airbag TOYOTA RAV4 2008 XA30 / 3.G Owner's Manual

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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 desi gned 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, front, center and rear
garnish and roof interior may be hot for
several minutes, but the airbags them-
selves 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
rear/second outside passengers must:
Wear their seat belts properly.
Remain properly seated with their
backs upright and against the seats
at all times.
Improper sitting and wearing of the
seat belts may not retain you inside
the vehicle.
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.

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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.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.

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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 near the area
where the curtain shield airbag acti-
vates such as on the windshield
glass, side door glass, front, center
and roof side garnish. When the
curtain shield airbag inflates, the
microphone or other device or ob-
ject will be thrown away with great
force or the curtain shield airbag
may not activate correctly, resulting
in death or serious injury.
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.

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Do not disassemble or repair the
front, center and roof side garnish
containing the curtain shield air-
bags. Such changes may disable
the system or cause the curtain
shield airbags to inflate accidental-
ly, resulting in death or serious in-
jury.
Do not modify or change the sus-
pension system. Such changes may
cause the curtain shield airbags to
inflate accidentally, which could re-
sult in death or serious injury.
Do not use tires or wheels other
than the manufacturer ’s recom-
mended size. Such a use may cause
the curtain shield airbags to inflate
accidentally, which could result in
death or serious injury. For details,
see “Checking and replacing tires”
on page 410 in Section 72.
Do not place luggage heavier than
specified on the roof luggage carri-
er. Such luggage may cause the
curtain shield airbags to inflate ac-
cidentally, which could result in
death or serious injury. For details,
see “Roof luggage carrier” on page
303 in Section 110.
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 physical disability, con-
sult your Toyota dealer. It may dan-
gerously interfere with the SRS side
airbags and curtain shield airbags op-
eration.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 twoway 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 en-
gine switch is turned to the “ON” posi-
tion. 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, “AIR BAG ON” indicator
light, “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light, front
passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch, seat
belt pretensioner assemblies, inflators, in-
terconnecting wiring and power sources.
(For details, see “Service reminder indica-
tors and warning buzzers” on page 129 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
engine switch is turned to the “ON”
position or remains on for more than
6 seconds.
The light comes on while driving.
The SRS warning light and “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator light will come on if there
is a malfunction in the front passenger
occupant 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, center and
roof side garnish containing the curtain
shield airbags inside (shaded in the
illustration) is scratc hed, 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
1—4 in the table on page 83 and based
on these conditions activates or deacti-
vates the following systems;
Front passenger airbag
Side airbag on the front passenger
seat
Front passenger ’s seat belt pretension-
er
The system monitors the weight and
load on the front passenger seat, and
the seat belt buckle switch to determine
conditions 1—4.
In order for the system to detect the
conditions correctly, do not do any of
the following:
Apply a heavy load to the front pas-
senger seat or equipment (e.g. seat-
back pocket).
Attach a commercial seatback table,
etc. to the front passenger seatback.
Put weight on the front passenger seat
by putting your hands or feet on the
seatback from the rear passenger seat.
The “AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”
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 “AIR BAG OFF” indicator light will be
illuminated when the engine switch is in
the “ON” position with the condition 2 in
the table shown below.
—Front passenger occupant
classification system

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Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant classification systemCondition detected bythe front passenger
occupant classification system
Indicator/warning lightDevices
“AIR BAG
ON” and “AIR BAG OFF”indicator lights
SRS warning light
Front
passenger ’s seat belt
reminder lightFront
passenger airbagSide airbag
on the front passenger seatCurtain shieldairbag in the front
passenger sideFront
passenger ’s seat belt
pretensioner
1. Adult∗ 1“AIR BAG
ON”OffFlashing∗4Activated
2. Child∗2 or child
restraint system∗ 3“AIR BAG
OFF”∗5OffFlashing∗4Deactivated
Activated
Activated
3. UnoccupiedNot
illuminatedOffOffDeactivatedDeactivated
4. There is a
malfunction in the
system“AIR BAGOFF”OnOffDeactivatedActivated
∗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/h er
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 restraint” on page 85 in this Section as for installi ng the
child restraint system.)
∗ 4: In the event the front passenger does not wear a seat belt.∗5: In case the indicator is not illuminated, see “Child restraint” on page 85 as for installing the child restraint system proper ly.

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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.
Make sure the “AIR BAG ON” indi-
cator light is illuminated when us-
ing the seat belt extender for the
front passenger seat. If the “AIR
BAG OFF” indicator light is illumi-
nated, disconnect the extender
tongue from the seat belt buckle,
then reconnect the seat belt. Recon-
nect the seat belt extender after
making sure the “AIR BAG ON” in-
dicator light is illuminated. If you
use the seat belt extender while the
“AIR BAG OFF” indicator light is
illuminated, the front passenger air-
bag and side airbag on the front
passenger side may not activate
correctly, which could cause death
or serious injury in the event of
collision.
Do not recline the front passenger
seatback so far that it touches a
rear/second seat. This may cause
the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator to be
illuminated, which indicates that the
passenger ’s airbags will not deploy
in the event of a severe accident.
If the seatback touches the rear/
second seat, return the seatback to
a position where it does not
touches the rear/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.
If an adult sits in the front passen-
ger seat, the “AIR BAG ON” indica-
tor light should be illuminated. If
the “AIR BAG OFF” indicator is illu-
minated, 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 “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator still remains illumi-
nated, either ask the passenger to
move to the rear/second 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 apply a heavy load to the
front passenger seat or equipment
(e.g. seatback pocket).
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/second pas-
senger seat.
Do not let a rear/second passenger
lift the front passenger seat with
their feet or press on the seatback
with their legs.
Do not put objects under the front
passenger seat.
Child restraint systems installed on
the rear/second seat should not
contact the front seatbacks.

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When it is unavoidable to install the
forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem on the front passenger seat,
install the child restraint system on
the front passenger seat in the
proper order. (As for the installation
order, see “—Installation with seat
belt” on page 88 in this Section.)
Do not remove the front seats.
Do not kick the front passenger
seat or subject it to severe impact.
Otherwise, the SRS warning light
may come on to indicate a malfunc-
tion of the detection system. In this
case, contact your Toyota dealer im-
mediately.
The “AIR BAG ON” indicator light may be
illuminated (the front passenger airbag and
side airbag on the front passenger seat
may deploy) even if observing the above
cautions, when a child sits in, or a for-
ward −facing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger seat. Re-
fer to all the cautions in “SRS airbags” on
page 65 and “Child restraint” on page 85
in this Section. Toyota strongly urges the use of ap-
propriate child restraint systems for
children.
The laws of all 50 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 s
hould sit in the rear
seat and must be restrained using the
vehicle’s seat belt. See “Seat belts” on
page 53 in this Section for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops, a
child must be properly restrained,
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 substitute for a
child restraint system. In an acci-
dent, the child can be crushed
against the windshield, or between
you and the vehicle’s interior.
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child,
installed 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 install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passen-
ger seat even if the “AIR BAG OFF”
indicator light is illuminated. In the
event of an accident, the force of
the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag can cause death or
serious injury to the child if the
rearfacing child restraint system is
installed on the front passenger
seat.
Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

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A forwardfacing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to be
installed on the front passenger
seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back
as possible even if the “AIR BAG
OFF” indicator light is illuminated,
because the front passenger airbag
could inflate with considerable
speed and force. Otherwise, the
child may be killed or seriously in-
jured.
On vehicles with side airbags and
curtain shield airbags, do not allow
the child to lean his/her head or
any part of his/her body against the
door or the area of the seat, front
or center and roof side garnish
from which the side airbags or cur-
tain shield airbags deploy even if
the child is seated in the child re-
straint system. It is dangerous if
the side airbag and/or curtain shield
airbag inflate, and the impact could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
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.
Make sure you have complied with
all installation instructions provided
by the child restraint manufacturer
and that the system is properly se-
cured. If it is not secured properly,
it may cause death or serious injury
to the child in the event of a sud-
den stop or accident.
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
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. General directions are also
provided under the following 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.
—Child restraint system