LEXUS RX400H 2008 Owners Manual

99
1-8. Safety information
1
Before driving
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●The SRS front passenger airbag also deploys with considerable force, and can
cause death or serious injury especially if the front passenger is very close to the
airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the airbag as possible with
the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits upright.
●Improperly seated and/or restrained infants and children can be killed or seri-
ously injured by a deploying airbag. 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 rear seats of the vehicle
and properly restrained. The rear seats are the safest for infants and children.
(→ P. 1 0 8 )
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the driver's seat belt buckle but
the seat belt extender has not also been
fastened to the latch plate of the driver's
seat belt, the SRS driver's airbag system
will judge that the driver is wearing the seat
belt even though the seat belt has not been
connected. In this case, the driver's airbag
may not activate correctly in a collision,
resulting in 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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1-8. Safety information
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●Do not sit on the edge of the seat or lean
against the dashboard.
●Do not allow a child to stand in front of the
SRS front passenger airbag unit or sit on
the knees of a front passenger.
●Do not drive the vehicle while the driver or
passenger have items resting on their
knees.
●Do not lean against the door, the roof side
rail or the front, side and rear pillars.
●Do not allow anyone to kneel on the pas-
senger seat toward the door or put their
head or hands outside the vehicle.

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1-8. Safety information
1
Before driving
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●If the vinyl cover is put on the area where the SRS knee airbag will deploys, be
sure to remove it.
●Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side airbags
inflate as they may interfere with inflation of the airbags.
●Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS airbag
components shown on P. 92.
Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to malfunction.
●Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the SRS airbags have
deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
●Do not attach anything to or lean anything
against areas such as the dashboard, steer-
ing wheel pad or lower portion of the
instrument panel.
These items can become projectiles when
SRS driver, front passenger and knee
airbags deploy.
●Do not attach anything to areas such as the
door, windshield glass, side door glass,
front and rear pillars, roof side rail or assist
grip.
●Do not hang coat hangers or other hard
objects on the coat hooks. All of these
items could become projectiles and seri-
ously injure or kill you, should the SRS cur-
tain shield airbag deploy.
●Do not attach any heavy, sharp or hard
objects such as other keys or accessories
to the keychain. The objects may restrict
the SRS knee airbag inflation or be thrust
into the driver’s seat area by the force of the
deploying airbag, thus causing a danger.

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1-8. Safety information
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
●If breathing becomes difficult after the SRS airbag has deployed, open a door or
window to allow fresh air in, or leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so. Wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent skin irritation.
●If the areas where the SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad and
front pillar garnish, are damaged or cracked, have them replaced by your Lexus
dealer.
●Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger's seat. Doing so
will disperse the passenger's weight, which prevents the sensor from detecting
the passenger's weight properly. As a result, the SRS front passenger airbag may
not deploy in the event of a collision.
■Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components
Do not dispose of your vehicle or perform any of the following modifications with-
out consulting your Lexus dealer.
The SRS airbag may malfunction or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing death or
serious injury.
●Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags
●Repairs, modifications, removal or replacement of the steering wheel, instrument
panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear pillars or roof side
rails
●Repairs or modifications of the front fender, front bumper, or side of the occupant
compartment
●Installation of snow plows, winches, etc. to the front grille (bull bars, kangaroo bar
etc.)
●Modifications to the vehicle's suspension system
●Installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios or CD players
●Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability.

103
1
1-8. Safety information
Before driving
RX400h_U
Front passenger occupant classification system
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification system
■Adult*1
Indicator/
warning light AIR BAG ON and AIR BAG OFF
indicator lights AIR BAG ON
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Flashing
*2
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Activated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag
in the front passenger side
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classification sys-
tem. This system detects the conditions of the front passenger seat and
activates or deactivates the devices for front passenger.
SRS warning light
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light
AIR BAG OFF indicator light
AIR BAG ON indicator light

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1-8. Safety information
RX400h_U■
Child
*3 or child restraint system*4
■Unoccupied
Indicator/
warning light AIR BAG ON and AIR BAG OFF
indicator lights AIR BAG
OFF*5
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Flashing
*2
DevicesFront passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag
in the front passenger side Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner
Indicator/
warning light AIR BAG ON and AIR BAG OFF
indicator lights Not illumi-
nated
SRS warning light Off
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light
Devices Front passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag
in the front passenger side Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner Deactivated

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1-8. Safety information
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Before driving
RX400h_U■
There is a malfunction in the system
*1: 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.
*2: In the event the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.
*3: 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.
*4: Never install a rear-facing child restraint system on the front passen- ger seat. A forward-facing child restraint system should only be
installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable.
(→ P. 1 0 8 )
*5: In case the indicator is not illuminated, consult this manual as for installing the child restraint system properly. ( →P. 112)
Indicator/
warning light AIR BAG ON and AIR BAG OFF
indicator lights AIR BAG OFF
SRS warning light On
Front passenger’s seat belt reminder light Off
Devices Front passenger airbag
Deactivated
Side airbag on the front passenger seat
Curtain shield airbag
in the front passenger side Activated
Front passenger’s seat belt pretensioner

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1-8. Safety information
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■Front passenger occupant classification system precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
●Wear the seat belt properly.
●Make sure the front passenger’s seat belt plate has not been left inserted into the
buckle before someone sits in the front passenger seat.
●Make sure the AIR BAG OFF indicator light is not illuminated when using the
seat belt extender for the front passenger seat. If the AIR BAG 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 AIR BAG ON indicator light is illuminated. If you use the seat belt extender
while the AIR BAG OFF indicator light is illuminated, the front passenger airbag
and side airbag on the front passenger side may not activate correctly, which
could cause death or serious injury in the event of collision.
●Do not apply a heavy load to the front passenger seat or equipment (e.g.
seatback pocket or armrest).
●Do not put weight on the front passenger seat by putting your hands or feet on
the front passenger seat seatback from the rear passenger seat.
●Do not let a rear passenger lift the front passenger seat with their feet or press on
the seatback with their legs.
●Do not put objects under the front passenger seat.
●Do not recline the front passenger seatback so far that it touches a rear seat. This
may cause the AIR BAG OFF indicator light to be illuminated, which indicates
that the passenger’s airbags will not deploy in the event of a severe accident. If the
seatback touches the rear seat, return the seatback to a position where it does
not touch the rear seat. Keep the front passenger seatback as upright as possible
when the vehicle is moving. Reclining the seatback excessively may lessen the
effectiveness of the seat belt system.

107
1-8. Safety information
1
Before driving
RX400h_U
CAUTION
■Front passenger occupant classification system precautions
●If an adult sits in the front passenger seat, the AIR BAG ON indicator light is illu-
minated. If the AIR BAG OFF indicator is illuminated, ask the passenger to sit up
straight, well back in the seat, feet on the floor, and with the seat belt worn cor-
rectly. If the AIR BAG OFF indicator still remain illuminated, either ask the pas-
senger to move to the rear seat, or if that is not possible, move the front passenger
seat fully rearward.
●When it is unavoidable to install the forward-facing child restraint system on the
front passenger seat, install the child restraint system on the front passenger seat
in the proper order. (→P. 1 1 2 )
●Do not modify or remove the seat.
●Do not kick the front passenger seat or subject it to severe impact. Otherwise,
the SRS warning light may come on to indicate a malfunction of the detection sys-
tem. In this case, contact your Lexus dealer immediately.
●Child restraint systems installed on the rear seat should not contact the front
seatbacks.

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1-8. Safety information
RX400h_U
Child restraint systems
Points to rememberStudies have shown that installing a child restraint on a rear seat is much
safer than installing one to the front passenger seat.
● Choose a child restraint system appropriate to the age and size of the
child.
● For installation details, follow the instructions provided with the child
restraint system.
General installation instructions are provided in this manual. ( →P. 112)
Types of child restraints
Child restraint systems are classified into the following 3 types according
to the age and size of the child. Infant seat
A child restraint system for a small child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
The laws of all 50 states of the U.S.A. and Canada now require the use of
child restraint systems.