The National Highway Traffic Safety - Page 33

33

1-1. For safe use

1

For safety and security

WARNING

■

SRS airbag precautions

Observe the following precautions 

regarding the SRS airbags.

Failure to do so may cause death or seri-

ous injury.

●

The driver and all passengers in the 

vehicle must wear their seat belts 

properly.

The SRS airbags are supplemental 

devices to be used with the seat belts.

●

The SRS driver airbag deploys with 

considerable force, and can cause 

death or serious injury especially if the 

driver is very close to the airbag.

The National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration (NHTSA) advises: Since 
the risk zone for the driver’s airbag is the 
first 2 - 3 in. (50 - 75 mm) of inflation, 
placing yourself 10 in. (250 mm) from 
your driver airbag provides you with a 
clear margin of safety. This distance is 
measured from the center of the steering 
wheel to your breastbone. If you sit less 
than 10 in. (250 mm) away now, you can 
change your driving position in several 
ways:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as 

you can while still reaching the pedals 

comfortably.

• Slightly recline the back of the seat.

Although vehicle designs vary, many 

drivers can achieve the 10 in. (250 

mm) distance, even with the driver seat 

all the way forward, simply by reclining 

the back of the seat somewhat. If 

reclining the back of your seat makes it 

hard to see the road, raise yourself by 

using a firm, non-slippery cushion, or 

raise the seat if your vehicle has that 

feature.

• If your steering wheel is adjustable, tilt 

it downward. This points the airbag 

toward your chest instead of your head 

and neck.

The seat should be adjusted as recom-

mended by NHTSA above, while still 

maintaining control of the foot pedals, 

steering wheel, and your view of the 

instrument panel controls.

●

If the seat belt extender has been con-

nected to the front seat belt buckles 

but the seat belt extender has not also 

been fastened to the latch plate of the 

seat belt, the SRS front airbags will 

judge that the driver and front passen-

ger are wearing the seat belt even 

though the seat belt has not been con-

nected. In this case, the SRS front air-

bags may not activate correctly in a 

collision, resulting in death or serious 

injury in the event of a collision. Be 

sure to wear the seat belt with the seat 

belt extender.

●

The SRS front passenger airbag also 

deploys with considerable force, and 

can cause death or serious injury 

especially if the front passenger is very 

close to the airbag. The front passen-

ger seat should be as far from the air-

bag as possible with the seatback 

adjusted, so the front passenger sits 

upright.

●

Improperly seated and/or restrained 

infants and children can be killed or 

seriously injured by a deploying airbag. 

An infant or child who is too small to 

use a seat belt should be properly 

secured using a child restraint system. 

Lexus strongly recommends that all 

infants and children be placed in the 

rear seats of the vehicle and properly 

restrained. The rear seats are safer for 

infants and children than the front pas-

senger seat. (



P.41)