2002 SUBARU FORESTER wheel

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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.
Carefully read the sections “Seat, seatbelts and SRS airbag ” in chapter 1
of this owner ’s manual for instructions and precautions concerning the
seatbelt system and SRS airbag system. CHILD SAFETY
WARNING
Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms while the ve-
hicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from in- jury in a collision, because the child will be caught between the
passenger and objects inside the vehicle. While riding in the vehicle, infants and small children should
always be placed in the REAR seat in an infant or child restraint
system which is appropriate for the child ’s age, height and
weight. If a child is too big for a child restraint system, the childshould sit in the REAR seat and be restrained using the seatbelts.According to accident statistics, children are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seatingpositions. Never allow a child to stand up or kneel on the seat. Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR seat properly re-
strained at all times in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt. TheSRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force and caninjure or even kill children, especially if they are 12 years of ageand under and are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than adults, their risk being
injured from deployment is greater. NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFETY SEAT
IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR
DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO

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Never run the engine in a closed space, such as a garage, ex-
cept for the brief time needed to drive the vehicle in or out of it. Avoid remaining in a parked vehicle for a lengthy time while
the engine is running. If that is unavoidable, then use the ventila-tion fan to force fresh air into the vehicle. Always keep the front ventilator inlet grille free from snow,
leaves or other obstructions to ensure that the ventilation system
always works properly. If at any time you suspect that exhaust fumes are entering the
vehicle, have the problem checked and corrected as soon as pos-
sible. If you must drive under these conditions, drive only with allwindows fully open. Keep the trunk lid or rear gate closed while driving to prevent
exhaust gas from entering the vehicle.
DRINKING AND DRIVING WARNING
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Alcohol in the
bloodstream delays your reaction and impairs your perception,judgment and attentiveness. If you drive after drinking – even if
you drink just a little – it will increase the risk of being involved in
a serious or fatal accident, injuring or killing yourself, your pas-sengers and others. In addition, if you are injured in the accident,
alcohol may increase the severity of that injury. Please don ’t drink and drive.
Drunken driving is one of the most frequent causes of accidents. Since
alcohol affects all people differently, you may have consumed too much
alcohol to drive safely even if the level of alcohol in your blood is belowthe legal limit. The safest thing you can do is never drink and drive. How-ever if you have no choice but to drive, stop drinking and sober up com-
pletely before getting behind the wheel.

x
TIRE PRESSURESWARNING
Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire pressures can
cause the tires to deform severely and to rapidly become hot. Asharp increase in temperature could cause tread separation, and
destruction of the tires. The resulting loss of vehicle controlcould lead to an accident.
Check and, if necessary, adjust the pressure of each tire (including the
spare) at least once a month and before any long journey.
Check the tire pressure when the tires are cold.
Use a pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to the values shown on
the tire placard.Refer to the “Tires and wheels ” section in chapter 11 for detailed
information.
CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING
WARNING
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to the State ofCalifornia to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductiveharm.

1-2
Front seatsWARNING
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 airbags1-3
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CONTINUED –
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater. For
that reason, we strongly recommend that ALL children (including
those in child seats and those that have outgrown child restraint
devices) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at all times in a
child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate 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 seating
positions. For instructions and precautions concerning child re-
straint systems, see the “Child restraint systems ” section in this
chapter.
HB0290
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.

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Front seatbelts
OM-H0044OM-H0043
1. Adjust the seat position:
Driver’ s seat: Adjust the seatback to the upright position. Move the
seatback as far from the steering wheel as practical while still main-
taining full vehicle control.Front passenger ’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the upright position.
Move the seat as far back as possible.
2. Sit well back in the seat.
3. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the belt out slowly. Do not let it
get twisted. If the belt stops before reaching the buckle, return the
belt slightly and pull it out more slowly. If the belt still cannot be
unlocked, let the belt retract slightly after giving it a strong pull, thenpull it out slowly again.
4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until you hear a click.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt. And placethe lap belt as low as possible on your hips, not on 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.

1-44
Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury or death 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-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

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SRS frontal airbag
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFETY 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. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front pas-
senger’ s seat, or never hold a child on your lap or in your arms.
The SRS airbag deploys with considerable force and can injure oreven kill the child. The SRS airbag deploys 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. 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 toward the front of the carduring pre-accident braking.
HB0306 HB0307
Never install rearward facing child restraint system in the front passen-
ger’
s seat.
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger ’s
seat