2006 Toyota Highlander Owners Manual - Page 79

'06 HIGHLANDER_U (L/O 0508) 8. Front passenger's switch seat belt buckle 9. Airbag sensor assembly Hitting a curb, edge of pavement or hard surface Falling into or jumping over a deep hole The SRS side airbag and curtain shield airbag system is controlled by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing sensor and airbag sensor. In a severe side impact, the side and curtain shield airbag sensor and/or the curtain shield airbag sensor trigger(s) the side airbag inflators and/or the curtain shield airbag inflators. At this time a chemical reaction in the inflators quickly fills the airbags with non−toxic gas to help restrain the lateral motion of the occupants. When the airbags inflate, they produce a fairly loud noise and release some smoke and residue along with non−toxic gas. This does not indicate a fire. This smoke may remain inside the vehicle for some time, and may cause some minor irritation to the eyes, skin or breathing. Be sure to wash off any residue as soon as possible to prevent any potential skin irritation with soap and water. If you can safely exit from the vehicle, you should do so immediately. Landing hard or vehicle falling The SRS side and curtain shield airbags may deploy if a serious impact occurs to the underside of your vehicle. Some examples are shown in the illustration. The SRS side airbag and curtain shield airbag system consists mainly of the following components, and their locations are shown in the illustration. 1. SRS warning light 2. "AIRBAG ON" and "AIRBAG OFF" indicator lights 3. Curtain shield airbag modules (airbag and inflator) 4. Front passenger occupant classification system (ECU and sensors) 5. Side airbag modules (airbag and inflator) 6. Curtain shield airbag sensors 7. Side and curtain shield airbag sensors 79