1998 Toyota Tacoma Owners Manual - Page 38

'98 Tacoma (U) Child restraint- -Child restraint precautions CAUTION Toyota strongly urges the use of child restraint systems for children small enough to use them. The laws of all fifty states in the U.S.A. and Canada now require the use of a child restraint system. Your vehicle conforms to SAEJ1819. If a child is too large for a child restraint system, the child should sit in the seat and must be restrained using the vehicle's seat belt. See "Seat belts" for details. D NORMAL- CAB MODELS- Toyota strongly urges use of a proper child restraint system which conforms to the size of the child. XTRA- CAB MODELS- Toyota strongly urges use of a proper child restraint system which conforms to the size of the child and is put on the rear seat. According to accident statistics, the child is safer when properly restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat. D Make sure that the indicator light is off. D Do not turn off the passenger airbag system except when you use a rear- facing child restraint system in the front seat unavoidably. D When the passenger airbag switch is turned off, the passenger airbag will not inflate in a collision. CAUTION D Never put a rear- facing child restraint system on the front seat with the passenger airbag switch in the "ON" position. In the event of an accident, the force of the rapid inflation of the passenger airbag can cause death or serious injury to the child. If you must put a rear- facing child restraint system on the front seat, make sure the passenger airbag switch is in the "OFF" position and that the indicator light is on. D For effective protection in automobile accidents and sudden stops, children must be properly restrained using a seat belt or child restraint system depending on the age and size of the child. Holding a child in your arms is not a substitute for a child restraint system. In an accident, the child can be crushed against the windshield, or between you and the vehicle's interior. 38