belt TOYOTA AVALON 2000 Owner's Manual

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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 the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child. On vehicles with side airbags,
do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see Child restraintº in this
section.

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.
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SRS side airbags
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) side airbags are designed to pro-
vide further protection for occupants in
the following seats in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by
the seat belts.

Vehicles with bucket front seatsÐThe
SRS side airbags are designed to pro-
tect the driver and front passenger.

Vehicles with bench type front seatsÐ
The SRS side airbags are designed to
protect the driver and right- front pas-
senger. They are not designed to pro-
tect occupant in the center position.In response to a severe side impact, the
SRS side airbags work together with the
seat belts to help reduce injury by inflat-
ing. The SRS side airbags help to reduce
injuries mainly to the driver's or front pas-
senger 's chest. The SRS side airbag on
the passenger seat is activated even with
no passenger in the front seat.
Be sure to wear your seat belt properly.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags inflate with consid-
erable 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.
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 side
airbags are operating properly.
This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag sen-
sors, side airbag sensors, inflators, front
seat belt pretensioner assemblies, warning
light, interconnecting wiring and power
sources. (For details, see Service remind-
er indicators and warning buzzersº in Sec-
tion 1- 5.)
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The SRS side 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 illustra-
tion.
The SRS side airbags are designed to
inflate when the passenger compartment
area suffers a severe impact from the
side.
For the safety of all occupants, always
wear your seat belts properly.
Collision from the frontCollision from the rear
Vehicle rollover
The SRS side airbags are 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 low- speed side
collision.The SRS side airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.1. SRS warning light
2. Airbag sensor assembly
3. Side airbag modules (airbag and inflat- or)
4. Side airbag sensors
The SRS side airbag system is controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
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In a severe side impact, the side airbag
sensor triggers the side airbag inflators.
Then a chemical reaction in the inflators
quickly fills the airbags with non- toxic gas
to help restrain the lateral 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
minor 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 desi gned to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Front seats may be hot for several min-
utes, but the airbags themselves will not
be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate
only once.CAUTION

The SRS side airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver
side and front passenger side seat
belt systems. 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 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.

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 restraintº in this section.

Do not allow a child to lean his/her
head or any part of his/her body
against the front door or the area
of the seat from which the side air-
bag deploys even if he/she is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see Child restraintº in this
section.
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NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cablesbefore contacting your Toyota dealer.
Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A.
and Canada now require the use of a
child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819.
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. See Seat beltsº for
details.
CAUTION

For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops,
children must be properly re-
strained using a seat belt or child
restraint system depending on the
age and size of the child. Holding
a child in your arms is not a sub-
stitute for a child restraint system.
In an accident, the child can be
crushed against the windshield, or
between you and the vehicle's inte-
rior.

Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child,
and is put on the rear seat. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, the child
is safer when properly restrained in
the rear seat than in the front seat.

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rear- facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.

Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
Child restraintÐ
ÐChild restraint precautions
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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. Do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.

Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
ÐChild restraint system
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with either the
lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. You must carefully con-
sult the manufacturer 's instructions
which accompany the child restraint
system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er 's instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer of the system. General
directions are also provided under the fol-
lowing instructions.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.CAUTION

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rear- facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.

Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.

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. Do not allow the child to lean
against the front door or around
the front door even if the child is
seated in the child restraint system.
It is dangerous if the side airbag
inflates, and the impact could cause
death or serious injury to the child.
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After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place following the manufacturer 's
instructions. If it is not restrained
securely, it may cause death or se-
rious injury to the child in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it in the trunk or somewhere other than
the passenger compartment. This will pre-
vent it from injuring passengers in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to install the
anchor bracket, see ÐUsing a top strapº.Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child's age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
ÐTypes of child restraint
system
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(C) Booster seat(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rear- facing
position only.CAUTION

Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on 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.
ÐInstallation with 3- point
type seat belt
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Do not put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the rear seat if it
interferes with the lock mechanism
of the front seats. This can cause
severe injury to the child and front
passenger in case of sudden brak-
ing or a collision.1. Run the lap and shoulder belt throughor around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the belt. Keep
the lap portion of the belt tight.

After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap and shoulder portions
of the belt 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, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the seat until the seat belt is
fixed.
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2. Fully extend the shoulder belt to put itin the lock mode. When the belt is
then retracted even slightly, it cannot
be extended.
To hold the infant seat securely, make
sure the belt is in the lock mode before
letting the belt retract.3. While pressing the infant seat firmly against the seat cushion and seatback,
let the shoulder belt retract as far as
it will go to hold the infant seat secure-
ly.CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
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