Lexus ES: Seat belts

Make sure that all occupants are wearing their seat belts before driving the vehicle.

WARNING

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.
• Lexus 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.

■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.

WARNING

• 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 Lexus 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 Lexus dealer. Inappropriate handling may lead to incorrect operation.

Correct use of the seat belts

• Extend the shoulder belt so that it comes fully over the shoulder, but does not come into contact with the neck or slide off the shoulder.
• Position the lap belt as low as possible over the hips.
• Adjust the position of the seatback.

  Sit up straight and well back in the seat.

• Do not twist the seat belt.

■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.

■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 Lexus dealer free of charge.

WARNING

■Using a seat belt extender 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.

• 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.

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.

Fastening and releasing the seat belt

1. To fasten the seat belt, push the plate into the buckle until a click sound is heard.
2. To release the seat belt, press the release button A.

■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 a child restraint system (CRS) firmly. To free the belt again, fully retract the belt and then pull the belt out once more.

Adjusting the seat belt shoulder anchor height (front seats)

1. Push the seat belt shoulder anchor down while pressing the release button A.
2. Push the seat belt shoulder anchor up.

Move the height adjuster up and down as needed until you hear a click.

WARNING

■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 pretensioners (front and outboard rear 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.

■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.

WARNING

■Seat belt pretensioners 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.

• 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 Lexus dealer.

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