Toyota RAV4 Owners Manual: Seat belt pretensioners (front seats)

The pretensioners help the seat belts to quickly restrain the occupants by retracting the seat belts when the vehicle is subjected to certain types of severe frontal or side collision or a vehicle rollover.

The pretensioners do not activate in the event of a minor frontal impact, a minor side impact or a rear impact.

Emergency locking retractor (elr)

The retractor will lock the belt during a sudden stop or on impact. It may also lock if you lean forward too quickly. A slow, easy motion will allow the belt to extend so that you can move around fully.

Automatic locking retractor (alr)

When a passenger’s shoulder belt is completely extended and then retracted even slightly, the belt is locked in that position and cannot be extended. This feature is used to hold the child restraint system (crs) firmly. To free the belt again, fully retract the belt and then pull the belt out once more.

Child seat belt usage

The seat belts of your vehicle were principally designed for persons of adult size.

• Use a child restraint system appropriate for the child, until the child becomes large enough to properly wear the vehicle’s seat belt.
• When the child becomes large enough to properly wear the vehicle’s seat belt, follow the instructions regarding seat belt usage.

Replacing the belt after the pretensioner has been activated

If the vehicle is involved in multiple collisions, the pretensioner will activate for the first collision, but will not activate for the second or subsequent collisions.

Seat belt extender

If your seat belts cannot be fastened securely because they are not long enough, a personalized seat belt extender is available from your toyota dealer free of charge.

Caution

Observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of injury in the event of sudden braking, sudden swerving or an accident.

Failure to do so may cause death or serious injury.

Wearing a seat belt

• Ensure that all passengers wear a seat belt.
• Always wear a seat belt properly.
• Each seat belt should be used by one person only. Do not use a seat belt for more than one person at once, including children.
• Toyota recommends that children be seated in the rear seat and always use a seat belt and/or an appropriate child restraint system.
• To achieve a proper seating position, do not recline the seat more than necessary. The seat belt is most effective when the occupants are sitting up straight and well back in the seats.
• do not wear the shoulder belt under your arm.
• Always wear your seat belt low and snug across your hips.

Pregnant women

Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt in the proper way.

Women who are pregnant should position the lap belt as low as possible over the hips in the same manner as other occupants, extending the shoulder belt completely over the shoulder and avoiding belt contact with the rounding of the abdominal area.

If the seat belt is not worn properly, not only the pregnant woman, but also the fetus could suffer death or serious injury as a result of sudden braking or a collision.

People suffering illness

Obtain medical advice and wear the seat belt in the proper way.

When children are in the vehicle

Do not allow children to play with the seat belt. If the seat belt becomes twisted around a child’s neck, it may lead to choking or other serious injuries that could result in death.

If this occurs and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used to cut the belt.

Seat belt pretensioners

• Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger’s seat.

  Doing so will disperse the passenger’s weight, which prevents the sensor from detecting the passenger’s weight properly. As a result, the seat belt pretensioner for the front passenger’s seat may not activate in the event of a collision.

• If the pretensioner has activated, the srs warning light will come on. In that case, the seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at your toyota dealer.

Adjustable shoulder anchor

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 death or serious injuries in the event of a sudden stop, sudden swerve or accident.

Seat belt damage and wear

• Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate, or buckle to be jammed in the door.
• Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose parts. Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat belts cannot protect an occupant from death or serious injury.
• Ensure that the belt and plate are locked and the belt is not twisted.

  If the seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your toyota dealer.

• Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been involved in a serious accident, even if there is no obvious damage.
• Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of the seat belts. Have any necessary repairs carried out by your toyota dealer.

  Inappropriate handling of the pretensioner may prevent it from operating properly resulting in death or serious injury.

Using a seat belt extender

• Do not wear the seat belt extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the extender.
• Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child restraint system because the belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, increasing the risk of death or serious injury in the event of an accident.
• The personalized extender may not be safe on another vehicle, when used by another person, or at a different seating position other than the one originally intended.

When using the rear center seat belt

Do not use the rear center seat belt with either buckle released. Fastening only one of the buckles may result in death or serious injury in case of sudden braking or a collision.

Notice

When using a seat belt extender

When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release button on the extender, not on the seat belt.

This helps prevent damage to the vehicle interior and the extender itself.