2000 SUBARU FORESTER steering

2-8
Rear seats
WARNING
Never drive the vehicle with the head rests removed because
they are designed to reduce the risk of serious neck injury in the
event that the vehicle is struck from the rear. Seat belts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding un-der the seat belt in a collision, the seatbacks should be alwaysused in the upright position while the vehicle is running. If the
seatbacks are not used in the upright position in a collision, therisk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding upover the abdomen will increase, and both can result in serious in-ternal injury or death.
Especially when the occupant of the rear seat is a child, be sureto position the seatback upright. Children are more likely to slideunder the lap belt than adults if the seatback is reclined in a colli-sion. Do not put cushions or any other materials between occupants
and seatbacks or seat cushions. If you do so, the risk of slidingunder the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdomenwill increase, and both can result in serious internal injury ordeath. Never allow passengers to ride on the folded rear seatback or
in the cargo area. Doing so may result in serious injury or death. Never stack luggage or other cargo higher than the top of the
seatback because it could tumble forward and injure passengersin the event of a sudden stop or accident. Secure skis and other lengthy items properly to prevent them
from shooting forward and causing serious injury during a sud-den stop a sudden steering or a rapid acceleration.

2-16
3-point type seatbelt (Combination lap/shoulder belts)
WARNING
Never place the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back. If an accident occurs, this can increase the risk or severity of inju-
ry.
OM-H0044OM-H0043
1. Ad just the seat p osition:
Driver’ s seat: Ad just the seatb ac k to the up rig ht p osition. Move the
seatb ac k as far from the steering wheel as p rac tic a l while still main-
taining full vehic le c ontrol.Front passenger ’s seat: Ad just the seatb ac k to the up rig ht p osition.
Move the seat as far b ac k as p ossib le.
2. Sit well b ac k in the seat.
3. Pic k up the tong ue p late and p ull the b elt out sl owly. Do not let it
g et twisted . If the b elt stop s b efore reac hing the b uc kle, return the
b elt slig htly and p ull it out more slowly. If the b elt still c annot b e un-
loc ked , let the b elt retrac t slig htly after g iving a strong p ull on it, then
p ull it out slowly ag ain.
4. Insert the tong ue p late into the b uc kle until you hear a c lic k.
5. To make the lap p art tig ht, p ull up on the should er b elt. And p lac e
the lap b elt as low as p ossib le on your hip s, not o n your waist.

2-28
Do not place any objects over or near the SRS airbag cover or
between you and the SRS airbag. If the SRS airbag deploys, those objects could interfere with its proper operation and could
be propelled inside the car and cause injury. The SRS airbags deploy with considerable speed and force.
Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag
deploys could suffer very serious injuries. Because the SRS air-bag needs enough space for deployment, the driver should al-ways sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steeringwheel as practical while still maintaining full vehicle control and
the front passenger should move the seat as far back as possibleand sit upright and well back in the seat.
HS0233
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far from the steering wheel as practical.HB0290
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far back as possible.
WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that ALL children (in-cluding those in child seats and those that have outgrown child
restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at alltimes in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-

2-30
HB0307
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger’s
seat
HB0308
Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms.
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dash-
board. If the SRS airbag deploys, those objects could interfere
with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the vehi-
cle and cause injury. Do not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-
wide mirror over the rear view mirror. If the SRS airbag deploys,those objects could become projectiles that could seriously in-jure vehicle occupants.
HS0245
HS0244
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dashboardDo not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror.

Seat, seat belt and SRS airbag2-31
–
CONTINUED –
CAUTION
When the SRS airbag deploys, some smoke will be released.
This smoke could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. If you or your pas-
sengers have breathing problems after SRS airbag deploys, get
fresh air promptly. A deploying SRS airbag releases hot gas. Occupants could get
burnt if they come into direct contact with the hot gas.
The sup p lemental restraint system (SRS) c onsists of two airb ag s (d river’s
and front p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag s).
These SRS airbags are designed only as a supplement to the prima-ry protection provided by the seatbelt.
The d river ’s SRS airb ag is stowed in the c enter p ortion of the steering
wheel. The p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag is stowed near the top of the d ash-
b oard und er an “SRS AIRBAG ” mark.
In a mod erate to severe frontal c ollision, the d riv er’s and front p assen-
g er ’s SRS airb ag s d ep loy and sup p lement the seatb elts b y red uc ing the
imp ac t on the d river ’s and front p asseng er ’s head and c hest.
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to explain to the buyer that
it is equipped with SRS airbags by alerting him to the applicablesection in this owner ’s manual.

2-32
Components
HS2000BB
SRS airbag operation
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system components around the steering wheel and dashboard with bare hands right after deploy-ment. Doing so can cause burns because the components can bevery hot as a result of deployment.

2-38
SRS airbag system servicing
WARNING
When discarding an airbag module or scrapping the entire car
damaged by a collision, consult your SUBARU dealer. The SRS airbag has no user-serviceable parts. Do not use
electrical test equipment on any circuit related to the SRS airbag
system. For required servicing of the SRS airbag, see your near-
est SUBARU dealer. Tampering with or disconnecting the sys-
tem’ s wiring could result in accidental inflation of the SRS airbag
or could make the system inoperative, which may result in seri-
ous injury. The wiring harnesses of the SRS airbag system arecovered with yellow insulation and the system connectors areyellow for easy identification.
CAUTION
If you need service or repair in areas listed below, we recommend
that you have an authorized SUBARU dealer perform the work. The
SRS airbag control module, impact sensors and airbag modules
are stored in these areas.
Under the center console
Inside each front fender
Steering wheel and column and nearby areas
Instrument panel and nearby areas
In the event that the SRS airbag is deployed, replacement of the sys-
tem should be performed only by an authorized SUBARU dealer.When the components of the SRS airbag system are replaced, useonly genuine SUBARU parts.
To ensure their long -term reliab ility, the SRS airb ag s must b e insp ec ted
b y a SUBARU d ealer ten years after the d ate of manu fac ture, whic h is
shown on the c ertific ation lab el attac hed to the d r iver’s d oor.

Seat, seat belt and SRS airbag2-39
–
CONTINUED –
NOTE In the following cases, contact your SUBARU dealer as soon as pos- sible.
The front part of the vehicle was involved in an accident in
which the SRS airbags did not deploy. The pad section of the steering wheel or front passenger ’s air-
bag cover is scratched, cracked, or otherwise damaged.
Precautions against vehicle modification
WARNING
To avoid accidental activation of the system or rendering the
system inoperative, which may result in serious injury, no modifi-cations should be made to any components or wiring of the SRSairbag system.This includes following modifications: Installation of custom steering wheel
Attachment of additional trim materials to the dashboard
Installation of additional electrical/electronic equipment such
as a mobile two-way radio on or near the SRS airbag system
components and/or wiring is not advisable. This could interferewith proper operation of the SRS airbag system.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following modifications. Such modifi-cations can interfere with proper operation of the SRS airbag sys-tem.
Attachment of any equipment (brush bar, winches, snow
plow, skid plate, etc.) other than SUBARU genuine accessoryparts to the front end Modification of the suspension system or front end structure
Installation of a tire of different size and construction from
the original tires listed on the tire placard attached to the doorjamb