airbag Lexus GX470 2003 How To Use This Manual / LEXUS 2003 GX470 (OM60979U) User Guide

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134
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 did not cause the seat belt
pretensioners to operate.
 The front seat belt pretensioner assembly is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
SRS AIRBAGS
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) airbags are
designed to provide further protection for the driver, front
passenger and second outside passengers in addition to
the primary safety protection provided by the seat belts.
 SRS front airbags
In response to a severe frontal impact, the SRS front
airbags work together with the seat belts to help reduce
injury by inflating. The SRS front airbags help to reduce
injuries mainly to the driver’s or front passenger’s head or
chest caused by directly hitting the steering wheel or
dashboard.
The front passenger airbag is activated even with no
passenger in the front seat.

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135
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
front passenger when the SRS front
airbags are inflated.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.
CAUTION
The driver or front passenger who is too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard during airbag deployment
can be killed or seriously injured. Lexus strongly
recommends that:
 The driver sit as far back as possible from the
steering wheel while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
 The front passenger sit as far back as possible from
the dashboard.
 All vehicle occupants be properly restrained using
the available seat belts.
 SRS side airbags
In response to a severe side impact, the SRS side airbags
for the driver or front passenger work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflating. The SRS side
airbags help to reduce injuries mainly to the driver’s or
front passenger’s chest.
The SRS side airbag on the passenger seat is activated even
with no passenger in the front seat.
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 front passenger when the SRS side
airbags are inflated.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.

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136
CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with considerable force. To
avoid potential death or serious injury when they inflate,
the driver and front passenger must:
 Wear their seat belts properly.
 Remain properly seated with their back upright and
against the seat at all times.
 SRS curtain shield airbags for front and second outside
occupants
In response to a severe side impact, the SRS curtain shield
airbag on either side works together with the seat belts by
inflating. The SRS curtain shield airbags help to reduce
injuries mainly to the driver’s head, front passenger’s
head and second outside passenger’s head.
The SRS curtain shield airbag is activated even with no
passenger in the front seat or second seat.
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 front passenger when the SRS curtain
shield airbags are inflated.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.

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137
CAUTION
The SRS curtain shield airbags inflate with considerable
force. To avoid potential death or serious injury when
they inflate, the driver, front passenger and second
outside passengers must:
Wear their seat belts properly.
 Remain properly seated with their back upright and
against the seat at all times.
The indicator comes on when the ignition key is turned to
the “ON” position. It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the SRS airbags 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 seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflators, warning light,
interconnecting wiring and power sources. (For details, see
“Service reminder indicators and warning buzzers” on page 43
for instructions.)
The SRS front airbags are designed to deploy in severe
(usually frontal) collisions where the magnitude and
duration of the forward deceleration of the vehicle
exceeds the designed threshold level.

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138The SRS front airbags will deploy if the severity of the impact
is above the designed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25
km/h (15 mph) collision when the vehicle has
the impact straight into a fixed barrier that does not move or
deform.
However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if
the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on impact, or if the vehicle is
involved in an underride collision (e.g. a collision in which the
front of the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under, the bed of a
truck, etc.).
It is possible that in some collisions where the forward
deceleration of the vehicle is very close to the designed
threshold level, the SRS front airbags and the seat belt
pretensioners may not activate together.
For the safety of all occupants, always wear your seat belts
properly.
 1 Collision from the side

2 Collision from the rear

3 Vehicle rollover
The SRS front airbags are generally not designed to inflate
if the vehicle is involved in a side or rear collision, if it rolls
over, or if it is involved in a lowspeed frontal collision.
But, whenever a collision of any type causes sufficient
forward deceleration of the vehicle, deployment of the
front airbags may occur.

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139
 1 Collision from the side to the vehicle body other than
the passenger compartment

2 Collision from the side at an angle
The SRS side 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.
 1 Collision from the front

2 Collision from the rear

3 Vehicle rollover
The SRS side and curtain shield airbags are generally 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
lowspeed side collision.

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140
 1 Hitting a curb, edge of pavement or hard material

2 Falling into or jumping over a deep hole

3 Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS airbags may also deploy if a serious impact
occurs to the underside of your vehicle. Some examples
are shown in the illustration.
16PY066

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141


1 Side and curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies

2 Airbag module for front passenger
(airbag and inflator)

3 Curtain shield airbag modules (airbag and inflater)

4 Side airbag modules (airbag and inflator)

5 Curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies

6 SRS warning light

7 Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)

8 Driver’s seat position sensor

9 Driver’s seat belt buckle switch

10 Front airbag sensors

11 Airbag sensor assembly
The SRS airbag system consists mainly of the above
components, and their locations are shown in the illustration.
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor. The airbag sensors constantly monitor the forward
deceleration of the vehicle. In an impact results in a forward
deceleration beyond the designed threshold level, the system
triggers the airbag inflators. In a severe side impact, the side
and curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the curtain shield
airbag sensor trigger(s) the si
de and curtain shield airbag
inflators and/or the curtain shield airbag inflator. At this time a
chemical reaction in the inflators very quickly fills the airbags
with non −toxic gas to help restrain the forward or lateral motion
of the occupants. The front airbags then quickly deflate, so that
there is no obstruction of the driver’s vision should it be
necessary to continue driving.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a 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 physically and safely exit the vehicle
after a collision, you should do so at the first opportunity.

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142Deployment of the airbags happens in a fraction of a second,
so the airbags must inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious injuries, primarily to the
head and chest, it may also cause other, less severe injuries
to the face, chest, arms and hands. These are usually in the
nature of
minor burns or abrasions and swelling, but the force
of a deploying airbag can cause more serious injuries,
especially if an occupant’s hands, arms, chest or head are in
close proximity to the airbag module at the time of deployment.
This is why it is important for the occupant to: avoid placing any
object or part of the body between the occupant and the airbag
module; sit straight and well back into the seat; wear the
available seat belt properly; and sit as far as possible from the
airbag module, while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, airbag cover
and inflator) may be hot for several minutes after deployment,
so do not touch! The airbags inflate only once. The windshield
may be damaged by absorbing some of the force of the
inflating airbag.
CAUTION
 The SRS airbag system is designed only as a
supplement to the primary protection of the driver
side and front and second outside passenger side
seat belt systems. The front and second outside seat
occupants can be killed or seriously injured by the
inflating airbags if they do not wear the available seat
belts properly. During sudden braking just before a
collision, an unrestrained driver, front passenger or
second outside passenger can move forward or
sideways into direct contact with or close proximity
to the airbag which may then deploy during the
collision. 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 instructions and precautions
concerning the seat belt system, see “Seat belts” on
page 123.

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143
Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and
children can be killed or seriously injured by the
deploying airbags. An infant or child who is too small
to use a seat belt should be properly secured using
a child restraint system. Lexus strongly
recommends that all infants and children be placed
in the second or third seat of the vehicle and properly
restrained. The second or third seat is the safest for
infants and children. For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” on page 150.
 Never install a rearfacing child restraint system on
the front passenger seat because the force of the
rapid inflation of the front passenger airbag can
cause death or serious injury to the child.