TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2001 Service Repair Manual

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
61
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
CAUTION

Both high- positioned lap belts and
loose- fitting belts could cause seri-
ous injuries due to sliding under
the lap belt during a collision or
other unintended event. Keep the
lap belt positioned as low on hips
as possible.

Do not place the shoulder belt un-
der your arm.
Seat belts with an adjustable shoulder
anchorÐ
Adjust the shoulder anchor position to
your size.
To raise: Slide the anchor up.
To lower: Push in the lock release button
and slide the anchor down.
After adjustment make sure the anchor is
locked in position.
CAUTION
Always make sure the shoulder belt
is positioned across the center of
your shoulder. The belt should be
kept away from your neck, but not
falling off your shoulder. Failure to
do so could reduce the amount of
protection in an accident and cause
serious injures in a collision.

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
62
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
To release the belt, press the buckle
release button and allow the belt to
retract.
If the belt does not retract smoothly, pull
it out and check for kinks or twists. Then
make sure it remains untwisted as it re-
tracts.THIRD SEAT SEAT BELTS
The third seat seat belts are 3- point type
restraint with 2 buckles. Both seat belt
buckles must be correctly located and se-
curely latched for proper operation.
Make sure buckle 1 is securely latched
for ready use of the third seat seat belt.Two buckles and tabs for third seat
seat belt
The two tabs have different shape for its
end so that the belt is not buckled in the
wrong place.
Buckle 1ÐProperly matches with con-
cave end tab
Buckle 2ÐProperly matches with round
end tab

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
63
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
CAUTION
Make sure the both buckles are cor-
rectly located and securely latched.
Failure to properly match the buckle
and tab may cause severe injury in
case of an accident or a collision.
To release the concave end tab, insert the
key into the hole on buckle 1 and allow
the belt to retract.CAUTION
Do not use the third seat seat belt
with either buckle released. Fastening
only the shoulder belt or lap belt may
cause severe personal injury in case
of sudden braking or a collision.

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
64
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
Second seat (vehicles with third seat)
Second seat (vehicles without third seat)Third seats
The second and third seat seat belt
buckles can be stowed when not in
use.
Seat belt buckles must be stowed before
you fold the seatback. (See ÐFolding
down second seatsº on page 47 and
ÐFolding down third seatº on page 51 in
this Section.)
ÐStowing the second and
third seat seat belt buckles

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
65
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
To stow the third seat seat belt, insert
the tabs into the slot as shown above.
Make sure the tabs are securely locked
in the slot.
Seat belt must be stowed before you fold
the seatback. (See ÐFolding down third
seatº on page 51 in this Section.)
NOTICE
Stow the third seat seat belt when
not in use.
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
personal 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.

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.
ÐStowing the third seat seat
belt
ÐSeat belt extender

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
66
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)

Make sure the AIRBAG ONº
indicator light is illuminated when
using the seat belt extender for the
front passenger seat. If the
AIRBAG OFFº 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 AIRBAG ONº
indicator light is illuminated. If you
use the seat belt extender while the
AIRBAG OFFº indicator light is
illuminated, the front passenger
airbag and side airbag on the front
passenger side may not activate
correctly, causing 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.

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.
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.

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
67
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
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 injury.
The driver and front passenger seat
belt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in response to a severe fron-
tal impact or a vehicle roll over.
When the sensor detects a severe frontal
impact or a vehicle roll over, the front
seat belts are quickly drawn back by the
retractors so that the belts snugly restrain
the occupants.The front passenger 's seat belt pretension-
er 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 lug-
gage 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 ÐFront passenger occupant
classification systemº on page 86 in this
Section.)
The seat belt pretensioners and SRS air-
bags may not operate together in all colli-
sions.
ÐSeat belt pretensioners

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
68
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
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
system (ECU and sensors)
4. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
5. Front passenger 's seat belt buckle
switch
6. Airbag sensor assemblyThe 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 assemblies,
airbag sensor or surrounding area or
wiring. Failure to follow these instruc-
tions may prevent the seat belt pre-
tensioners from activating correctly,
cause sudden operation of the system
or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury. Con-
sult your Toyota dealer about any re-
pair and modification.
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

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
69
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ONº position.
It goes off after about 6 seconds. This
means the seat belt pretensioners 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, AIRBAG ONº indi-
cator light, AIRBAG OFFº indicator light,
front passenger 's seat belt buckle switch,
seat belt pretensioner assemblies, inflat-
ors, warning light, interconnecting wiring
and power sources. (For details, see Ser-
vice reminder indicators and warning buzz-
ersº on page 135 in Section 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
ignition key is turned to the ONº posi-
tion 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
cannot be pulled out due to a malfunc-
tion or activation of the relevant seat
belt pretensioner.

The seat belt pretensioner assembly or
surrounding area has been damaged.
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.

'05 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0409)
70
2005 HIGHLANDER from Nov. '04 Prod. (OM48570U)
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.
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS front airbags work together with
the seat belts to help reduce injury by
inflating. The SRS front airbags help re-
duce injuries mainly to the driver's or front
passenger 's head or chest caused by hit-
ting the vehicle 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 ÐFront passenger occupant
classification systemº on page 86 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
beltsº on page 58 in this Section.
SRS airbagsÐ
ÐSRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag