light TOYOTA TACOMA 1998 User Guide

'98 Tacoma (U)
22
ÐFolding seatback (bench seat)
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 proper
position for ready use.
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
Rear seats (jump seats)
To raise the bottom cushion, pull it up.
To lower the bottom cushion, push it down.
See ºLuggage stowage precautionsº in
Part 2 for precautions to observe in load-
ing luggage.
CAUTION
When returning the bottom cushion to
its original position: Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught under the bottom
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.

'98 Tacoma (U)
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 ºChild restraintк
for details.
NORMAL-CAB MODELSÐ
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.
XTRA-CAB MODELSÐ
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. 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 prop-
erly. If a child must sit in the front seat, the
seat belts should be worn properly. If an
accident occurs and the seat belts are not
worn properly, the force of the rapid infla-
tion of the airbag may cause death or
serious injury to the child.
Do not allow the child to stand up or
kneel on either rear or front seats. An
unrestrained child could suffer serious in-
jury during emergency braking or a colli-
sion. Also, do not let the child sit on your
lap. It does not provide sufficient restraint.
Small-framed person or youth in a
3-point type seat belt.
On models with a
bench seat, have a small-framed person
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 the
waist.
Injured person. Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Depending on the inju-
ry, 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 likely
to suffer serious bodily injury or
death in the event of sudden braking
or a collision.
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 children.
Avoid reclining the seatbacks too
much. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the seatbacks
are in the upright position. (Refer
to the seat adjustment instructions.)
Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care that
they do not get caught or pinched
in the seat or side doors.
Inspect the belt system periodically.
Check for cuts, fraying, and loose
parts. Damaged parts should be re-
placed. Do not disassemble or
modify the system.
Seat beltsÐ
ÐSeat belt precautions

'98 Tacoma (U)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-
ers±they may severely weaken the
belts. (See Cleaning the interiorº
in Part 5.)
Replace the belt assembly (includ-
ing bolts) if it has been used in a
severe impact. The entire assembly
should be replaced even if damage
is not obvious.
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. 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
position and cannot be extended. This fea-
ture is used to hold the child restraint
system securely. (For details, see ºChild
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.
ÐFront outside seat belts and
rear seat belts

'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.

'98 Tacoma (U)
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

'98 Tacoma (U)
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.

'98 Tacoma (U)
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.