2001 SUBARU FORESTER airbag

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-19
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HB1031BA
HB1030BA
HS1017BB
HS1025BB
HB1032BA
1. Pull out the seatb elt slowly from the overhead re
trac tor, then p ass
the seatb elt throug h the seatb elt c omfort g uid e loc ated b esid e the
1. Center seatb elt tong ue
p late
2. Connec tor (tong ue)
3. Connec tor (b uc kle)
4. Center seatb elt b uc kle

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-21
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HS1019BA
nUnfastening the seatbelt
HS0317
Push
Push the release b utton of the c enter seatb elt b uc k le (on the left-hand
sid e) to unfasten the seatb elt. NOTE When the seatback is folded down for greater luggage space, it is
necessary to disconnect the connector.
CAUTION
Do not allow the retractor to roll up the seatbelt too quickly.
Otherwise, the metal tongue plates may hit against the trim,resulting in damaged trim.

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Seatbelt maintenance
CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid. Never attempt to make modifications or changes that will pre-
vent the seatbelt from operating properly.
To c lean the seatb elts, use a mild soap and lukewar m water. Never
b leac h or d ye the b elts b ec ause this c ould seriousl y affec t their streng th.
Insp ec t the seatb elts and attac hments inc lud ing the web b ing and all
hard ware p eriod ic ally for c rac ks, c uts, g ashes, tea rs, d amag e, loose
b olts or worn areas. Rep lac e the seatb elts even if only minor d amag e is
found .
Child restraint systems
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a collision, because the child will be caught between the
passenger and objects inside the vehicle. Additionally, holding achild in your lap or arms in the front seat exposes that child to
another serious danger. Since the SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force, the child could be injured or evenkilled. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerablespeed 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, be sure to secure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing child seats) in the REAR seats

1-24at all times. You should choose a restraint device which is appropriate for the child
’s age, height and weight.
According to accident statistics, children are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seatingpositions. SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER ’S
SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD
SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SE-
RIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’ S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
Children should be properly restrained in the rear seat at all
times. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front
passenger’ s seat. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill the child.
HS1031BB
HS0229
HS0228
HS0042
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger ’s seat
or any other seat.
Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms in the front passenger ’s
seat or any other seat.
Never install rearward facing child seat in the front passenger ’s seat.

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WARNING
Child restraint systems and seatbelts can become hot in a ve-
hicle that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check the child restraint system before you place achild in it. Do not leave an unsecured child restraint system in your vehi-
cle. Unsecured child restraint systems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden stop, turn or accident; it can strikeand injure vehicle occupants as well as result in serious injuriesor death to the child.
Infants and small c hild ren should always b e p lac ed in an infant or c hild
restraint system in the rear seat while rid ing in t he vehic le. You should use
an infant or c hild restraint system that meets Fed e ral Motor Vehic le Safety
Stand ard s or Canad a Motor Vehic le Safety Stand ard s, is c omp atib le with
your vehic le and is ap p rop riate for the c hild ’s ag e and size. All c hild re-
straint systems are d esig ned to b e sec ured in vehic le seats b y lap b elts or
the lap p ortion of a lap /should er b elt.
Child ren c ould b e end ang ered in an ac c id ent if thei r c hild restraints are
not p rop erly sec ured in the vehic le. When installin g the c hild restraint
system, c arefully follow the manufac turer ’s instruc tions.
Ac c ord ing to ac c id ent statistic s, c hild ren are safe r when p rop erly re-
strained in the rear seating p ositions than in the front seating p ositions.
These statistic s also ind ic ate that the safest p osi tion for a c hild restraint
system is the c enter of the rear seat.
All U.S. states and Canad ian p rovinc es req uire that infants and small
c hild ren b e restrained in an ap p roved c hild restrai nt system at all times
while the vehic le is moving .
Installing child restraint systems
NOTE When the child restraint system is no longer in use, remove it and
restore the ELR function of the retractor. That function is restored
by allowing the seatbelt to retract fully.

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HS0045
Top strap anchors Anchorage location
HS1030BB
Three anc hor b rac kets, i.e., ones for the rig ht, c e nter and left p osi-
tions, are alread y installed on the rear ed g e of th e roof.
To hook the top strap CAUTION
Always remove the head rest when mounting a child restraint
system with a top strap.Otherwise, it may happen that the top strap cannot be fastened
tightly.

1-28
HS1029BA
HSS001BA
1. Remove the head rest at the seat p osition where t he c hild restraint
has b een installed with the seatb elt: lift up the h ead rest while p ress-
ing the release b utton. Store the head rest in the c arg o area. Avoid
p lac ing the head rest in the p asseng er c omp artment to p revent it from
b eing thrown around in the p asseng er c omp artment in a sud d en stop
or a sharp turn.
2. Fasten the top strap hook of the c hild restraint to the ap p rop riate
anc hor b rac ket.
3. Tig hten the top strap sec urely.
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stand s for sup p lemental restraint system . This name is used
b ec ause the airb ag system sup p lements the vehic le ’s seatb elts.
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS air-
bags and lap/shoulder restraints
WARNING
To obtain maximum protection in the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the vehicle should always wear seat- belts when the vehicle is moving. The SRS airbag is designed
only as a supplement to the primary protection provided by the

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seatbelt. It does not do away with the need to fasten seatbelts. In
combination with the seatbelts, it offers the best combinedprotection in case of a serious accident.Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury ordeath in a crash even when the car has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions concerning the seatbelt system,see the
“Seatbelts” sections in this chapter.
Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the SRS airbag. Be-
cause the SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed – faster
than the blink of an eye – and force to protect in high speed colli-
sions, the force of an airbag can injure an occupant whose bodyis too close to SRS airbag. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuriesthat can result when the SRS airbag contacts an occupant not inproper position such as one thrown forward during pre-accidentbraking.Even when properly positioned, there remains a possibility thatan occupant may suffer minor injury such as abrasions andbruises to the face or arms because of the SRS airbag deploy-ment force. 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. 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. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerablespeed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-