belt TOYOTA PRIUS PHV 2012 Owner's Manual

162 1-5. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
CAUTION
■When children are in the vehicle
Do not allow children to play with the seat belt. If the seat belt becomes
twisted around a child’s neck, it may lead to choking or other serious injuries
that could result in death.
If this occurs and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used
to cut the belt.
■ Seat belt pretensioners
● Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger’s seat.
Doing so will disperse the passenger’s weight, which prevents the sensor
from detecting the passenger’s weight properly. As a result, the seat belt
pretensioner for the front passenger’s seat may not activate in the event of
a collision.
● If the pretensioner has activated, the SRS warning light will come on. In
that case, the seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at
your Toyota dealer.
■ Adjustable shoulder anchor
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 death or serious injuries in the event of a sudden stop,
sudden swerve or accident. ( P. 157)

163
1-5. Adjustable components (s
eats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
CAUTION
■Seat belt damage and wear
● Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate, or buckle to be
jammed in the door.
● Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat
belts cannot protect an occupant from death or serious injury.
● Ensure that the belt and plate are locked and the belt is not twisted.
If the seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your Toyota
dealer.
● Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been
involved in a serious accident, even if there’s no obvious damage.
● Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of the
seat belts. Have any necessary repairs carried out by your Toyota dealer.
Inappropriate handling of the pretensioner may prevent it from operating
properly, resulting in death or serious injury.

164 1-5. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
CAUTION
■Using a seat belt extender
● Do not wear 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
because the belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, increas-
ing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of an accident.
● The personalized extender may not be safe on another vehicle, when
used by another person, or at a different seating position other than the
one originally intended.
NOTICE
■When using a seat belt extender
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 the extender itself.

182
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
1-9. Safety information
Correct driving posture
Drive with a good posture as follows:
Sit upright and well back in
the seat. (P. 146)
Adjust the position of the
seat forward or backward to
ensure the pedals can be
reached and easily
depressed to the extent
required. ( P. 146)
Adjust the seatback so that
the controls are easily oper-
able. ( P. 146)
Adjust the tilt and telescopic
positions of the steering
wheel downward so the air-
bag is facing your chest.
(  P. 165)
Lock the head restraint in
place with the center of the
head restraint closest to the
top of your ears. ( P. 152)
Wear the seat belt correctly.
(  P. 156)

183
1-9. Safety information
1
Before driving
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
CAUTION
■
While driving
● Do not adjust the position of the driver’s seat.
Doing so could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
● Do not place a cushion between the driver or passenger and the seatback.
A cushion may prevent correct posture from being achieved, and reduce
the effectiveness of the seat belt and head restraint, increasing the risk of
death or serious injury to the driver or passenger.
● Do not place anything under the front seats.
Objects placed under the front seats may become jammed in the seat
tracks and stop the seat from locking in place. This may lead to an acci-
dent, resulting in death or serious injury. The adjustment mechanism may
also be damaged.
■ Adjusting the seat position
● Take care when adjusting the seat position to ensure that other passen-
gers are not injured by the moving seat.
● Do not put your hands under the seat or near the moving parts to avoid
injury.
Fingers or hands may become jammed in the seat mechanism.

184
1-9. Safety information
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
SRS airbags
The SRS airbags inflate when the vehicle is subjected to certain
types of severe impacts that may cause significant injury to the
occupants. They work together with the seat belts to help reduce the
risk of death or serious injury.
SRS front airbags
SRS driver airbag/front passenger airbag
Can help protect the head and ches t of the driver and front pas-
senger from impact with interior components
SRS knee airbag
Can help provide driver protection

186 1-9. Safety information
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
SRS airbag system componentsFront passenger airbag
“AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator lights
Side airbags
Curtain shield airbags
Front passenger occupant
classification system (ECU
and sensors)
Side impact sensors (rear)
SRS warning light
Driver airbag Side impact sensors (front)
Seat belt pretensioners and
force limiters
Driver’s seat belt buckle
switch
Driver’s seat position sensor
Driver’s knee airbag
Front passenger’s seat belt
buckle switch
Front impact sensors
Airbag sensor assembly

188 1-9. Safety information
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
■SRS airbag deployment conditions (SRS front airbags)
● The SRS front airbags will deploy in the event of an impact that exceeds
the set threshold level (the level of force corresponding to an approxi-
mately 12 - 18 mph [20 - 30 km/h] frontal collision with a fixed wall that
does not move or deform).
However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher in the following
situations:
• If the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign pole,
which can move or deform on impact
• If the vehicle is involved in an underride collision such as a collision in which the front of the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under, the bed of a
truck
● Depending on the type of collision, it is possible that only the seat belt
pretensioners will activate.
● The SRS front airbags for the front passenger will not activate if there is
no passenger sitting in the front passenger seat. However, the SRS front
airbags for the front passenger may deploy if luggage is put in the seat,
even if the seat is unoccupied. ( P. 198)
■ SRS airbag deployment conditions (S RS side and curtain shield air-
bags)
The SRS side and curtain shield airbags will deploy in the event of an impact
that exceeds the set threshold level (the level of force corresponding to the
impact force produced by an approximately 3300 lb. [1500 kg] vehicle collid-
ing with the vehicle cabin from a direction perpendicular to the vehicle orien-
tation at an approximate speed of 12 - 18 mph [20 - 30 km/h]).

192 1-9. Safety information
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
CAUTION
■SRS airbag precautions
Observe the following precautions regarding the SRS airbags.
Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.
● The driver and all passengers in the vehicle must wear their seat belts
properly.
The SRS airbags are supplemental devices to be used with the seat belts.
● 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 the driver’s airbag is the first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm)
of inflation, placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from your driver airbag pro-
vides 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 10 in.
(250 mm) away now, you can change your driving position in several
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 10 in.
(250 mm) 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 recommended by NHTSA above, while still
maintaining control of the foot pedals, steering wheel, and your view of the
instrument panel controls.

193
1-9. Safety information
1
Before driving
PRIUS PHV_OM_OM47818U_(U)
CAUTION
■
SRS airbag precautions
● The SRS front passenger airbag also deploys with considerable force, and
can cause death or serious injury especially if the front passenger is very
close to the airbag. The front passenger seat should be as far from the air-
bag as possible with the seatback adjusted, so the front passenger sits
upright.
● 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 sys-
tem. Toyota strongly recommends that all infants and children be placed in
the rear seats of the vehicle and properly restrained. The rear seats are
safer for infants and children than the front passenger seat. ( P. 204)
●If the seat belt extender has been con-
nected to the front seat belt buckles but
the seat belt extender has not also
been fastened to the latch plate of the
seat belt, the SRS front airbags will
judge that the driver and front passen-
ger are wearing the seat belt even
though the seat belt has not been con-
nected. In this case, the SRS front air-
bags may not activate correctly in a
collision, resulting in death or serious
injury in the event of a collision. Be sure
to wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender.