airbag off TOYOTA TACOMA 1998 Owners Manual

'98 Tacoma (U)3
1. Headlight and turn signal switch
2. Wiper and washer switches
3. Emergency flasher switch
4. Passenger airbag cutoff switch
5. Air conditioning controls
6. Car audio
7. Ashtray
8. Cigarette lighter
9. Power outlets
10. Clock
11. Parking brake lever
12. Ignition switch
13. Cruise control switch
14. Rear differential lock button
15. Instrument panel light control knob
16. Clutch start cancel switch (manual transmission) or driving pattern selector
button (automatic transmission)

'98 Tacoma (U)
6
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel
Automatic transmission fluid temperature warning
light
*
1
SRS airbag warning light *
1
Unengaged ºParkº warning light *
1
Anti-lock brake system warning light *
1
Seat belt reminder light
*
1
(type A)
(type B)
Low oil pressure warning light *
1
Low fuel level warning light *
1
Brake system warning light
*
1
Discharge warning light *
1
Malfunction indicator lamp *
1
Low windshield washer fluid level warning light *
1
Headlight high beam indicator light
Overdrive-off indicator light
Turn signal indicator lights
Driving
pattern
(POWER
mode)
indicator
light
Automatic
transmission
indicator
lights
Four-wheel drive indicator light

'98 Tacoma (U)19
Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS
AND CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 3
Seats, Seat belts,
Steering wheel
and Mirrors
Seats
Front seats
Rear seats
Head restraints
Armrest
Seat belts
SRS driver and front passenger
airbags
Passenger airbag cutoff system
Child restraint
Tilt steering wheel
Outside rear view mirrors
Anti- glare inside rear view mirror
Seats
While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION

Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow sitting on top of a folded-
down seatback, or in the luggage
compartment. Persons not properly
seated and not properly restrained
by seat belts can be severely in-
jured in the event of emergency
braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow pas-
sengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Severe inju-
ries can occur in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
Adjust the driver's seat so that the foot
pedals, steering wheel and instrument
panel controls are within easy reach of
the driver.
CAUTION
Adjustments should not be made
while the vehicle is moving, as the
seat may unexpectedly move and
cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When adjusting the seat, be careful
not to hit the seat against a pas-
senger or luggage.
After adjusting the seat position, try
sliding it forward and backward to
make sure it is locked in position.
After adjusting the seatback, exert
body pressure to make sure it is
locked in position.
Do not put objects under the seats.
The objects may interfere with the
seat-lock mechanism or unexpected-
ly push up the seat position adjust-
ing lever; the seat may suddenly
move, causing the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
Front seatsÐ
ÐSeat adjustment precautions

'98 Tacoma (U)31
CAUTION
A driver or front passenger too close
to the steering wheel or dashboard
during airbag deployment can be
killed or seriously injured. Toyota
strongly recommends that: The driver sit as far back as pos-
sible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
The front passenger sit as far back
as possible from the dashboard.
All vehicle occupants be properly
restrained using the available seat
belts.
The passenger airbag system is
equipped with a cutoff switch and indi-
cator light. Turning the passenger air-
bag switch to the ONº position makes
the passenger airbag system operation-
al. Turning the passenger airbag switch
to the OFFº position disables the pas-
senger airbag system. The indicator
light on the passenger airbag switch
will come on when the passenger air-
bag system has been disabled.
See Passenger airbag cutoff systemº in
this chapter for detail.
CAUTION
Make sure that the indicator light is
off.
Do not turn off the passenger air-
bag system except when you use a
rear- facing child restraint system in
the front seat unavoidably.
When the passenger airbag switch
is turned off, the passenger airbag
will not inflate in a collision.

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32
This indicator comes on when the igni-
tion key is turned to the ºACCº or
ºONº position. It goes off after about
6 seconds. This means the SRS airbags
are operating properly.
The SRS airbag warning light system
monitors the airbag sensor assembly, in-
flators, warning light, interconnecting wir-
ing and power sources. (For details, see
Service remainder indicators and warning
buzzersº in chapter 1- 5.)The SRS airbag system is designed to
activate in response to a severe frontal
impact within the shaded area between
the arrows in the illustration.
There may be the case that the SRS air-
bags will not activate with such an impact
in which the occupant wearing the seat
belt correctly would not get serious injury.
The SRS airbags will deploy if the severi-
ty of the impact is above the designed
threshold level, comparable to an approxi-
mate 20 km/h (14 mph) collision when
impacting straight into a fixed barrier that
does not move or deform.
If the severity of the impact is below the
above threshold level, the SRS airbags
may not deploy. However, this threshold velocity will be
considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or
sign pole, which can move or deform on
impact, or if it is involved in an underride
collision (e.g. a collision in which the nose
of the vehicle ºunderridesº, or goes under,
the bed of a truck).
It is possible with collision severity at the
marginal level of airbag sensor detection
and activation that only one of your ve-
hicle's two airbags will deploy.
For the safety of all occupants, be sure
to always wear seat belts.

'98 Tacoma (U)33
Collision from the rear
Collision from the side Vehicle roll- over
The SRS airbags are not designed to
inflate if the vehicle is subjected to a
side or rear impact, if it rolls over, or
if it is involved in a low- speed frontal
collision.
The SRS airbag system mainly consists of
the following components and their loca-
tions are shown in the illustration.
1 SRS airbag warning light
2 Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
3 Passenger airbag cutoff switch
4 Airbag module for passenger (airbag and inflator)
5 Airbag sensor assembly
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor. In a severe frontal impact, sensors detect
deceleration and the system triggers the
airbag inflators. Then a chemical reaction
in the inflators momentarily fills the air-
bags with non- toxic gas to help restrain
the forward motion of the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
along with non- toxic gas. This does not
indicate a fire. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
minor skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happen 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 swellings.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, dashboard) may be hot for several
minutes, but the airbags themselves will
not be hot. The airbags are designed to
inflate only once.
A crash severe enough to inflate the air-
bags may break the windshield as the
vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a pas-
senger airbag the windshield may also be
damaged by absorbing some of the force
of the inflating airbag.

'98 Tacoma (U)37
This SRS airbag system has a service
reminder indicator to inform the driver of
operating problems. If either of the follow-
ing conditions occurs, this indicates a mal-
function of the airbags. Contact your
Toyota dealer as soon as possible to ser-
vice the vehicle. The light does not come on when the
ignition key is turned to the ºACCº or
ºONº position, or remains on.
The light comes on while driving.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS airbags have been inflated.
The front part of the vehicle (shaded
in the illustration) was involved in an
accident not of the extent to cause the
SRS airbags to inflate.
The pad section of the steering wheel
or front passenger airbag cover
(shaded in the illustration) is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
Indicator light
This system is designed to disable the
passenger airbag in order to allow
usage, if necessary, of a rear- facing
child restraint system in the front seat.
Disable the passenger airbag only when
you put a rear facing child restraint
system on the front seat unavoidably.
Switch the system as follows:
Insert key into the keyhole and turn it.
To turn passenger airbag on: Turn the key
to the ONº position.
To turn passenger airbag off: Turn the key
to the OFFº position.
The indicator comes on when the passen-
ger airbag system is off. Passenger airbag cutoff
system

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38
CAUTION
Make sure that the indicator light is
off.
Do not turn off the passenger air-
bag system except when you use a
rear- facing child restraint system in
the front seat unavoidably.
When the passenger airbag switch
is turned off, the passenger airbag
will not inflate in a collision.
Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
The laws of all fifty 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 seat
and must be restrained using the vehicle's
seat belt. See ºSeat beltsº for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automo-
bile accidents and sudden stops,
children must be properly re-
strained 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 sub-
stitute for a child restraint system.
In an accident, the child can be
crushed against the windshield, or
between you and the vehicle's inte-
rior.
NORMAL- CAB MODELSÐ
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child.
XTRA- CAB MODELSÐ
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child
and is put 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 put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat
with the passenger airbag switch in
the ONº position. In the event of
an accident, the force of the rapid
inflation of the passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury
to the child.
If you must put a rear- facing child
restraint system on the front seat,
make sure the passenger airbag
switch is in the OFFº position and
that the indicator light is on.
Child restraintÐ
ÐChild restraint precautions

'98 Tacoma (U)39
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
A forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
ÐChild restraint system
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with either the
lap belt or the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. You must carefully con-
sult the manufacturer 's instructions
which accompany your 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 of the system. General
directions are also provided under the fol-
lowing illustrations.
The child restraint system should be
installed on the rear seat if your vehicle
is equipped with rear seats. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.
CAUTION
Never put a rear- facing child re-
straint system on the front seat
with the passenger airbag switch in
the ONº position. In the event of
an accident, the force of the rapid
inflation of the passenger airbag
can cause death or serious injury
to the child.
If you must put a rear- facing child
restraint system on the front seat,
make sure the passenger airbag
switch is in the OFFº position and
that the indicator light is on.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
A forward- facing child restraint sys-
tem should be allowed to put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.

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42
CAUTION
Never put a rear- facing child restraint
system on the front seat with the
passenger airbag switch in the ONº
position. In the event of an accident,
the force of the rapid inflation of the
passenger airbag can cause death or
serious injury to the child.
Only when you put a rear- facing child
restraint system on the front seat un-
avoidably, turn the passenger airbag
switch to the OFFº position.
The indicator comes on when the system
is off.
CAUTION
If you must put a rear- facing child
restraint system on the front seat,
make sure the passenger airbag
switch is in the OFFº position and
that the indicator light is on.
1. Run the center lap belt through or around the infant seat following the
instructions provided by its manufactur-
er and insert the tab into the buckle
taking care not to twist the lap belt.