TOYOTA TACOMA 1997 Owner's Manual

21
4. SEAT LUMBAR SUPPORT AD-
JUSTING LEVER
Pull the lever forward or backward.
For easy access to the rear seat, do this.
1. Lift the seatback angle adjusting lever or press the pedal behind the seat- back.
The seat will slide forward slightly.
2. Move the seat to the front-most posi- tion.
After passengers are in, lift up the seat- back and return the seat until it locks.
CAUTION!
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat forward and rear-
ward to make sure it is secured inplace.
Never allow anyone to rest their
foot on the press pedal while the
vehicle is moving.
ÐMoving passenger's seat for
rear seat entry (Xtra-cab models)

22
Pull the seatback lock release lever
and fold down the seatback.
Hold the lever until you have swung the
seatback forward slightly.
CAUTION!
When returning the seatback to the
upright position: Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in their poroer
position for ready use.
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and
rearward on the top on the seat- back.
To raise the bottom cushion, pull it up.
To lower the bottom cushion, push it down. See Luggage stowage precautionsº in
Part 2 for precautions to observe in load- ing luggage.
CAUTION!
When returning the seatback to the
upright position: Make sure the seat belts are not twisted or caught under the bot-
tom cushion and are arranged in
their proper position for ready use.
Make sure the bottom cushion is
securely locked by trying to pull up
the edge of the bottom cushion.
Rear seatsÐ
ÐFolding seatback (bench seat) ÐRear seats (jump seats)

23
For your safety, adjust the restraint be-
fore driving.
To raise: Pull it up.
To lower: Push it down while pressing the lock release button.
On some models, you can also move the
head restraint forward or backward. If
such adjustment is desired, pull or push the head restraint.
The head restraint is most effective when
it is close to your head. Therefore, using a cushion on the seatback is not recom- mended.
CAUTION!
Adjust the top of the head restraint
so that it is closest to the top of
your ears.
After adjusting the head restraint,
make sure it is locked in position.
Do not drive with the head re-
straints removed.
To use the armrest, pull it out as shown above.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the armrest, avoid putting heavy loads on it.
Head restraints Armrests

24
Toyota strongly urges that the driver and passengers in the vehicle be properly re- strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents. Child.
Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See Child restraintº
for details. NORMAL-CAB MODELSÐ
If a child is too large for a child restriant
systemn, the child should sit in the seat
and must be restrained using the vehicle's
seat belt. XTRA-CAB MODELSÐ
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. According to accident statistics,the child is safer when properly restrained
in the rear seat than in the front seat. If a
child must sit in the front seat, the seat
belts should be worn properly. Do not allow the child to stand up or kneel
on either rear or front seats. An unre-
strained child could suffer serious injury
during emergency braking or a collision.
Also, do not let the child sit on your lap. It
does not provide sufficient restraint.
If the shoulder belt falls across the child's neck or face, move the child to the center
position and use the center lap belt.
Small-framed person or youth in a
3-point type seat belt.
On models with
a bench seat, have a small-framed per-
son or youth sit slightly closer to the center
of the vehicle (so the shoulder belt does
not cross over the neck). On models with separate seats, move the seat fully back- ward.
Pregnant woman. Toyota recommends
the use of a seat belt. Ask your doctor for
specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips and not on thewaist.
Injured person. Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Depending on the injury,
first check with your doctor for specific recommendations.
CAUTION!
Persons should ride in their seats
properly wearing their seat belts whenever the vehicle is moving.
Otherwise, they are much more like-
ly to suffer serious bodily injury in
the event of sudden braking or a col- lision.
When using the seat belts, observe
the following: Use the belt for only one person at
a time. Do not use a single belt for
two or more peopleÐeven chil- dren.
Avoid reclining the seatbacks too
much. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the seat-backs are in the upright position.
(Refer to the seat adjustment in-structions.)
Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care
that they do not get caught or
pinched in the seat or doors.
Inspect the belt system periodical-
ly. Check for cuts, fraying, and
loose parts. Damaged parts should
be replaced. Do not desassemble
or modify the system.
Seat beltsÐ ÐSeat belt precautions

25
Keep the belts clean and dry. If they
need cleaning, use a mild soap
solution or lukewarm water. Never
use bleach, dye, or abrasive clean-
ersÐthey may severely weaken the
belts.
Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) If it has been used in a se-
vere impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.
Right passenger's seat (normal
cab models) or right-front passen-
ger 's seat (Xtra-cab models) only-
Replace the belt if the warning la-
bel under the sleeve can be seen.
The warning label, REPLACE
BELTº, will appear if the belt re-
ceives a severe impact or other force.Adjust the seat as needed (front seats only) and sit up straight and well back
in the seat. To fasten your belt, pull it
out of the retractor and insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks into the buckle.
The seat belt length automatically adjusts
to your size and the seat position.
The retractor will lock the belt during a
sudden stop or on impact. It also may lock
if you lean forward too quickly. A slow, easy motion will allow the belt to extend,
and you can move around freely. ÐFront outside seat belts
and rear seat belts

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If the seat belt cannot be pulled out of the
retractor,
firmly pull the belt and release it.
You will then be able to smoothly pull the
belt out of the retractor.
When a passenger's shoulder belt is com-
pletely extended and is then retracted
even slightly, the belt is locked in that posi-
tion and cannot be extended. This feature
is used to hold the child restraint system
securely. (For details, see Child restraintº
in this chapter.) To free the belt again, fully
retract the belt and then pull the belt out
once more.
CAUTION!
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and that the belt is 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. It cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from injury.
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 severe injures in a collision

27
Adjust the position of the lap and
shoulder belts Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hipsÐnot your waist, then adjust it to
a snug fit by pulling the shoulder portion
upward through the latch plate.
CAUTION!
High-positioned lap belts and
loose-fitting belts both could in-
crease the chance of injury due to
sliding under the lap belt during an
accident or other unintended re-
sult. Keep the lap belt as low on
your hip bone as possible.
For your safety, do not place the
shoulder belt under your arm.
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button and allow the belt to re- tract.
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.

28
Sit up strainght and well back in the
seat. To fasten your belt, insert the tab
into the buckle.
You will hear a click when the tab locks into the buckle.
If the belt is not long enough for you, hold the tab at a right angle to the belt and pull
on the tab.
CAUTION!
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and that the belt is 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. It cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from injury.
Remove excess length of the belt and adjust the belt position.
To shorten the belt, pull the free end of the belt. Position the lamp belt as low as possible
on your hipsÐnot on your waist. then ad- just it to a snug fit.
CAUTION!
High-positioned and loose-fitting
lap belts could cause severe injuries due to sliding under the lap belt dur-
ing a collision. Keep the lap belt
positioned as low on hips as pos-sible.
ÐFront center seat belt

29
To release the belt, press the buckle-
release button.The buckles can be fixed when not in use.
When taking out the buckle from the hold-
er, pull on the belt webbing to remove the
buckle from the lower portion.If your seat belt cannot be fastened se- curely because it is not long enough, a
personalized seat belt extender is avail-
able from your Toyota dealer free of charge.
Please contact your local Toyota dealer
so that the dealer can order the proper re-
quired length for the extender. Bring the heaviest
coat you expect to wear for prop-
er measurement and selection of length.
Additional ordering information is avail-
able at yout Toyota dealer.
CAUTION!
When using the seat belt extender,
observe the following. Failure to fol-
low these instructions could result
in less effectiveness of the seat belt
restraint system in case of vehicle accident, increasing the chance of
personal injury. Never use the seat belt extender if
you can fasten the seat belt with-
out it.
Remember that the extender pro-
vided for you may not be safe when
used on a different vehicle, or for
another person or at a different
seating position than the one origi-
nally intended for.
ÐStowing the rear seat buckles ÐSeat belt extender

30
To connect the extender to the seat
belt, insert the tab into the seat belt
buckle so that the PRESSº signs onthe 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 seatbelt, 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.
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 seat belt extender is 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. It cannot protect an adult occupant
or your child from injury.
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbag is designed to provide fur-
ther protection to the driver when add-
ed to the primary protection providedby the seat belt.
In response to a severe frontal impact, the
SRS airbag works together with the seat
belt to help preventing or reduce injury byinflating, in order to decrease the liklihood
of the driver's head or chest directly hitting the steering wheel. SRS aribag