TOYOTA TACOMA 2003 (in English) Repair Manual

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
552003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
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 “ON” posi-
tion, or the light remains on.
The light comes on while driving.
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The SRS front airbags have been in-
flated.
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough 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.
NOTICE
Do not disconnect the battery cables
before contacting your Toyota dealer.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
562003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Indicator light
This onoff switch is designed to dis-
able the front passenger airbag in order
to allow usage, if necessary, of a mem-
ber of a passenger risk group identified
in TABLE 1 is occupying the right front
passenger seating position. (For details,
see “SRS driver and front passenger
airbags” in this section.)
Operate onoff switch as follows:
Insert key into the keyhole and turn it.
To turn front passenger airbag on: Turn
the key clockwise to the “ON” position.
To turn front passenger airbag off: Turn
the key counterclockwise to the “OFF”
position.The indicator light comes on when the
front passenger airbag system is off.
CAUTION
Make sure that the indicator light is
off.
Do not turn off the passenger air-
bag manual onoff switch except
when a member of a passenger risk
group identified in TABLE 1 is oc-
cupying the right front passenger
seating position.
When the passenger airbag manual
onoff switch is turned off, the
front passenger airbag will not in-
flate in a collision and turning off
the front passenger airbag can re-
duce the occupant protection which
your vehicle safety systems can
provide to you in certain accidents
and increase the likelihood of seri-
ous personal injuries.
For details, see “SRS driver and front
passenger airbags” in this section.
Toyota strongly urges the use of child
restraint systems for children small
enough to use them.
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 seat
and must be restrained using the vehicle’s
seat belt. See “Seat belts” 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.
Passenger airbag manual
onoff switch
(on some models) Child restraint—
—Child restraint precautions

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
572003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Vehicles with passenger airbag manu-
al onoff switch—
REGULAR CAB MODELS—
Toyota strongly urges use of a
proper child restraint system which
conforms to the size of the child.
XTRACAB MODELS—
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 put infant or child age 1 to
12 in a passenger risk group on the
right front seat with the passenger
airbag manual onoff switch in the
“ON” 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 infant or child age
1 to 12 in a passenger risk group
on the right front seat, make sure
the passenger airbag manual onoff
switch is in the “OFF” position and
that the indicator light is on. (For
details, see “SRS driver and front
passenger airbags” in this section.)
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.
Vehicles without passenger airbag
manual onoff switch—
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 seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rearfacing child restraint system
is installed on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not
install a forwardfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat.
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, because the force of
the deploying front passenger air-
bag could cause death or serious
injury to the child.

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582003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Make sure that you have complied
with all installation instructions pro-
vided by the child restraint
manufacturer and that the system is
properly secured.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 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 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
Vehicles with passenger airbag manu-
al onoff switch—
Never put infant or child age 1 to
12 in a passenger risk group on the
right front seat with the passenger
airbag manual onoff switch in the
“ON” 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 infant or child age
1 to 12 in a passenger risk group
on the right front seat, make sure
the passenger airbag manual onoff
switch is in the “OFF” position and
that the indicator light is on. (For
details, see “SRS driver and front
passenger airbags” in this section.)
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place according to the manufactur-
er’s instructions. If it is not re-
strained securely, it may cause
death or serious injury to the child
in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.
—Child restraint system

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
592003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Vehicles without passenger airbag
manual onoff switch—
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rearfacing child restraint system
is installed on the front seat.
Unless it is unavoidable, do not
install a forwardfacing child re-
straint system on the front seat.
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, because the force of
the deploying front passenger air-
bag could cause death or serious
injury to the child.
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place according to the manufactur-
er’s instructions. If it is not re-
strained securely, it may cause
death or serious injury to the child
in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it somewhere other than the passenger
compartment. This will prevent it from in-
juring passengers in the event of a sud-
den stop or accident.
Your vehicle has anchors for securing the
top strap of a child restraint system.Child restraint systems are classified into
the following 3 types depending on the
child’s age and size.
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat
Install the child restraint system following
the instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
For instructions on how to use the anchor
bracket, see “—Using a top strap” in this
section.
The child restraint lower anchorages ap-
proved for your vehicle may also be used.
See “—Installation with child restraint low-
er anchorages” in this section.
—Types of child restraint
system

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
602003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
(A) Infant seat
(B) Convertible seat
(C) Booster seat(A) INFANT SEAT INSTALLATION
An infant seat is used in rearfacing
position only.
—Installation with 2point type
seat belt
(vehicles with passenger
airbag manual onoff switch)

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
612003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
Same angle
Move seat
fully back
Same
height
Move seat
fully back
CAUTION
Split bench seat only: When instal-
ling a child restraint system in the
center position, adjust both seat
cushions to the same position and
align both seatbacks at the same
angle. Otherwise, the child restraint
system cannot be securely re-
strained and this may cause death
or serious injuries in a collision.
If the driver ’s seat position does
not allow sufficient space for safe
installation, install the child re-
straint system at another position.
CAUTION
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passenger
seat with the passenger airbag manu-
al onoff switch in the “ON” position.
In the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag can cause death or se-
rious injury to the child.
When you install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passenger
seat, turn the passenger airbag manual
onoff switch counterclockwise to the
“OFF” position. (For details, see “SRS
driver and front passenger airbags (ve-
hicles with passenger airbag manual
onoff switch)” in this section.)
The indicator light comes on when the
system is off.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
622003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
CAUTION
If you must install a rearfacing child
restraint system on the front passen-
ger seat, make sure the passenger
airbag manual onoff switch is in the
“OFF” position and that the indicator
light is on.
1. Run the center lap belt through oraround 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.
CAUTION
After inserting the tab, make sure
the tab and buckle are locked and
that the lap 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, it cannot protect your
child from injury. Contact your
Toyota dealer immediately. Do not
use the child restraint system until
the seat belt is fixed.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
632003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
2. While pressing the infant seat firmlyagainst the seat cushion and seatback,
tighten the lap belt by pulling its free
end to hold the infant seat securely.CAUTION
Push and pull the child restraint sys-
tem in different directions to be sure
it is secure. Follow all the installation
instructions provided by its manufac-
turer.
3. To remove the infant seat, press thebucklerelease button.

’03 Tacoma U (L/O 0209)
642003 MY TACOMA (OM35800U)
(B) CONVERTIBLE SEAT INSTALLATION
A convertible seat is used in forward
facing and rearfacing position depend-
ing on the child’s age and size. When
installing, follow the manufacturer’s
instructions about the applicable child’s
age and size as well as directions for
installing a child restraint system.
Same angle
Move seat
fully back
Same
height
Move seat
fully back
CAUTION
Split bench seat only: When instal-
ling a child restraint system in the
center position, adjust both seat
cushions to the same position and
align both seatbacks at the same
angle. Otherwise, the child restraint
system cannot be securely re-
strained and this may cause death
or serious injuries in a collision.
If the driver ’s seat position does
not allow sufficient space for safe
installation, install the child re-
straint system at another position.
CAUTION
Rearfacing child restraint system:
Never install a rearfacing child re-
straint system on the front passenger
seat with the passenger airbag manu-
al onoff switch in the “ON” position.
In the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the front pas-
senger airbag can cause death or se-
rious injury to the child.