TOYOTA TACOMA 2008 (in English) Repair Manual

51
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS13188c
Bench seat
LS13103c
Separate seats
The seat belt pretensioner system con-
sists mainly of the following components
and their locations are shown in the il-
lustration.1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Front passenger occupant classification indicator light or passenger airbag on −
off indicator light
4. Front passenger occupant classification ECU
5. Pressure sensor
6. Load sensor
7. Belt tension sensor
8. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch
9. Seat belt pretensioner assemblies
10. Airbag sensor assembly
The seat belt pretensioners are controlled
by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag
sensor assembly consists of a safing sen-
sor and airbag sensor.
When the seat belt pretensioners are acti-
vated, an operating noise may be heard
and a small amount of non −toxic gas may
be released. This does not indicate that
a fire is occurring. This gas is normally
harmless. Once the seat belt pretensioners have
been activated, the seat belt retractors
remain locked.
CAUTION
Do not modify, remove, strike or open
the seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
airbag sensor or surrounding area or
wiring. Failure to follow these instruc-
tions may prevent the seat belt pre-
tensioners from activating correctly,
cause sudden operation of the system
or disable the system, which could
result in death or serious injury. Con-
sult your Toyota dealer about any re-
pair and modification.

52
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
NOTICE
Do not perform any of the following
changes without consulting your
Toyota dealer. Such changes can
interfere with proper operation of the
seat belt pretensioners in some
cases.
Installation of electronic devices
such as a mobile twoway radio,
cassette tape player or compact
disc player
 Repairs on or near the front seat
belt pretensioner assemblies
 Modification of the suspension sys-
tem
 Modification of the front end struc-
ture
 Attachment of a grille guard (bull
bar, kangaroo bar, etc.), snowplow,
winches or any other equipment to
the front end
 Repairs made on or near the front
fenders, front end structure or con-
sole
LS13104
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 seat belt pretensioners
are operating properly. This warning light system monitors the
airbag sensor assembly, front airbag
sensors, side and curtain shield airbag
sensors, curtain shield airbag sensors,
driver ’s seat position sensor, driver ’s seat
belt buckle switch, front passenger
occupant classification system
∗ and
indicator light, passenger airbag off switch,
seat belt pretensioner assemblies,
inflators, “RSCA OFF” indicator light,
interconnecting wiring and power sources.
(For details, see “Service reminder
indicators and warning buzzers” on page
153 in Section 1 −6.)
∗: The front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system includes the front passenger
occupant classification ECU, pressure sen-
sor, load sensor, front passenger ’s seat
belt buckle switch, front passenger ’s seat
position sensor and belt tension sensor.
If any 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.

53
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
If any seat belt does not retract or can
not be pulled out due to a malfunction
or activation of the relevant seat belt
pretensioner.
The seat belt pretensioner assembly or
surrounding area has been damaged.
LS13106
In the following cases, contact your Toyota
dealer as soon as possible:
The front of the vehicle (shaded in the
illustration) was involved in an accident
that was not severe enough to cause
the seat belt pretensioners to operate.
Either seat belt pretensioner assembly
or surrounding area is scratched,
cracked, or otherwise damaged.
LS13117
The SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) front airbags are designed to pro-
vide further protection for the driver
and front passenger in addition to the
primary safety protection provided by
the seat belts.
Your vehicle is equipped with “ADVANCED
AIRBAGS” designed based on US motor
vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The
airbag system controls airbag deployment
power for the driver and front passenger.
The driver airbag system consists of the
driver seat’s position sensor etc. The front
passenger ’s airbag system consists of the
front passenger occupant classification
sensor etc.
SRS driver airbag and front
passenger airbag (regular cab
models with separate seats and
access cab models)

54
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
In response to a severe frontal impact,
the SRS front airbags work with the seat
belts to help reduce injury by inflating.
The SRS front airbags help reduce injuries
mainly to the driver ’s or front passenger ’s
head or chest caused by hitting the ve-
hicle interior.
The SRS front passenger airbag will not
activate if there is no passenger sitting in
the front passenger seat. However, the
front passenger airbag may deploy if lug-
gage is put in the seat. (As for the front
passenger occupant classification system,
see “Front passenger occupant classifica-
tion system” on page 82 in this Section.)
Always wear your seat belt properly.CAUTION
The SRS front airbag system is de-
signed only as a supplement to the
primary protection of the driver and
front passenger seat belt systems.
The driver and front passenger can
be killed or seriously injured by the
inflating airbags if they do not wear
the available seat belts properly.
During sudden braking just before
a collision, an unrestrained driver
or front passenger can move for-
ward into direct contact with or
close proximity to the airbag which
may then deploy during the colli-
sion. To ensure maximum protection
in an accident, the driver and all
passengers in the vehicle must
wear their seat belts properly. Wear-
ing a seat belt properly during an
accident reduces the chances of
death or serious injury or being
thrown out of the vehicle. For in-
structions and precautions concern-
ing the seat belt system, see “Seat
belts” on page 43 in this Section.
Improperly seated and/or restrained
infants and children can be killed
or seriously injured by the
deploying airbags. An infant or
child who is too small to use a seat
belt should be properly secured
using a child restraint system. As
to access cab models, Toyota
strongly recommends that all
infants and children be placed in
the rear seat of the vehicle and
properly restrained. The rear seat is
the safest for infants and children.
For instructions concerning the
installation of a child restraint
system, see “Child restraint” on
page 93 in this Section.

55
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS13141a
Indicator light
The passenger airbag system is
equipped with a off switch and indica-
tor light. Turning the passenger airbag
off switch clockwise to the “AUTO”
position makes the front passenger air-
bag system operational. To disable the
front passenger airbag system, turn the
off switch counterclockwise to the
“OFF” position and remove the key. The
“OFF” indicator light will come on
when the front passenger airbag system
has been disabled.
See “Passenger airbag off switch” on page
70 in this Section for detail.
CAUTION
Do not turn off the passenger air-
bag off switch except when a mem-
ber of a passenger risk group iden-
tified in TABLE 1 is occupying the
front passenger seating position.
When the passenger airbag off
switch is turned off, the front pas-
senger airbag will not inflate in a
collision and turning off the front
passenger airbag can reduce the
occupant protection which your ve-
hicle safety systems can provide to
you in certain accidents and in-
crease the likelihood of death or
serious injuries.

56
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
The SRS front airbags are designed to
deploy in severe (usually frontal) colli-
sions where the magnitude and duration
of the forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle exceeds the designed threshold
level.
The SRS front airbags will deploy if the
severity of the impact is above the de-
signed threshold level, comparable to an
approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision
when the vehicle has the impact straight
into a fixed barrier that does not move or
deform.
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 the vehicle is involved in an
underride collision (e.g. a collision in
which the front of the vehicle “underrides”,
or goes under, the bed of a truck, etc.).
It is possible that in some collisions
where the forward deceleration of the ve-
hicle is very close to the designed thresh-
old level, the SRS front airbags and seat
belt pretensioners may not activate togeth-
er.
Always wear your seat belts properly.TABLE 1: A PASSENGER RISK GROUP
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) who must ride in the front seat because:
Vehicle has no rear seat;
Vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear −facing infant seat;
or
The infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s physician,
makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat because:
Vehicle has no rear seat:
Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever possible,
children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front because no space is
available in the rear seat(s) of vehicle; or
The child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s physician,
makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Medical condition. A passenger has a medical condition which according to his
or her physician:
Causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk for the passenger: and
Makes the potential harm from the passenger airbag in a crash greater than the
potential harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the passenger, even if
belted, to hit the dashboard, or windshield in a crash.
For more detailed information concerning about the passenger risk group, please
contact NHTSA at 1 −888− 327−4236 or Transport Canada at 1 −800− 333−0371.

57
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS13118
Collision from the rear
Collision from the side Vehicle rollover
The SRS front airbags are not generally
designed to inflate if the vehicle is in-
volved in a side or rear collision, if it
rolls over, or if it is involved in a low
speed frontal collision. But, when ever a
collision of any type causes sufficient
forward deceleration of the vehicle, de-
ployment of the SRS front airbags may
occur.
LS13119
Hitting a curb,
edge of pavement
or hard surface
Landing hard or vehicle falling Falling into or
jumping over a
deep hole
The SRS front airbags may also deploy
if a serious impact occurs to the under-
side of your vehicle. Some examples
are shown in the illustration.
LS13120e
The SRS front airbag system consists
mainly of the following components, and
their locations are shown in the illustra-
tion.
1. Front airbag sensors
2. Passenger airbag on −off indicator light
3. Passenger airbag off switch
4. Airbag module for front passenger (airbag and inflator)
5. Front passenger occupant classification ECU
6. Load sensor
7. Front passenger ’s seat belt buckle switch
8. Driver ’s seat belt buckle switch

58
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
9. Driver ’s seat position sensor
10. Airbag sensor assembly
11. Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator)
12. SRS warning light
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
The airbag sensors constantly monitor the
forward deceleration of the vehicle. If an
impact results in a forward deceleration
beyond the designed threshold level, the
system triggers the airbag inflators. At this
time a chemical reaction in the inflators
very quickly fills the air bags with non−tox-
ic gas to help restrain the forward motion
of the occupants. The front airbags then
quickly deflate, so that there is no ob-
struction of the driver ’s vision should it be
necessary to continue driving. When the airbags inflate, they produce a
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, primarily to the head and chest, it
may also cause other, less severe injuries
to the face, chest, arms and hands. These
are usually in the nature of minor burns
or abrasions and swelling, but the force of
a deploying airbag can cause more seri-
ous injuries, especially if an occupant’s
hands, arms, chest or head is in close
proximity to the airbag module at the time
of deployment. This is why it is important
for the occupant to: avoid placing any
object or part of the body between the
occupant and the airbag module; sit
straight and well back into the seat; wear
the available seat belt properly; and sit as
far as possible from the airbag module,
while still maintaining control of the ve-
hicle.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, airbag cover and inflator) may be hot
for several minutes after deployment, so
do not touch! The airbags inflate only
once. The windshield may be damaged by
absorbing some of the force of the inflat-
ing airbag.

59
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
CAUTION
The driver or front passenger who is
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.
If the seat belt extender has been
connected to the driver ’s seat belt
buckle without the driver actually
wearing the seat belt, the SRS driv-
er ’s airbag system will judge that
the driver is wearing it. In this
case, the driver ’s airbag may not
activate correctly, causing death or
serious injury in the event of colli-
sion. Be sure to wear the seat belt
with the seat belt extender.
For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the seating position, see
“—Front seat precautions” on page
34 in this Section.CAUTION
A member of a passenger risk group
should never sit or be occupied in
the front passenger seat with airbag
off switch in the “AUTO” position.
(For details, see “SRS driver airbag
and front passenger airbag” on page
53 in this Section.)

60
2008 TACOMA from Apr. ’08 Prod. (OM35898U)
LS13121
Do not sit on the edge of the seat
or lean against the dashboard when
the vehicle is in use, since the
front passenger airbag could inflate
with considerable speed and force.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, an airbag when it inflates,
can be killed or seriously injured.
Sit up straight and well back in the
seat, and always use your seat belt
properly.
LS13162
Toyota strongly recommends that all
infants and children be placed in
the rear seat of the vehicle and be
properly restrained.
Do not hold a child on your lap or
in your arms. Use a child restraint
system in the rear seat. For instruc-
tions concerning the installation of
a child restraint system, see “Child
restraint” on page 93 in this Sec-
tion.
LS13115
Do not put anything or any part of
your body on or in front of the
dashboard or steering wheel pad
that houses the front airbag sys-
tem. They might restrict inflation or
cause death or serious injury as
they are projected rearward by the
force of the deploying airbags. Like-
wise, the driver and front passenger
should not hold objects in their
arms or on their knees.