2001 SUBARU LEGACY warning

1-2
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. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding un-der the seatbelt 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 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. 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, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-7
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CONTINUED –
NOTE While adjusting the seatback, you can not at the same time adjust the seat position or the seat cushion angle and height.
Head restraint adjustment
HB1016BAOM-H2735
To raise the head restraint, p ull it up . To lower i t, p ush the head
restraint d own while p ressing the release b utton on the top of the
seatb ac k.
The b est p osition for the head restraint is just ab ove or level with the
top of the ears. NOTE If the seatback is reclined rearward to the same level as the rear seat cushion with the head restraint removed, a wide flat bed ismade available.
WARNING
Never drive your car with the seats converted in a flat bed
position. If you do so, occupants will have a greater chance of
being injured even during simple deceleration, acceleration andcornering since no firm restraint will be available for them. Before you lie on the flat bed to take a rest, read the descrip-
tion “ Parking your vehicle ” in Chapter 7 carefully and follow the
instructions.

1-10Rear seats
WARNING
Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. 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. Never allow passengers to ride on the folded rear seatback, 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 being thrown around inside the vehicle and causing serious
injury during a sudden stop, a sudden steering or a rapid accel-eration.
HB0302
Sit well back and upright.
Armrest (if equipped)
WARNING
To avoid the possibility of serious injury, passengers must never be allowed to sit on the center armrest while the vehicle is in mo-tion.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-11
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CONTINUED –
HB1068BA
To lower the armrest, p ull on the top ed g e of the a rmrest.
Loading long objects
WARNING
Secure long objects properly to prevent them from shooting
forward and causing serious injury during a sudden stop or
sharp cornering. Tie long objects down with a rope or somethingequivalent. Avoid loading objects longer than 6.6 ft (2 m) and heavier than
55 lb (25 kg). Such objects can interfere with the driver ’s proper
operation of the car, possibly causing an accident and serious
injury.
HB1053BA
HB1052BA

1-12Fold ing d own the armrest and op ening the seatb ac k p
anel afford s a
load ing sp ac e for long ob jec ts.
To op en the seatb ac k p anel, p ull the p anel d own whi le p ressing the
release tab d own.
Folding down the rear seat — Station wagon
WARNING
After returning the rear seat to its original position, be certain
to place all of the seatbelts and the tab attached to the seat cush-ion above the seat cushion. And make certain that the shoulderbelts are fully visible. Never permit anyone to ride in the cargo area.
Folding down the seatback
HB1023BA
HB1022BA
Unloc k the seatb ac k b y p ulling the release knob and then fold the
seatb ac k d own. Folding down the seat cushion and seatback
1. Move the front seat forward .
2. Close the rear p asseng ers ’ c up hold er and ashtray.
3. To remove the head rest (if so eq uip p ed ), p ull the head rest up while
p ressing the release b utton loc ated on the b ac ksid e of the seatb ac k.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-15
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CONTINUED –
HB1028BA
To return the rear seat to its orig inal p osition, r aise the seatb ac k and seat
c ushion until they loc k into p lac e and make sure th at they are sec urely
loc ked .
Make sure that the rear seatb elts are not und er the seat c ushion or seat-
b ac k.
Plac e the head rests (if so eq uip p ed ) b ac k in their normal p osition.
Seatbelts Seatbelt safety tips
WARNING
All persons in the vehicle should fasten their seatbelts BE-
FORE the vehicle starts to move. Otherwise, the possibility of se-
rious injury becomes greater in the event of a sudden stop or ac-cident. All belts should fit snugly in order to provide full restraint.
Loose fitting belts are not as effective in preventing or reducing
injury. Each seatbelt is designed to support only one person. Never
use a single belt for two or more persons — even children. Other-
wise, in an accident, serious injury or death could result. Replace all seatbelt assemblies including retractors and at-
taching hardware worn by occupants of a vehicle that has been in

1-18For instruc tions on how to c onvert the retrac tor to
the ALR mod e and re-
store it to the ELR mod e, see the “Child restraint systems ” sec tion in this
c hap ter. Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehic le is eq uip p ed with a seatb elt warning d e vic e at the d river’s
seat.
This d evic e c auses the seatb elt warning lig ht on th e instrument p anel to
lig ht up for ab out six sec ond s when the ig nition sw itc h is turned to the
“ ON ” p osition to remind the d river to wear the seatb elt . If the d river’s
seatb elt is not fastened , a warning c hime sound s at the same time.
Fastening the seatbelt
WARNING
Never use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In an accident, this
can increase the risk or severity of injury. Never place the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back.
If an accident occurs, this can increase the risk or severity of injury. Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your hips. In a colli-
sion, this spreads the force of the lap belt over stronger hipbones instead of across the weaker abdomen. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding un-der the seatbelt 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 slidingunder the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdomenwill increase, and both can result in serious internal injury ordeath.

1-202. 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
unloc ked , let the b elt retrac t slig htly after g ivin g it a strong p ull, 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.
n Adjusting the front seat shoulder belt anchor height
WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the shoulder portion of the webbing does not pass over your neck. If it does, adjust the
seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder beltover the neck may result in neck injury during sudden braking orin a collision.
HB1029BB
The should er b elt anc hor heig ht should b e ad justed to the p osition
b est suited for you. To lower the anc hor heig ht, p u sh the release b ut-
ton and slid e the anc hor d own. To raise the anc hor heig ht, slid e the
anc hor up . Pull d own on the anc hor to make sure tha t it is loc ked in
p lac e.