Toyota Tundra Owners Manual: SRS airbags

■SRS airbag precautions Observe the following precautions regarding the SRS airbags.

Failure to do so may cause death or serious 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 recommended 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 connected 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 passenger are wearing the seat belt even though the seat belt has not been connected. In this case, the SRS front airbags 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.

■SRS airbag precautions

• 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 passenger seat should be as far from the airbag 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.

  Toyota 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 passenger seat.

• Do not sit on the edge of the seat or lean against the dashboard.

• Do not allow a child to stand in front of the SRS front passenger airbag unit or sit on the knees of a front passenger.
• Do not allow the front seat occupants to hold items on their knees.

• Do not lean against the door, the roof side rail or the front, side and rear pillars.

■SRS airbag precautions

• Do not allow anyone to kneel on the passenger seats toward the door or put their head or hands outside the vehicle.

• Do not attach anything to or lean anything against areas such as the dashboard, steering wheel pad and lower portion of the instrument panel.

  These items can become projectiles when the SRS driver, front passenger and knee airbags deploy.

• Do not attach anything to areas such as a door, windshield glass, side door glass, front or rear pillar, roof side rail and assist grip.

• Do not attach any heavy, sharp or hard objects such as keys and accessories to the key. The objects may restrict the SRS knee airbag inflation or be thrust into the driver's seat area by the force of the deploying airbag, thus causing a danger.

• Do not hang coat hangers or other hard objects on the coat hooks. All of these items could become projectiles and may cause death or serious injury, should the SRS curtain shield airbags deploy.

• If a vinyl cover is put on the area where the SRS knee airbag will deploy, be sure to remove it.

■SRS airbag precautions

• Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side airbags inflate as they may interfere with inflation of the airbags. Such accessories may prevent the side airbags from activating correctly, disable the system or cause the side airbags to inflate accidentally, resulting in death or serious injury.
• Do not strike or apply significant levels of force to the area of the SRS airbag components.

  Doing so can cause the SRS airbags to malfunction.

• Do not touch any of the component parts immediately after the SRS airbags have deployed (inflated) as they may be hot.
• If breathing becomes difficult after the SRS airbags have deployed, open a door or window to allow fresh air in, or leave the vehicle if it is safe to do so. Wash off any residue as soon as possible to prevent skin irritation.
• If the areas where the SRS airbags are stored, such as the steering wheel pad and front and rear pillar garnishes, are damaged or cracked, have them replaced by your Toyota dealer.
• 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 SRS front airbags for the front passenger may not deploy in the event of a collision.

■Modification and disposal of SRS airbag system components Do not dispose of your vehicle or perform any of the following modifications without consulting your Toyota dealer. The SRS airbags may malfunction or deploy (inflate) accidentally, causing death or serious injury.

• Installation, removal, disassembly and repair of the SRS airbags
• Repairs, modifications, removal or replacement of the steering wheel, instrument panel, dashboard, seats or seat upholstery, front, side and rear pillars or roof side rails
• Repairs or modifications of the front fender, front bumper, or side of the occupant compartment
• Installation of a grille guard (bull bars, kangaroo bar, etc.), snow plows, winches or roof luggage carrier
• Modifications to the vehicle's suspension system
• Installation of electronic devices such as mobile two-way radios and CD players
• Modifications to your vehicle for a person with a physical disability