airbag TOYOTA 4RUNNER 2008 N210 / 4.G User Guide

42
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow any passengers to sit on
top of a folded−down seatback, or
in the luggage compartment or car-
go area. Persons not properly
seated and/or not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be killed
or severely injured in the event of
emergency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow any
passengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Otherwise,
death or severe injuries can occur
in the event of emergency braking
or a collision.
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with
considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if
the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA") advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag
is the first 5075 mm (23 in.) of
inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your driver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of safety.
This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your
breastbone. If you sit less than 250
mm (10 in.) away now, you can
change your driving position in sever-
al ways:
Move your seat to the rear as far
as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Slightly recline the back of the
seat. Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the 250
mm (10 in.) distance, even with the
driver seat all the way forward, sim-
ply by reclining the back of the
seat somewhat. If reclining the back
of your seat makes it hard to see
the road, raise yourself by using a
firm, non−slippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
If your steering wheel is adjustable,
tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of
your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as rec-
ommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot
pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.
Seats Front seats
Front seat precautions

43
Front passenger seat
CAUTION
The SRS front passenger airbag also
deploys with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious injury es-
pecially if the front passenger is very
close to the airbag. The front passen-
ger seat should be as far from the
airbag as possible with the seatback
adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
Front seats
CAUTION
The SRS side airbags are installed in
the driver and front passenger seats.
Observe the following precautions.
Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use, since
the side airbag inflates with consid-
erable speed and force. Otherwise,
you may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
Do not use seat accessories which
cover the area where the side air-
bags inflate. Such accessories may
prevent the side airbags from acti-
vating correctly, causing death or
serious injury.
Do not modify or replace the seats
or upholstery of the seats with side
airbags. Such change 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.
CAUTION
Do not adjust the seat while the
vehicle is moving as the seat may
unexpectedly move and cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Be careful that the seat does not
hit a passenger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position, re-
lease the lever and try sliding the
seat forward and backward to make
sure it is locked in position.
After adjusting the seatback, push
your body back against the seat to
make sure the seat is locked in
position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
Otherwise, the objects may interfere
with the seat−lock mechanism or
unexpectedly push up the seat posi-
tion adjusting lever and the seat
may suddenly move, causing the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Seat adjustment precautions

64
CAUTION
Occupants must use caution when op-
erating the seat heater because it
may make them feel too hot or cause
burns at low temperatures (erythema,
varicella). Use extra caution for;
Babies, small children, elderly per-
sons, sick persons or persons with
physical disabilities
Persons who have sensitive skin
Persons who are exhausted
Persons who have taken alcohol or
drugs which induce sleep (sleeping
drug, cold remedy, etc.)
To prevent the seat overheating, do
not use the seat heater with a blan-
ket, cushion, or other insulating ob-
jects which cover the seat.
NOTICE
 Do not put unevenly weighed ob-
jects on the seat and do not stick
sharp objects (needles, nails, etc.)
into the seat.
 When cleaning the seats, do not
use organic substances (paint thin-
ner, benzine, alcohol, gasoline,
etc.). They may damage the heater
and seat surface.
 To prevent the battery from being
discharged, turn the system off
when the engine is not running.
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents.
The seat belts provided for your vehicle
are designed for people of adult size,
large enough to properly wear them.
Child. Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle’s seat belts. See Child restraint"
on page 96 in this Section for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child s hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. According to accident
statistics, the child is safer when properly
restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the
seat belts should be worn properly. If an
accident occurs and the seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause death or
serious injury to the child.
Seat belts
Seat belt precautions

69
If your seat belts cannot be fastened se-
curely because they are not long enough,
a personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of
charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer to
order the proper required length for the
extender. Bring the heaviest coat you ex-
pect to wear for proper measurement and
selection of length. Additional ordering in-
formation is available at your Toyota deal-
er.
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
death or serious injury.
Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe when
used on a different vehicle, for
another person, or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended.
CY13241
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 air-
bag system will judge that the driv-
er 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.
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 and side airbag on the
front passenger side may not acti-
vate correctly, which could cause
death or serious injury in the event
of collision.
Be sure to wear the seat belt with-
out the seat belt extender if you
can fasten the seat belt without the
extender.
Seat belt extender

70
Do not use the seat belt extender
when installing a child restraint
system on the front or rear passen-
ger seat. If installing a child re-
straint 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.
CY13166
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 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.As far as the seat belt extender on the
front passenger side is concerned, do not
fail to disconnect the extender from the
seat belt after the above operation in or-
der 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.
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 extend-
er 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
Toyota dealer. Do not use the seat
until the seat belt is fixed, because
it cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from death or serious
injury.

71
CY13018
The driver and front passenger seat
belt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in response to a severe fron-
tal impact. The pretensioners are also
activated during vehicle rollover.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact or a vehicle rollover, the front seat
belts are quickly drawn back by the re-
tractors so that the belts snugly restrain
the occupants.The 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
Front passenger occupant classification
system" on page 91 in this Section.)
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-
bags may not operate together in all colli-
sions.
CY13294
The seat belt pretensioners will not oper-
ate in a vehicle rollover if the RSCA
OFF" indicator light is on. For details, see
Roll sensing of curtain shield airbags off
switch" on page 95 in this Section.
Seat belt pretensioners

72
CY13293
The seat belt pretensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components
and their locations are shown in the il-
lustration.1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Front passenger occupant classification indicator light
4. Front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sensors)
5. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
6. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch
7. Airbag sensor assembly The seat belt pretensioners are controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
When the seat belt pretensioners are acti-
vated, 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 seat belt pretensioners have
been activated, the seat belt retractors
remain locked.CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or
open the seat belt pretensioner as-
semblies, airbag sensor or sur-
rounding area or wiring. Failure to
follow these instructions may pre-
vent the seat belt pretensioners
from activating correctly, cause sud-
den operation of the system or dis-
able the system, which could result
in death or serious injury. Consult
your Toyota dealer about any repair
and modification.
Do not modify or change the sus-
pension system. Such changes may
cause the curtain shield airbags to
inflate accidentally, which could re-
sult in death or serious injury. Con-
sult your Toyota dealer about any
repair and modification.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacture’s recom-
mended size. Such a use may cause
the curtain shield airbags and seat
belt pretensioners to inflate acci-
dentally, which could result in death
or serious injury. For details, see
Checking and replacing tires" on
page 443 in Section 7−2.
Do not place luggage heavier than
specified on the roof luggage carri-
er. Such luggage may cause the
curtain shield airbags and seat belt
pretensioners to inflate accidentally,
which could result in death or seri-
ous injury. For details, see Roof
luggage carrier" on page 334 in
Section 1−10.

73
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 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
CY13295
This indicator comes on when the
engine switch is turned to the ON"
position. It goes off after about 6 se-
conds. This means the seat belt preten-
sioners are operating properly. This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side and curtain shield airbag sen-
sors, curtain shield airbag sensors, driv-
er ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat belt
buckle switch, front passenger occupant
classification system and indicator light,
front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch,
seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflat-
ors, RSCA OFF" indicator light, intercon-
necting wiring and power sources. (For
details, see Service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers" on page 149 in Sec-
tion 1−6.)
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.
The light does not come on when the
engine switch 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 any seat belt does not retract or can
not be pulled out due to a malfunction
or activation of the relevant seat belt
pretensioner.
The seat belt pretensioner assembly or
surrounding area has been damaged.

74
The SRS warning light will come on and
front passenger occupant classification in-
dicator light will indicate OFF" if there is
a malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system.
CY13064
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The front 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.
Either seat belt pretensioner assembly
or surrounding area is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
CY13019
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) front airbags are designed to pro-
vide further protection for the driver
and front passenger in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by
the seat belts.
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED
AIRBAGS" designed based on US motor
vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The
airbag system controls airbag deployment
power for the driver and front passenger.
The driver airbag system consists of the
driver seat’s position sensor etc. The front
passenger ’s airbag system consists of the
front passenger occupant classification
sensor etc.
SRS airbags
SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag

75
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS front airbags work with the seat
belts to help reduce injury by inflating.
The SRS front airbags help reduce injuries
mainly to the driver ’s or front passenger ’s
head or chest caused by hitting the ve-
hicle interior.
The SRS front passenger airbag will not
activate if there is no passenger sitting in
the front passenger seat. However, the
front passenger airbag may deploy if lug-
gage is put in 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 Front passenger occupant
classification system" on page 91 in this
Section.)
Always wear your seat belt properly.CAUTION
The SRS front airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver and
front passenger seat belt systems.
The driver and front passenger 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
or front passenger can move for-
ward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag which
may then deploy during the colli-
sion. To ensure maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts properly. Wear-
ing a seat belt properly during an
accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For in-
structions and precautions concern-
ing the seat belt system, see Seat
belts" on page 64 in this Section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the deploy-
ing airbags. 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 in-
fants and children be placed in the
rear seat of the vehicle and proper-
ly restrained. The rear seat is the
safest for infants and children. For
instructions concerning the installa-
tion of a child restraint system, see
Child restraint" on page 96 in this
Section.