ing airbag could cause death or se-

rious injury to the occupant.

Collision from the front

Vehicle rollover

ꢀ Improperly seated and/or restrained

infants and children can be killed

or seriously injured by the deploy-

ing airbags. An infant or child who

The SRS side airbag and curtain shield

airbag system 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 as

shown in the illustration.

The SRS side airbags and curtain shield

airbags are not generally 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.

is too small to use

should be properly secured using a

child restraint system. Toyota

a

seat belt

strongly recommends that all in-

fants and children be placed in the

rear seats of the vehicle and prop-

erly restrained. The rear seats are

the safest for infants and children.

For instructions concerning the

installation of a child restraint sys-

tem, see “Child restraint” on page

86.

The SRS side airbags and curtain shield

airbags are designed to inflate when the

passenger compartment area suffers a se-

vere impact from the side.

Always wear your seat belts properly.

75

8. Passenger’s seat belt buckle switch

9. Airbag sensor assembly

The SRS side airbag and curtain shield

airbag system is controlled by the airbag

sensor assembly. The airbag sensor as-

sembly consists of a safing sensor and

airbag sensor.

In a severe side impact, the side and

curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the

curtain shield airbag sensor trigger(s) the

side airbag inflators and/or the curtain

22p239

shield airbag inflators. At this time

a

chemical reaction in the inflators quickly

fills the airbags with non−toxic gas to help

restrain the lateral motion of the occu-

pants.

The SRS side airbag and curtain shield

airbag system consists mainly of the fol-

lowing components, and their locations are

shown in the illustration.

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 smoke may

remain inside the vehicle for some time,

and may cause some minor irritation to

the eyes, skin or breathing. Be sure to

wash off any residue as soon as possible

to prevent any potential skin irritation with

soap and water. If you can safely exit

from the vehicle, you should do so imme-

diately.

1. SRS warning light

2. Front passenger occupant classification

indicator light

3. Curtain shield airbag modules

(airbag and inflator)

4. Front passenger occupant classification

system (ECU and sensors)

5. Side airbag modules

(airbag and inflator)

6. Curtain shield airbag sensors

7. Side and curtain shield airbag sensors

76

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.

Front seats as well as parts of the front

and rear pillars, and roof side rail may be

hot for several minutes, but the airbags

themselves will not be hot. The airbags

are designed to inflate only once.

22p028d

22p207a

CAUTION

SRS side airbags and curtain shield

ꢀ Do not allow anyone to lean against

the door when the vehicle is in use,

since the side airbag and curtain

shield airbag could inflate with con-

siderable speed and force. Other-

wise, he/she may be killed or seri-

ously injured. Special care should

be taken especially when you have

a small child in the vehicle.

ꢀ Do not allow anyone to get his/her

head closer to the area where the

side airbag and curtain shield air-

bag inflate, since these airbags

could inflate with considerable

speed and force. Otherwise, he/she

may be killed or seriously injured.

Special care should be taken espe-

cially when you have a small child

in the vehicle.

airbags

inflate with considerable

force. To reduce the possibility of

death or serious injury when they in-

flate, the driver, front passenger and

rear outside passengers must:

ꢀ Wear their seat belts properly.

ꢀ Remain properly seated with their

backs upright and against the seats

at all times.

ꢀ 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

seats with a side airbag, and to the

front pillar, rear pillar and roof side

rail with a curtain shield airbag.

77

ꢀ Do not allow anyone to kneel on

the passenger seat, facing the pas-

senger’s side door, since the side

airbag and curtain shield airbag

could inflate with considerable

speed and force. Otherwise, he/she

may be killed or seriously injured.

Special care should be taken espe-

cially when you have a small child

in the vehicle.

22p210

22p029d

ꢀ Do not allow anyone to get his/her

head or hands out of windows

since the curtain shield airbags

could inflate with considerable

speed and force. Otherwise, he/she

may be killed or seriously injured.

Special care should be taken espe-

cially when you have a small child

in the vehicle.

ꢀ 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.

78

ꢀ Do not hook

a

hanger, heavy or

ꢀ Do not disassemble or repair the

front and rear pillars and roof side

rail containing the curtain shield

airbags. Such changes may disable

the system or cause the curtain

shield airbags to inflate accidental-

ly, resulting in death or serious in-

jury.

sharp pointed objects on the coat

hook. If the curtain shield airbag

inflates, those items will be thrown

away with great force or the curtain

shield airbag may not activate cor-

rectly, resulting in death or serious

injury. When you hang clothes,

hang them on the coat hook direct-

ly.

22p221a

Failure to follow these instructions

can result in death or serious injury.

Consult your Toyota dealer about any

repair and modification.

ꢀ Do not use seat accessories which

cover the parts where the side air-

bags inflate. Such accessories may

prevent the side airbags from acti-

vating correctly, causing death or

serious injury.

If you wish to modify your vehicle for

a person with

a

physical disability,

ꢀ Do not attach a microphone or any

other device or object around the

area where the curtain shield airbag

activates such as on the windshield

glass, side door glass, front and

rear pillars, roof side rail and assist

grips. When the curtain shield air-

bag inflates, the microphone or oth-

er device or object will be thrown

away with great force or the curtain

shield airbag may not activate cor-

rectly, resulting in death or serious

injury.

consult your Toyota dealer. It may

dangerously interfere with the SRS

side airbags and curtain shield air-

bags operation.

ꢀ Do not modify or replace the seats

or upholstery of the seats with side

airbags. Such changes may prevent

the side airbag system from activat-

ing correctly, disable the system or

cause the side airbags to inflate ac-

cidentally, resulting in death or seri-

ous injury.

79

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.

NOTICE

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 and curtain shield

airbag system in some cases.

ꢀ The light does not come on when the

“IG−ON” mode is enabled or remains

on for more than 6 seconds.

22p010a

ꢀ The light comes on while driving.

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-

tem

This indicator comes on when the “IG−

ON” mode is enabled. It goes off after

about 6 seconds. This means the SRS

side airbags and curtain shield airbags

are operating properly.

z Modification of the side structure of

the passenger compartment

z Repairs made on or near the con-

sole or front seat

The warning light system monitors the air-

bag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-

sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-

sors, curtain shield airbag sensors,

driver’s seat position sensor, driver’s seat

belt buckle switch, front passenger’s seat

belt buckle switch, seat belt pretensioner

assemblies, interconnecting wiring and

power sources. (For details, see “Service

reminder indicators and warning buzzers”

on page 125.)

80

—Front passenger occupant

classification system

In the following cases, contact your Toyota

dealer as soon as possible:

Your vehicle is equipped with a front

passenger occupant classification sys-

tem. This system detects the conditions

1. through 4. in the table on page 84

and based on these conditions activates

or deactivates the following systems;

ꢀ Any of the SRS side airbags and cur-

tain shield airbags have been inflated.

ꢀ 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 and cur-

tain shield airbags to inflate.

ꢀ Front passenger airbag

ꢀ Front passenger’s seat belt pretension-

er

ꢀ The surface of the seats with the side

airbag (shaded in the illustration) is

scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-

aged.

The system monitors the weight and

load on the front passenger seat, and

the seat belt buckle switch to determine

conditions 1. through 4.

ꢀ The portion of the front pillars, rear

pillars or roof side rail garnishes (pad-

ding) containing the curtain shield air-

bags inside (shaded in the illustration)

is scratched, cracked, or otherwise

damaged.

In order for the system to detect the

conditions correctly, do not do any of

the following:

22p030f

ꢀ Apply a heavy load to the front pas-

senger seat.

ꢀ Attach

a

commercial seatback table,

etc. to the front passenger seat seat-

back.

NOTICE

Do not disconnect the battery cables

before contacting your Toyota dealer.

ꢀ Put weight on the front passenger seat

by putting your hands or feet on the

seatback from the rear passenger seat.

81

ꢀ A rear passenger lifts the front passen-

The front passenger occupant classifi-

cation indicator light will indicate “ON”

and “OFF” when the “IG−ON” mode is

enabled. After about 4 seconds, it will

go off. After that, the front passenger

occupant classification system operates

and judges whether to indicate “ON” or

“OFF”.

ger seat cushion with their legs.

ꢀ Objects are placed under the front pas-

senger seat.

ꢀ The front passenger seatback is in

contact with the rear seat.

22p241a

To ensure the system correctly detects an

adult sitting in the front passenger seat,

make sure the above do not occur.

Make sure that the “ON” indicator is illu-

minated when an adult is seated in the

front passenger seat. If the “OFF” indica-

tor is illuminated, ask the passenger to sit

up straight, well back in the seat, and

with the seat belt worn correctly. If the

“OFF” indicator still remains illuminated,

either ask the passenger to move to the

rear seat, or if that is not possible, move

the front passenger seat fully rearward.

The front passenger occupant classifi-

cation indicator light indicates the ac-

tuation of the front passenger airbag

and front passenger’s seat belt preten-

sioner.

The indicator light will indicate “OFF”

when the ignition key is turned to the

“ON” position with the condition 2. in the

table shown below.

If the front passenger occupant classifica-

tion system determines that a person of

adult size sits in the front passenger seat

but the “OFF” indicator is illuminated, one

of the following is likely to have occurred:

82

22p240a

The SRS warning light will come on

and front passenger occupant classifi-

cation indicator light will indicate

“OFF” if there is a malfunction in the

front passenger occupant classification

system.

83

Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification system

Indicator/ warning light

Devices

Curtain shield

Condition detected by

the front passenger

occupant classification

system

Front passenger

occupant

classification

indicator light

Front

passenger’s

seat belt

Side airbag on

the front

Front

passenger’s

seat belt

Front

passenger

airbag

airbag in the

front

SRS warning

light

passenger

seat

passenger

side

reminder light

pretensioner

*1

*4

1. Adult

“ON”

“OFF”

Off

On

Flashing

Activated

*2

2. Child or child

*4

Flashing

Deactivated

Activated

Deactivated

Activated

*3

restraint system

3. Unoccupied

Not illuminated

“OFF”

Off

Deactivated

Activated

4. There is a malfunction

in the system

*1

*2

*3

:

The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits in the front passenger seat, the system may

recognize him/her as a child depending on his/her physique and posture.

When a larger child who has outgrown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/her

as an adult depending on his/her physique or posture.

Never install a rear−facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat. A forward−facing child restraint system should only

be installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable. (See “Child restraint” on page 86 as for installing the child restraint

system.)

*4

:

When the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.

84

ꢀ Do not recline the front passenger

seatback so far that it touches a

rear seat. This may cause the

“OFF” indicator to be illuminated,

which indicates that the passen-

ger’s airbags will not deploy in the

event of a severe accident. If the

seatback touches the rear seat, re-

ꢀ Wear the seat belt properly.

CAUTION

ꢀ Make sure the front passenger’s

seat belt tab has not been left in-

serted into the buckle before some-

one sits in the front passenger

seat.

To avoid potential death or serious

injury when the front passenger occu-

pant classification system does not

detect the conditions correctly, ob-

serve the following:

ꢀ Do not apply a heavy load to the

front passenger seat.

ꢀ 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 may not activate correct-

ly, which could cause death or seri-

ous injury in the event of collision.

turn the seatback to

a

position

where it does not touches the rear

seat.

ꢀ Do not put weight on the front pas-

senger seat by putting your hands

or feet on the front passenger seat

seatback from the rear passenger

seat.

Keep the front passenger seatback

as upright as possible when the ve-

hicle is moving. Reclining the seat-

back excessively may lessen the ef-

fectiveness of the seat belt system.

ꢀ Do not let a rear passenger lift the

front passenger seat with their feet

or press on the seatback with their

legs.

ꢀ If an adult sits in the front passen-

ger seat, the occupant classification

indicator light should indicate “ON”.

If the “OFF” indicator is illumi-

nated, ask the passenger to sit up

straight, well back in the seat, feet

on the floor, and with the seat belt

worn correctly. If the “OFF” indica-

tor still remains illuminated, either

ask the passenger to move to the

rear seat, or if that is not possible,

move the front passenger seat fully

rearward.

ꢀ Do not put objects under the front

passenger seat.

ꢀ Child restraint systems installed on

the rear seat should not contact the

front seatbacks.

85

OPERATION OF INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS Occupant restraint systems -> SRS side airbags and curtain shield airbags for Your Toyota Prius 4 Door Second Generation (2004-2009)

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