Toyota Corolla: For safe use / SRS airbags
The SRS airbags inflate when the vehicle is subjected to certain types of severe
impacts that may cause significant injury to the occupants. They work together with
the seat belts to help reduce the risk of death or serious injury.
SRS airbag system
■ Location of the SRS airbags
SRS front airbags
A - SRS driver airbag/front passenger airbag<> Can help protect the head and
chest of the driver and front passenger from impact with interior components
B - SRS knee airbag<> Can help provide driver protection
C - SRS seat cushion airbag<> Can help restrain the front passenger
SRS side and curtain shield airbags
D - SRS front side airbags<> Can help protect the torso of the front seat occupants
E - SRS rear side airbags<> Can help protect the torso of occupants in the rear
outer seats
F - SRS curtain shield airbags
- Can help protect primarily the head of occupants in the outer seats
- Can help prevent the occupants from being thrown from the vehicle in the
event of vehicle rollover
■ SRS airbag system components
A - Seat cushion airbag<> B - Front passenger occupant classification system
(ECU and sensors)<> C - “AIR BAG ON” and “AIR BAG OFF” indicator lights<> D - Front
passenger airbag<> E - Curtain shield airbags<> F - Side impact sensors (front doors)<>
G - Front side airbags<> H - Seat belt pretensioners and force limiters<> I - Rear
side airbags<> J - Side impact sensors (rear)<> K - Side impact sensors (front)<>
L - Driver airbag<> M - Driver’s seat belt buckle switch<> N - Driver’s seat position
sensor<> O -Driver’s knee airbag<> P -SRS warning light Q - Front impact sensors
R - Airbag sensor assembly
Your vehicle is equipped with ADVANCED AIRBAGS designed based on the US motor
vehicle safety standards (FMVSS208). The airbag sensor assembly (ECU) controls airbag
deployment based on information obtained from the sensors etc. shown in the system
components diagram above. This information includes crash severity and occupant
information. As the airbags deploy, a chemical reaction in the inflators quickly
fills the airbags with non-toxic gas to help restrain the motion of the occupants.
■If the SRS airbags deploy (inflate)
- Slight abrasions, burns, bruising etc., may be sustained from SRS airbags,
due to the extremely high speed deployment (inflation) by hot gases.
- A loud noise and white powder will be emitted.
- Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, airbag cover and inflator)
as well as the front seats, parts of the front and rear pillars, and roof side
rails, may be hot for several minutes. The airbag itself may also be hot.
- The windshield may crack.
- The brakes and stop lights will be controlled automatically. (®P.272)
- The interior lights will turn on automatically. (®P.429)
- The emergency flashers will turn on automatically. (®P.502)
- Fuel supply to the engine will be stopped. (®P.510)
- For Safety Connect subscribers, if any of the following situations occur,
the system is designed to send an emergency call to the response center, notifying
them of the vehicle’s location (without needing to push the “SOS” button) and
an agent will attempt to speak with the occupants to ascertain the level of
emergency and assistance required. If the occupants are unable to communicate,
the agent automatically treats the call as an emergency and helps to dispatch
the necessary emergency services. (®P.73)
- An SRS airbag is deployed.
- A seat belt pretensioner is activated.
- The vehicle is involved in a severe rear-end collision.
■SRS airbag deployment conditions (SRS front airbags)
- The SRS front airbags will deploy in the event of an impact that exceeds
the set threshold level (the level of force corresponding to an approximately
12 - 18 mph [20 - 30 km/h] frontal collision with a fixed wall that does not
move or deform).<> However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher
in the following situations:
- If the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign
pole, which can move or deform on impact
- If the vehicle is involved in an underride collision, such as a collision
in which the front of the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under, the bed of
a truck
- Depending on the type of collision, it is possible that only the seat belt
pretensioners will activate.
- The SRS front airbags for the front passenger will not activate if there
is no passenger sitting in the front passenger seat. However, the SRS front
airbags for the front passenger may deploy if luggage is put in the seat, even
if the seat is unoccupied.
- The SRS seat cushion airbag on the front passenger seat will not operate
if the occupant is not wearing a seat belt.
■SRS airbag deployment conditions (SRS side and curtain shield airbags)
- The SRS side and curtain shield airbags will deploy in the event of an
impact that exceeds the set threshold level (the level of force corresponding
to the impact force produced by an approximately 3300 lb. [1500 kg] vehicle
colliding with the vehicle cabin from a direction perpendicular to the vehicle
orientation at an approximate speed of 12 - 18 mph [20 - 30 km/h]).
- Both SRS curtain shield airbags may deploy in the event of a severe side
collision.
- Both SRS curtain shield airbags will deploy in the event of vehicle rollover.
- Both SRS curtain shield airbags may also deploy in the event of a severe
frontal collision.
■Conditions under which the SRS airbags may deploy (inflate), other than a collision
The SRS front airbags and SRS side and curtain shield airbags may also deploy if
a serious impact occurs to the underside of your vehicle. Some examples are shown
in the illustration.
- Hitting a curb, edge of pavement or hard surface
- Falling into or jumping over a deep hole
- Landing hard or falling
The SRS curtain shield airbags may also deploy under the situations shown in
the illustration.
- The angle of vehicle tip-up is marginal.
- The vehicle skids and hits a curb stone.
■Types of collisions that may not deploy the SRS airbags (SRS front airbags)
The SRS front airbags do not generally inflate if the vehicle is involved in
a side or rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a low-speed
frontal collision. But, whenever a collision of any type causes sufficient forward
deceleration of the vehicle, deployment of the SRS front airbags may occur.
- Collision from the side
- Collision from the rear
- Vehicle rollover
■Types of collisions that may not deploy the SRS airbags (SRS side and curtain
shield airbags) The SRS side and curtain shield airbags may not activate if the
vehicle is subjected to a collision from the side at certain angles, or a collision
to the side of the vehicle body other than the passenger compartment.
- Collision from the side to the vehicle body other than the passenger compartment
- Collision from the side at an angle
The SRS side airbags do not generally inflate if the vehicle is involved in a
frontal or rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a low-speed
side collision.
- Collision from the front
- Collision from the rear
- Vehicle rollover
The SRS curtain shield airbags do not generally inflate if the vehicle is involved
in a rear collision, if it pitches end over end, or if it is involved in a low-speed
side or low-speed frontal collision.
- Collision from the rear
- Pitching end over end
■When to contact your Toyota dealer
In the following cases, the vehicle will require inspection and/or repair. Contact
your Toyota dealer as soon as possible.
- Any of the SRS airbags have been inflated.
- The front of the vehicle is damaged or deformed, or was involved in an
accident that was not severe enough to cause the SRS front airbags to inflate.
- A portion of a door or its surrounding area is damaged, deformed or has
had a hole made in it, or the vehicle was involved in an accident that was not
severe enough to cause the SRS side and curtain shield airbags to inflate.
- The pad section of the steering wheel, dashboard near the front passenger
airbag or lower portion of the instrument panel is scratched, cracked, or otherwise
damaged.
- The seat cushion surface is scratched, cracked, or otherwise damaged.
- The surface of the seats with the SRS side airbag is scratched, cracked,
or otherwise damaged.
- The portion of the front pillars, rear pillars or roof side rail garnishes
(padding) containing the SRS curtain shield airbags inside is scratched, cracked,
or otherwise damaged.
WARNING
■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 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.
- 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. (®P.48)
- 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.
- 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, side windows,
front or rear pillar, roof side rail and assist grip. (Except for the speed
limit label ®P.525)
- Vehicles without a smart key system: 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 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 driver’s knee airbag
will deploy, be sure to remove it.
- Do not use seat accessories which cover the parts where the SRS side
airbags and SRS seat cushion airbag inflate as they may interfere with inflation
of the SRS airbags. Such accessories may prevent the side airbags and seat cushion
airbag from activating correctly, disable the system or cause the side airbags
and seat cushion airbag 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 or the front doors. 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.
WARNING
■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, roof side rails, front door panels, front door trims or front door
speakers
- Modifications to the front door panel (such as making a hole in it)
- 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
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...
Your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classification system.
This system detects the conditions of the front passenger seat and activates or
deactivates the front passenger airbag and seat cushion airbag in the front passenger
side...
Other information:
1 Press the cruise control main switch to activate the cruise control.
Dynamic radar cruise control indicator will come on and a message will be displayed
on the multi-information display. Press the switch again to deactivate the cruise
control.
If the cruise control main switch is pressed and held for 1...
1 OFF (“LOCK” position)
The steering wheel is locked and the key can be removed. (vehicles with a continuously
variable transmission: The key can be removed only when the shift lever is in P.)
2 ACC (“ACC” position)
Some electrical components such as the audio system can be used...