TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2001 Service Repair Manual

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The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system consists mainly of the fol-
lowing components, and their locations are
shown in the illustration.
1. SRS warning light
2. AIRBAG ONº and AIRBAG OFFº indi-
cator lights
3. Curtain shield airbag modules
(airbag and inflator)
4. Front passenger occupant classification
system (ECU and sensors)
5. Side airbag modules
(airbag and inflator)
6. Curtain shield airbag sensors
7. Side and curtain shield airbag sensors8. Front passenger 's seat belt buckle
switch
9. Airbag sensor assembly
The SRS side airbag and curtain shield
airbag system is controlled by the airbag
sensor assembly. The airbag sensor as-
sembly consists of a safing sensor and
airbag sensor.
In a severe side impact, the side and
curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the
curtain shield airbag sensor trigger(s) the
side airbag inflators and/or the curtain
shield airbag inflators. At this time a
chemical reaction in the inflators quickly
fills the airbags with non- toxic gas to help
restrain the lateral motion of the occu-
pants.
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 smoke may
remain inside the vehicle for some time,
and may cause some minor irritation to
the eyes, skin or breathing. Be sure to
wash off any residue as soon as possible
to prevent any potential skin irritation with
soap and water. If you can safely exit
from the vehicle, you should do so imme-
diately.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.
Front seats as well as parts of the front
and rear pillars, and roof side rail may be
hot for several minutes, but the airbags
themselves will not be hot. The airbags
are designed to inflate only once.
CAUTION
SRS side airbags and curtain shield
airbags inflate with considerable
force. To reduce the possibility of
death or serious injury when they in-
flate, the driver, front passenger and
second outside passengers must:

Wear their seat belts properly.

Remain properly seated with their
backs upright and against the seats
at all times.

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Do not allow anyone to lean against
the door when the vehicle is in use,
since the side airbag and curtain
shield airbag could inflate with con-
siderable speed and force. Other-
wise, he/she may be killed or seri-
ously injured. Special care should
be taken especially when you have
a small child in the vehicle.

Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, distributing your weight evenly
in the seat. Do not apply excessive
weight to the outer side of the
seats with a side airbag, and to the
front pillar, rear pillar and roof side
rail with a curtain shield airbag.

Do not allow anyone to get his/her
head closer to the area where the
side airbag and curtain shield air-
bag inflate, since these airbags
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, he/she
may be killed or seriously injured.
Special care should be taken espe-
cially when you have a small child
in the vehicle.
Do not allow anyone to kneel on
the passenger seat, facing the pas-
senger 's side door, since the side
airbag and curtain shield airbag
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, he/she
may be killed or seriously injured.
Special care should be taken espe-
cially when you have a small child
in the vehicle.

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Do not allow anyone to get his/her
head or hands out of windows
since the curtain shield airbags
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, he/she
may be killed or seriously injured.
Special care should be taken espe-
cially when you have a small child
in the vehicle.
Do not attach a cup holder or any
other device or object on or around
the door. When the side airbag in-
flates, the cup holder or any other
device or object will be thrown with
great force or the side airbag may
not activate correctly, resulting in
death or serious injury. Likewise,
the driver and front passenger
should not hold objects in their
arms or on their knees.
Do not attach a microphone or any
other device or object around the
area where the curtain shield airbag
activates such as on the windshield
glass, side door glass, front and
rear pillars, roof side rail and assist
grips. When the curtain shield air-
bag inflates, the microphone or oth-
er device or object will be thrown
away with great force or the curtain
shield airbag may not activate cor-
rectly, resulting in death or serious
injury.

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Do not hook a hanger, heavy or
sharp pointed objects on the coat
hook. If the curtain shield airbag
inflates, those items will be thrown
away with great force or the curtain
shield airbag may not activate cor-
rectly, resulting in death or serious
injury. When you hang clothes,
hang them on the coat hook direct-
ly.

Do not use seat accessories which
cover the parts 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 changes 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.

Do not disassemble or repair the
front and rear pillars and roof side
rails containing the curtain shield
airbags. Such changes may disable
the system or cause the curtain
shield airbags to inflate accidental-
ly, resulting in death or serious in-
jury.
Failure to follow these instructions
can result in death or serious injury.
Consult your Toyota dealer about any
repair and modification.
If you wish to modify your vehicle for
a person with a physical disability,
consult your Toyota dealer. It may
dangerously interfere with the SRS
side airbags and curtain shield air-
bags operation.NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
SRS side airbag and curtain shield
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 side structure of
the passenger compartment

Repairs made on or near the con-
sole or front seat

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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 SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags 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 either 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 the light stays on, it indicates that the
SRS driver and front passenger airbag
system and/or front passenger occupant
classification system and AIRBAG ONº
and AIRBAG OFFº indicator lights have a
problem. If the light flashes, the SRS side
airbag system and/or curtain shield airbag
system have a problem.
The SRS warning light and AIRBAG OFFº
indicator light will come on if there is a
malfunction in the front passenger occu-
pant classification system.

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In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:

Any of the SRS side airbags and cur-
tain shield airbags have been inflated.

The portion of the doors (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause
the SRS side airbags and curtain
shield airbags to inflate.

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

The portion of the front pillars, rear
pillars or roof side rail garnishes (pad-
ding) containing the curtain shield air-
bags inside (shaded in the illustration)
is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
Your vehicle is equipped with a front
passenger occupant classification sys-
tem. This system detects the conditions
1Ð4 in the table on page 89 and based
on these conditions activates or deacti-
vates front passenger airbags. The sys-
tem monitors the weight and load on
the front passenger seat, and the seat
belt buckle switch to determine condi-
tions 1Ð4. In order for the system to
detect the conditions correctly, do not
do any of the following.

Put a heavy load in the front passen-
ger seat.

Attach a seatback table to the front
passenger seat seatback.

Put weight on the front passenger by
putting your hands or feet on the front
passenger seat seatback from the rear
passenger seat.
ÐFront passenger occupant
classification system

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The AIRBAG ONº and AIRBAG OFFº
indicator lights indicate the actuation of
the front passenger airbag, side airbag
on the front passenger seat and front
passenger 's seat belt pretensioner.
The AIRBAG OFFº indicator light will be
illuminated when the ignition switch is in
the ONº position with the condition 2 in
the table shown below.If the front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system determines that a person of
adult size sits in the front passenger seat
but the AIRBAG OFFº indicator light is
illuminated, one of the following is likely
to have occurred:

A rear passenger lifts the front passen-
ger seat cushion with their legs.

Objects are placed under the front pas-
senger seat.

The front passenger seatback is in
contact with the second seat.
To ensure the system correctly detects an
adult sitting in the front passenger seat,
make sure the above do not occur.
Make sure that the AIRBAG ONº indicator
light is illuminated when an adult is
seated in the front passenger seat. If the
AIRBAG OFFº indicator light is illumina-
ted, ask the passenger to sit up straight,
well back in the seat, and with the seat
belt worn correctly. If the AIRBAG OFFº
indicator light still remains illuminated, ei-
ther ask the passenger to move to the
rear seat, or if that is not possible, move
the front passenger seat fully rearward.The AIRBAG ONº and AIRBAG OFFº
indicator lights will be illuminated ini-
tially when the ignition key is turned to
the ONº position. After about 4 sec-
onds, they will go off. After that, the
front passenger occupant classification
system operates and judges which indi-
cator light be illuminated.

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The SRS warning light and AIRBAG
OFFº indicator light will come on if
there is a malfunction in the front pas-
senger occupant classification system.

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Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification system
Indicator/warning lightDevices
Condition detected
by the front
passenger occupant
classification system
AIRBAG ONº and
AIRBAG OFFº
indicator lightsSRS warning
light
Front
passenger 's
seat belt
reminder lightFront
passenger
airbagSide airbag
on the front
passenger
seatCurtain shield
airbag in the
front
passenger
sideFront
passenger 's
seat belt
pretensioner
1. Adult*
1AIRBAG ONºOffFlashing*
4Activated
2. Child*
2 or child
restraint system*
3AIRBAG OFFºOffFlashing*
4DeactivatedActivated
3. UnoccupiedNot illuminatedOffOffDeactivatedActivatedDeactivated
4. There is a
malfunction in the
system
AIRBAG OFFºOnOffDeactivated
Activated
Activated
*
1: The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits in the front passenger seat, the system may
recognize him/her as a child depending on his/her physique and posture.
*
2: When a larger child who has outgrown a child restraint system sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/her
as an adult depending on his/her physique or posture.
*
3: Never install a rear- facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat. A forward- facing child restraint system should only be
installed on the front passenger seat when it is unavoidable. (See Child restraintº on page 91 in this Section as for installing the
child restraint system.)
*
4: In the event that the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.

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CAUTION
To avoid potential death or serious
injury when the front passenger occu-
pant classification system does not
detect the conditions correctly, ob-
serve the following.

Do not recline the front passenger
seat seatback so that it interferes
with a second seat as it may cause
the AIRBAG OFFº indicator light
be illuminated. If the seatback inter-
feres with the second seat, return
the seatback to a position where it
does not interfere with the second
seat.
Keep the front passenger seatback
as upright as possible when the ve-
hicle is moving. Reclining the seat-
back excessively may lessen the ef-
fectiveness of the seat belt system.

Make sure the AIRBAG ONº indica-
tor 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 re-
connect 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 AIR-
BAG OFFº indicator light is illumi-
nated, the front passenger airbag
and side airbag on the front pas-
senger side may not activate cor-
rectly, which could cause death or
serious injury in the event of colli-
sion.
If an adult sits in the front
passenger seat, the AIRBAG ONº
indicator light should be illumi-
nated. If the AIRBAG OFFº
indicator light is illuminated, ask
the passenger to sit up straight,
well back in the seat, feet on the
floor, and with the seat belt worn
correctly. If the AIRBAG OFFº
indicator light still remains illumi-
nated, either ask the passenger to
move to the rear seat, or if that is
not possible, move the front
passenger seat fully rearward.

Wear the seat belt properly.

Make sure the front passenger 's
seat belt tab has not been left in-
serted into the buckle before some-
one sits in the front passenger
seat.

Do not put a heavy load in the
front passenger seatback pocket or
attach a seatback table to the front
passenger seat seatback.

Do not put weight on the front pas-
senger seat by putting your hands
or feet on the front passenger seat
seatback from the rear passenger
seat.