LEXUS RX330 2006 Owners Manual

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
160
Seat belt comfort guides are stored in the both pockets on the
sides of the rear seatback.INSTALLING THE COMFORT GUIDE
1. Pull the comfort guide from the pocket.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
161
2. Pinch the two edges of the shoulder belt for the rear
seat outboard position with your fingers and slide the belt
past the slot of the guide as shown above. At this time, the
elastic cord must be behind the seat belt.
CAUTION
Make sure the belt is not twisted and that it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be behind the belt and the guide must
be on the front.
3. Buckle, position and release the seat belt. (For wearing
the seat belt, see page 156.)
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of the shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from the neck, and should not fall off the
shoulder. Failure to observe these precautions could
reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt in an accident,
causing death or serious injury.

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162
REMOVING AND STORING THE COMFORT GUIDE
Pinch the two edges of the seat belt together so that you
can slide them out of the guide. Store the guide with the
elastic cord into the pocket.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in case of an accident or
a sudden stop while driving, remove and store the
comfort guide in its pocket when it is not in use.
Seat belt extender
If your seat belts cannot be fastened securely because they are
not long enough, a personalized seat belt extender is available
from your Lexus dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Lexus dealer so that the dealer can
order the proper required length for the extender. Bring the
heaviest coat you expect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering information is available
at your Lexus dealer.

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163
CAUTION
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 personal injury.
Remember that the extender provided for you may
not be safe when used on a different vehicle, for
another person, or at a different seating position than
the one originally intended.
 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 airbag system will judge that the driver 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.

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164
Make sure the “AIRBAG ON” indicator light is
illuminated when using the seat belt extender for the
front passenger seat. If the “AIRBAG OFF” indicator
light is illuminated, disconnect the extender tongue
from the seat belt buckle, then reconnect the seat
belt. Reconnect the seat belt extender after making
sure the “AIRBAG ON” indicator light is illuminated.
If you use the seat belt extender while the “AIRBAG
OFF” indicator light is illuminated, the front
passenger airbag and side airbag on the front
passenger side may not activate correctly, causing
death or serious injury in the event of collision.
 Be sure to wear the seat belt without the seat belt
extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the
extender.
 Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a
child restraint system on the front or rear passenger
seat. If installing a child restraint 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.
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 extender and the seat belt
are both facing outward as shown.
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 extender itself.
As far as the seat belt extender on the front passenger side is
concerned, be sure to disconnect the extender from the seat
belt after the above operation in order to activate the front
passenger airbag correctly when getting into the vehicle next
time.
When not in use, remove the extender and store in the vehicle
for future use.

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165
CAUTION
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 extender are not twisted.
 Do not insert coins, clips, etc. in the buckle as this
may prevent you from properly latching the tab and
buckle.
 If the seat belt does not function normally,
immediately contact your Lexus dealer. Do not use
the seat until the seat belt is fixed, because it cannot
protect an adult occupant or your child from injury.
Seat belt pretensioners
The driver and front passenger’s seat belt pretensioners
are designed to be activated in response to a severe
frontal impact or a vehicle rollover.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal impact or a vehicle
rollover, the front seat belts are quickly drawn back by the
retractors so that the belts snugly restrain the occupants.

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
166The front passenger’s 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 occupant classification system, see page
193.)
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS airbags may not operate
together in case of collisions at a certain speeds and angles.
1Front airbag sensors
2Front seat belt pretensioner assemblies
3SRS warning light
4Airbag sensor assembly
5Front passenger occupant classification system
(ECU and sensors)
6Front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch

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167
The front seat belt pretensioner system mainly consists of the
above components, and their locations are shown in the
illustration.
The front seat belt pretensioners are controlled by the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
When the front seat belt pretensioners are activated, 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.
Once the front seat belt pretensioners have been activated, the
seat belt retractors remain locked.
CAUTION
 Do not modify, remove, strike or open the seat belt
pretensioner assemblies, airbag sensor or
surrounding area or wiring. Failure to follow these
instruction may prevent the seat belt pretensioners
from activating correctly, cause sudden operation of
the system or disable the system, which could result
in death or serious injury. Consult your Lexus dealer
about any repair and modification.
 Do not modify or change the suspension system.
Such changes may cause the curtain shield airbags
to inflate accidentally, which could result in death or
serious injury . Consult your Lexus dealer about any
repair and modification.
 Do not use tires or wheels other than the
manufacture’s recommended size. Such a use may
cause the curtain shield airbags and seat belt
pretensioners to inflate accidentally, which could
result in death or serious injury. For details, see
“Checking and replacing tires” on page 585.
 Do not place luggage heavier than specified on the
roof luggage carrier. Such luggage may cause the
curtain shield airbags and seat belt pretensioners to
inflate accidentally, which could result in death or
serious injury. For details, see “Roof luggage
carrier” on page 136.

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168
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following changes without
consulting your Lexus dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the front seat belt
pretensioners in some cases.
Installation of electronic devices such as a mobile
twoway radio, cassette tape player or CD player
 Repairs on or near the front seat belt retractor
assemblies
 Modification of the suspension system
 Modification of the front end structure
 Attachment of a grille guard (bull bar, kangaroo bar,
etc.), snowplow, winches or any other equipment to
the front end
 Repairs made on or near the front fenders, front end
structure or console
This indicator comes on when the ignition key is turned to
the “ON” position. It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the front seat belt pretensioners are operating
properly.
This warning light system monitors the airbag sensor
assembly, front airbag sensors, side and curtain shield airbag
sensor assemblies, curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies,
driver’s seat position sensor, driver’s seat belt buckle switch,
front passenger occupant classification system, “AIRBAG ON”
indicator light, “AIRBAG OFF” indicator light, front passenger’s
seat belt buckle switch, front seat belt pretensioner
assemblies, inflators, warning light, interconnecting wiring and
power sources. (For details, see “Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers” on page 74.)

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169
If any of the following conditions occurs, this indicates a
malfunction of the
front seat belt pretensioners. Contact your
Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
 The light does not come on when the ignition key is turned
to the “ON” position or remains on for more than 6 seconds
or flashes.
 The light comes on or starts flashing while driving.
 If either front seat belt does not retract or cannot be pulled
out due to a malfunction or activation of the relevant front
seat belt pretensioner.
 The front seat belt pretensioner assembly or surrounding
area has been damaged.
In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible:
The front seat belt pretensioner assembly or surrounding
area has been damaged.
 The front 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.
 The front seat belt pretensioner assembly is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.