2000 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

1-30the roof rail. When installing the roof c ross b ar k
it on the roof rail, follow
the manufac turer ’s instruc tions. When you c arry c arg o on the roof us ing
the roof c ross b ar kit, never exc eed maximum load l imit exp lained b elow.
You should also b e c areful that your vehic le d oes n ot exc eed the Gross
Vehic le Weig ht Rating (GVWR) and front and rear Gro ss Axle Weig ht Rat-
ing (GAWR). See the “Load ing your vehic le ” sec tion in c hap ter 7 for in-
formation on load ing c arg o into or onto your vehic l e.
When luggage is put on the slats (Vehicles with roof slats only)
When p utting any lug g ag e on the slats, make sure th e total weig ht of the
lug g ag e on the slats of the roof c ross b ar kit d oes not exc eed 100 lb. (45
kg) . Overload ing may c ause d amag e to the roof and c rea te a safety haz-
ard . Plac e the heaviest load at the b ottom, nearest the roof, and evenly
d istrib ute the lug g ag e. Always sec ure the lug g ag e w ith strap s, rop es or
nets. Installing carrying attachments on the cross bars
When installing any c arrying attac hment suc h as a b ike c arrier, ski c arri-
er, kayak c arrier, etc . on the c ross b ars, follow t he manufac turer’s instruc -
tions and make sure that the attac hment is sec urely fixed to the c ross
b ars. Use only attac hments d esig ned sp ec ific ally fo r the c rossb ars. A
set of the c ross b ars is d esig ned to c arry load s (c arg o and attac hment)
of not more than 150 lb. (68 kg). Before op erating the vehic le, make sure
that the c arg o is p rop erly sec ured on the attac hmen t.
NOTE Remember that the vehicle ’s center of gravity is altered with the
weight of the load on the roof, thus affecting driving characteristics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard cornering and abrupt stops.Crosswind effects will be increased.

Doors and locks1-31
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CONTINUED –

Removal and installation of the crossbars
CAUTION
Do not carry cargo on the roof when the crossbars are removed. Luggage on the roof will be thrown forward or backward in sud-den stops or rapid accelerations, resulting in a dangerous roadhazard.
The c rossb ars c an b e removed when you d o not use th e roof to c arry
c arg o.
To remove the crossbar
1. Loosen without removing the T-30 torx head sc rew from eac h
c rossb ar end sup p ort and c lamp .
2. Move the end sup p ort and inner c lamp to unhook un d er the b ot-
tom of the roof rail on b oth sid es.
3. Carefully raise the c rossb ar from roof rails. NOTE It may be necessary to move the Front crossbar rearward, near the center of the roof rail for easier removal. Use care not tocross-thread the screw in the insert if it has been removed. To install the crossbar
Front crossbar:
Front c rossb ar has the Load Lab el on left-hand sid e .
HS1006BB

1-321. Before p lac ing the c rossb ar on the roof rails, ma
ke sure that the
T-30 torx head sc rew is fully loosened from eac h end sup p ort .
2. Slid e the inner c lamp on the end sup p ort outward as far as p os-
sib le.
3. With the front d irec tion arrow lab el on the top r ig ht sid e of the
c rossb ar p ointing toward the front of the vehic le, c arefully p lac e the
c rossb ar ac ross the top of the vehic le so that the c rossb ar end sup -
p orts rest on the top of the roof rails ap p roximate ly 6 inc hes (150 mm)
rearward in the front rad ius of the roof rail.
4. Move the end sup p ort and inner c lamp to hook und e r the b ottom
of the roof rail on b oth sid es and loosely assemb le the T-30 torx
head sc rew with the tool p rovid ed into the thread ed insert in the inner
c lamp on eac h end of the c rossb ar. NOTE It may be necessary to start the inner clamp and end support at the center of the roof rail for easier installation, then move the
crossbar forward. Use care not to cross-thread the screw in theinsert if it has been removed.
5. Ad just the alig nment of the c rossb ar on the roof rails and tig hten to
30 to 35 inc h lb s. (3.4 to 4.0 N-m, 0.35 to 0.41 kg -m) with the torx
tool p rovid ed . If availab le, you may use a T-30 tor x b it and torq ue
wrenc h to tig hten the c rossb ar torx head sc rew.
Rear crossbar:
HS1007BB

Doors and locks1-33
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CONTINUED –
Install the rear c rossb ar in the same manner as the
front c rossb ar.
NOTE The rear crossbar should be positioned 6 inches (150 mm) for- ward of the rear radius in the roof rail.
NOTE
Before each use of the roof crossbar, make sure the four T-30 cross- bar clamp screws have been checked, and re-tightened, if neces-
sary, to 35 in. lbs. (4.0 N-m, 0.41 kg-m), as outlined in Step #5 above.

2
Seat, seat belt and SRS airbag Front seats2-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat heater (if equipped) 2-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear seats 2-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelts 2-12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt safety tips 2-12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) function
(except 2-point type seatbelt) 2-13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) function (except driver ’s and 2-point type seatbelt) 2-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 2-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fastening the seatbelt 2-14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjusting the shoulder belt anchor height 2-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unfastening the seatbelt 2-18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt maintenance 2-20
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Child restraint systems 2-20
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Top strap anchors 2-25
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) 2-27 . . . . . . . .
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS airbags
and lap/shoulder restraint 2-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag operation 2-32
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system monitors 2-37
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system servicing 2-38
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precautions against vehicle modification 2-39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-2
Front seats
WARNING
Never adjust the seat while driving to avoid the possibility of
loss of vehicle control and of personal injury. Never drive the vehicle with the head restraints removed be-
cause they are designed to reduce the risk of serious neck injury
in the event that the vehicle is struck from the rear. Before adjusting the seat, make sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers are clear of the adjusting mechanism. 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 front seatbacks should be al-ways used in the upright position while the vehicle is running. Ifthe front seatbacks are not used in the upright position in a colli-
sion, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt slid-ing up over the abdomen will increase, and both can result in se-rious internal injury or death. Do not put cushions or any other materials between occupants
and seatbacks or seat cushions. If you do so, the risk of sliding
under the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdomen
will increase, and both can result in serious internal injury or death. 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 airbag needs enough space for deployment, thedriver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as farfrom the steering wheel as practical while still maintaining full ve-hicle control and the front passenger should move the seat as farback as possible and sit upright and well back in the seat. 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 if
they are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-
properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than

Seat, seat belt and SRS airbag2-3
–
CONTINUED –
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that ALL children (includ-
ing those in child seats and those that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device or in a seat belt, whichever is ap-
propriate for the child
’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (including forward fac-
ing child seat) in the REAR seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE
SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seatingpositions.
For instructions and precautions concerning child restraint sys-
tems, see the “Child restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
HS0234
HS0233
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far from the steering wheel as practical. Adjust the seatback toupright position. Sit well back and upright.Move the seat as far back as possible.

2-4
HS0247
HS0227
Put children in the rearseat properly restrained at all times. Do not recline the seatback whilevehicle is moving.

Fore and aft adjustment
HS0029
HS0028
Pull the lever up ward and slid e the seat to the d es ired p osition. Then
release the lever and move the seat b ac k and forth to make sure that
it is sec urely loc ked into p lac e. Reclining the seatback
Pull the rec lining lever up and ad just the seatb ac k to the d esired p osi-
tion. Then release the lever and make sure the seat b ac k is sec urely
loc ked into p lac e.