TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2000 Owners Manual

472000 4Runner (OM35762U)
CAUTION
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following. Failure to fol-
low these instructions could result in
less effectiveness of the seat belt re-
straint system in case of vehicle acci-
dent, increasing the chance of per-
sonal injury.

Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt without
it.

Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe when
used on a different vehicle, or for
another person or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended for.To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the PRESSº signs on
the buckle- release buttons of the ex-
tender 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 extend-
er itself.
When not in use, remove the extender
and store in the vehicle for future use.
CAUTION

After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the seat belt extender is 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
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed. It cannot
protect an adult occupant or your
child from injury.
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482000 4Runner (OM35762U)
ÐFront seat belt pretensioners
The driver and front passenger 's seat
belt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in response to a severe fron-
tal impact.
When the airbag sensor detects the shock
of a severe frontal impact, the front seat
belt is quickly drawn back in by the re-
tractor so that the belt snugly restrains
the front seat occupants.
The seat belt pretensioners are activated
even with no passenger in the front seat.
Collisions occurring at certain speeds and
angles may cause the seat belt preten-
sioners and SRS airbags not to operate
all together.This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position. It goes off after about
6 seconds. This means the front seat
belt pretensioners are operating proper-
ly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
warning light, interconnecting wiring and
power sources. (For details, see Service
reminder indicators and warning buzzersº
in Section 1- 5.)The seat belt pretensioner system mainly
consists of the following components and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.
1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
4. Airbag sensor assembly
The seat belt pretensioner is controlled by
the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
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492000 4Runner (OM35762U)
When a seat belt pretensioner is acti-
vated, an operating noise may be heard
and a small amount of smoke- like gas
may be released. This gas is harmless
and does not indicate that a fire is occur-
ring.
Once the seat belt pretensioner has been
activated, the seat belt retractor remains
locked.
CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or open
the front seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, airbag sensor or surround-
ing area or wiring. Doing any of
these may cause sudden operation of
the front seat belt pretensioners or
disable the system, which could re-
sult in serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in serious injuries.
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
seat belt pretensioners in some
cases.

Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two- way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player

Repairs on or near the front seat
belt retractor assemblies

Modification of the suspension sys-
tem

Modification of the front end struc-
ture

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 con-
sole
This front seat belt pretensioner system
has a service reminder indicator to inform
the driver of operating problems. If either
of the following conditions occurs, this
indicates a malfunction of the airbags or
pretensioners. Contact your Toyota dealer
as soon as possible to service the
vehicle.

The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or the light remains on.

The light comes on or flashes while
driving.

If either front seat belt does not retract
or can not be pulled out due to a
malfunction or activation of the preten-
sioner.
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502000 4Runner (OM35762U)

The front seat belt pretensioner assem-
bly or surrounding area has been dam-
aged.

The front part of the vehicle (shaded
in the illustration) was involved in an
accident that was not severe enough to
cause the seat belt pretensioners to
operate.

The front seat belt pretensioner assem-
bly is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbags are designed to provide
further protection for the driver and
front passenger in addition to the pri-
mary safety protection provided by the
seat belts.
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS airbags work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflat-
ing. The SRS airbags help to reduce inju-
ries mainly to the driver's or front passen-
ger 's head or chest directly hitting the
steering wheel or dashboard. The passen-
ger airbag is activated even with no pas-
senger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt.
CAUTION
A driver or front passenger too close
to the steering wheel or dashboard
during airbag deployment can be
killed or seriously injured. Toyota
strongly recommends that:

The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.

The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.

All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
SRS driver and front
passenger airbags
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512000 4Runner (OM35762U)
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº 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 sen-
sors, inflators, warning light, interconnect-
ing wiring and power sources. (For details,
see Service reminder indicators and
warning buzzersº in Section 1- 5.)The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area between
the arrows in the illustration.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severi-
ty of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision when
impacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbags
may not deploy.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 it is involved in an underride
collision (e.g. a collision in which the nose
of the vehicle underridesº, or goes under,
the bed of a truck, etc.).
It is possible that in some collisions at the
lower zone of airbag sensor detection and
activation the SRS airbags and seat belt
pretensioners will not operate all together.
For the safety of all occupants, always
wear your seat belts.
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522000 4Runner (OM35762U)
Collision from the rear
Collision from the side
Vehicle rollover
The SRS airbags are 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 low- speed frontal
collision.
Hitting a curb,
edge of pavement
or hard materialFalling into or
jumping over a
deep hole
Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS airbags may deploy if a seri-
ous impact occurs to the underside of
your vehicle. Some examples are shown
in the illustration.The SRS airbag system consists mainly of
the following components, and their loca-
tions are shown in the illustration.
1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Airbag module for passenger
(airbag and inflator)
4. Airbag sensor assembly
5. Airbag module for driver
(airbag and inflator)
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
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532000 4Runner (OM35762U)
In a severe frontal impact, sensors detect
deceleration and the system triggers the
airbag inflators. Then a chemical reaction
in the inflators quickly fills the airbags
with non- toxic gas to help restrain the
forward motion of the occupants.
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.
Deployment 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 inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, dashboard) may be hot for several
minutes, but the airbags themselves will
not be hot. The airbags are designed to
inflate only once.A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the
vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a pas-
senger airbag the windshield may also 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 prima-
ry protection of the driver side and
front passenger side seat belt sys-
tems. The front seat occupants can
be killed or seriously injured by an
inflating airbag if they do not wear
the available seat belts. During sud-
den braking just before a collision,
an unrestrained driver or front pas-
senger can move forward into direct
contact with or close proximity to
the airbag which may then deploy
during the collision. To ensure max-
imum protection in an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the ve-
hicle must wear their seat belts.
Wearing a seat belt during an acci-
dent 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 beltsº in this
section.
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542000 4Runner (OM35762U)

Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously 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. Toyota strongly
recommends that all infants and
children be placed in the rear seat
of the vehicle and properly re-
strained. The rear seat is the safest
for infants and children. For in-
structions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
Child restraintº in this section.

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system in the front seat be-
cause the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the passenger airbag can
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
Move seat
fully back

A forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child. For instructions concerning
the installation of a child restraint
system, see Child restraintº in this
section.
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552000 4Runner (OM35762U)

Do not sit on the edge of the seat
or lean over the dashboard when
the vehicle is in use. The airbags
inflate with considerable speed and
force; you may be killed or serious-
ly injured. Sit up straight and well
back in the seat, and always use
your seat belt.
Do not allow a child to stand up,
or to kneel on the front passenger
seat. The airbag inflates with con-
siderable speed and force; the child
may be killed or seriously injured.

Do not hold a child on your lap or
in your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see Child
restraintº in this section.

Do not put objects or your pets on
or in front of the dashboard or
steering wheel pad that houses the
airbag system. They might restrict
inflation or cause death or serious
injury as they are projected rear-
ward by the force of deploying air-
bags. Likewise, the driver and front
passenger should not hold things in
their arms or on their knees.
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562000 4Runner (OM35762U)

Do not modify or remove any wir-
ing. Do not modify, remove, strike
or open any components such as
the steering wheel pad, steering
wheel, column cover, front passen-
ger airbag cover, front passenger
airbag or airbag sensor assembly.
Doing any of these may cause sud-
den SRS airbag inflation or disable
the system, which could result in
death or serious injury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can in-
terfere with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system in some cases.

Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile two- way radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player

Modification of the suspension sys-
tem

Modification of the front end struc-
ture

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, con-
sole, steering column, steering
wheel or dashboard near the front
passenger airbag
This SRS airbag system has a service
reminder indicator to inform the driver of
operating problems. If either of the follow-
ing conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to ser-
vice the vehicle.

The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ACCº or
ONº position, or the light remains on.

The light comes on while driving.
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