airbag TOYOTA CAMRY 2000 Service Service Manual

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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
momentarily fills the airbags with non±tox-
ic 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 minor
skin irritation. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
minor skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happen 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 swellings.
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. The front seat occu-
pants can be killed or seriously in-
jured by an inflating airbag if they
do not wear the available seat
belts. During sudden braking just
before a collision, an unrestrained
driver or front passenger can move
sideward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag which
may then deploy during the colli-
sion. To obtain maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts. Wearing a
seat belt during an accident re-
duces the chances of death or seri-
ous injuries or being thrown out of
the vehicle. For instructions and
precautions concerning the seat
belt system, see ºSeat beltsº in this
chapter.

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
ºChild restraintº in this chapter.

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 instructors concerning the
installation of a child restraint sys-
tem, see ºChild restraintº in this
chapter.

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Do not lean against the front door
when the vehicle is in use. The side
airbag inflates with considerable
speed and force; you may be killed
or seriously injured.

Do not apply excessive weight to
the outer side of the front seats on
vehicles with side airbags.

The child head should not be
leaned against the vicinity of the
part where the side airbag acti-
vates.

Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device on or around the door.
When the side airbag inflates, the
cup holder or any other device will
be thrown with great force or the
side airbag may not activate cor-
rectly, resulting in death or serious
injury. Likewise, the driver and front
passenger should not hold things in
their arms or on their knees.

Do not use accessories for the
seats which cover the parts where
the side airbags should inflate.
Such accessories may prevent the
side airbags from activating correct-
ly, causing death or serious injury.

Do not modify or replace the seats
or surface of the front seats with
the side airbags. Such changes may
disable the system or cause the
side airbags to inflate, resulting in
death or serious injury. Consult
your Toyota dealer.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious inju-
ries.

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NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system in some cases.
Installation of electronic items such
as a mobile two±way radio, cassette
tape player or compact disc player
Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
Modification of the side structure of
the passenger compartment
Repairs made on or near the con-
sole or front seat
This SRS side airbag 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.
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 ºACCº or
ºONº position, or remains on.

The light comes on or flashes while
driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:

The SRS side airbags have been in-
flated.

The portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) were involved in an acci-
dent that did not cause the SRS side
airbags to inflate.

The surface of the seats with the side
airbag (shaded in the illustration) is
scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged.

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NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before 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 SAEJ1819.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle's seat belt. See ºSeat 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 child restraint system on the
front seat.
Child restraintÐ
ÐChild restraint precautions

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A forward±facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to 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 the lap por-
tion of the lap/shoulder belt. You must
carefully consult the manufacturer 's in-
structions which accompany your 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 restraint sys-
tem.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer of the system. General di-
rections are also provided under the fol-
lowing illustrations.
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 child restraint system on the
front seat.

A forward±facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to 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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(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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4. To remove the infant seat, press the
buckle±release button and allow the
belt to retract completely. The belt will
move freely again and be ready to
work for an adult or older child passen-
ger.(B) CONVERTIBLE SEAT INSTALLATION
A convertible seat is used in forward±
facing and rear±facing position depend-
ing on the child's age and size. When
installing, follow the manufacturer's in-
structions about the applicable child's
age and size as well as directions for
installing a child restraint system.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.

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Move seat
fully back

A forward±facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to 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.
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 through
or around the convertible seat following
the instructions provided by its
manufacturer and insert the tab into
the buckle taking care not to twist the
belt. Keep the lap portion of the belt
tight.

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Move seat fully back
CAUTION
A forward±facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to put on the
front seat only when it is unavoid-
able. 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.
1. Sit the child on a booster seat. Run
the lap and shoulder belt through or
around the booster seat and child fol-
lowing the instructions provided by its
manufacturer and insert the tab into
the buckle taking care not to twist the
belt.
Make sure the shoulder belt is correctly
across the child's shoulder and that the
lap belt is positioned as low as possible
on child's hips. See ºSeat beltsº for de-
tails.
CAUTION

Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
child's shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from child's neck, but
not falling off child's shoulder. Fail-
ure to do so could reduce the
amount of protection in an accident
and cause serious injuries in a col-
lision.

High±positioned lap belts and
loose±fitting belts both could cause
serious injuries due to sliding un-
der the lap belt during a collision
or other unintended result. Keep
the lap belt positioned as low on
hips as possible.

For child's safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under child's arm.

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.

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(g) ºABSº Warning Light
This light warns that there is a problem
somewhere in your anti±lock brake sys-
tem.
If the light comes on while you are driv-
ing, have your vehicle checked by your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
The light will come on when the ignition
key is turned to the ºONº position. After
a few seconds, the light will go off.
When the ºABSº warning light is on (and
the brake system warning light is off), the
brake system operates conventionally but
anti±lock brake system is not assisting
brake performance so that the wheels can
lock±up during sudden braking or braking
on slippery road surfaces.
(h) Open Door Warning Light
This light remains on until all the doors
and back door are completely closed.
(i) Rear Light Failure Warning Light
If this light comes on when the headlight
switch is turned on (at the first or second
clickstop), it indicates that one or more of
the tail lights are burned out.If it comes on when the brake pedal is
depressed, one or more stop lights are
burned out.
Have defective bulbs replaced as soon as
possible.
(j) SRS Airbag Warning Light
This light will come on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ºACCº or
ºONº position. After about 6 seconds,
the light will go off. This means the
systems of the airbag and front seat
belt pretensioner are operating properly.
The warning light system monitors the
front airbag sensors, airbag sensor as-
sembly, seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
inflators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources.
If either of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. 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 ºACCº or
ºONº position or remains on.

The light comes on or flashes while
driving.(k) Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level
Warning Light
The light warns that the windshield washer
fluid level is too low. Add washer fluid at
your earliest opportunity. (For instructions,
see ºAdding washer fluidº in Chapter 7±3.)
(l) ºTRAC OFFº Indicator/Warning Light
This light comes on when the ignition key
is turned to ºONº, and will go off after 3
seconds. This means that the system is
operating properly.
If one of the following conditions occurs,
this indicates a malfunction somewhere in
the parts monitored by the warning light
system. Contact your Toyota dealer as
soon as possible to service the vehicle.

The light remains on more than 3 se-
conds after the ignition switch is turned
on.

The light comes on while driving even
if the ºTRAC OFFº switch is not
pushed.

The light flashes.