2004 Toyota Echo Owners Manual - Page 56

03 07.07 Child restraint- -Child restraint precautions NOTICE Do not disconnect the battery cables before contacting your Toyota dealer. Toyota strongly urges the use of appropriate child restraint systems for children. The laws of all 50 states in the U.S.A. and Canada now require the use of a child restraint system. Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819. If a child is too large for a child restraint system, the child should sit in the rear seat and must be restrained using the vehicle's seat belt. See "Seat belts" on page 35 for details. D Toyota strongly urges use of a proper child restraint system which conforms to the size of the child, installed 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 Never install a rear- facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat. In the event of an accident, the force of the rapid inflation of the front passenger airbag can cause death or serious injury to the child if the rear- facing child restraint system is installed on the front passenger seat. CAUTION D For effective protection in automobile accidents and sudden stops, a child 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. D A forward- facing child restraint system should be allowed to be installed on the front passenger seat only when it is unavoidable. Always move the seat as far back as possible, because the front passenger airbag could inflate with considerable speed and force. Otherwise, the child may be killed or seriously injured. 56 2004 ECHO from Aug. '03 Prod. (OM52526U)