2002 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-18
nUnfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
HB0303
Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
retracted properly to avoid catching the belt web-
bing in the door.
Rear center seatbelt on Wagon
WARNING
Fastening the seatbelt with the webbing twisted can increase the risk or severity ofinjury in an accident. When fastening the belt
after it is pulled out from the retractor, espe-
cially when inserting the connector ’s tongue plate into the mating buckle (on right-handside), always check that the webbing is nottwisted.
HB1030BA
WARNING
Be sure to fasten both tongue plates to the
respective buckles. If the seatbelt is used onlyas a shoulder belt (with the connector
’s
tongue plate not fastened to the connector ’s
buckle on the right-hand side), it cannot prop-erly restrain the wearer in position in an acci- dent, possibly resulting in serious injury or death.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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HG1012BA
HS1017BB
1) Center seatbelt tongue plate
2) Connector (tongue)
3) Connector (buckle)
4) Center seatbelt buckle
HG1023BA
1. Remove the tongue plate from the belt holder lo-
cated under the right rear quarter glass and pull out
the seatbelt slowly.
HG1027BA

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-20
2. After drawing out the seatbelt, pass it through the
belt guide as follows: First insert one edge of the
belt into the open gap in the comfort guide; then
slide the rest of the belt in, so that the whole belt fitsinside.
3. After confirming that the webbing is not twisted,
insert the connector (tongue) attached at the web- bing end into the buckle on the right-hand side until
a click is heard.
HB1033CA
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, then pull it out slowlyagain.4. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate in the cen-ter seatbelt buckle marked
“CENTER” on the left-
hand side until it clicks.
HB1034BA

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5. 1) To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt.
2) Place the lap belt as low as possible on yourhips, not on your waist.
HGS037BC
nUnfastening the seatbelt
HS0317
Push the release button of the center seatbelt buckle (on the left-hand side) to unfasten the seat- belt. NOTE When the seatback is folded down for greater luggage space, it is necessary to disconnect the
connector.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-22
HS1021BA
HS1022BA
1. Insert a key or other hard pointed object into the slot in the connector (buckle) on the right-hand side and push it in, and the connector (tongue) plate willdisconnect from the buckle.
HG1024BA
2. Allow the retractor to roll up the belt. You should
hold the webbing end and guide it back into the re-
tractor while it is rolling up. Insert the tongue plate
into the belt holder.
CAUTION

Do not allow the retractor to roll up the seat-
belt too quickly. Otherwise, the metal tongue plates may hit against the trim, resulting in
damaged trim. Have the seatbelt fully rolled up so that the
tongue plates are neatly stored. A hangingtongue plate can swing and hit against the

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-23
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trim during driving, causing damage to the trim.
HG1025BA
Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap and luke-
warm water. Never bleach or dye the belts because
this could seriously affect their strength. Inspect the seatbelts and attachments including the
webbing and all hardware periodically for cracks,
cuts, gashes, tears, damage, loose bolts or worn
areas. Replace the seatbelts even if only minor dam-age is found.
CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemi-
cals and particularly battery acid. Never attempt to make modifications or
changes that will prevent the seatbelt from op-
erating properly.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-24
Front seatbelt pretensioners The driver’s and front passenger ’s seatbelts have a
seatbelt pretensioner. The seatbelt pretensioners are designed to be activated in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as the frontal
SRS airbag sensor. If the sensor detects a certain
predetermined amount of force during a frontal colli-
sion, the front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by
the retractor to take up the slack so that the belt
more effectively restrains the front seat occupant.
HB0373
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated, an oper-
ating noise will be heard and a small amount of smoke will be released. These occurrences are nor-
mal and not harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been activated,
the seatbelt retractor remains locked. Consequently,
the seatbelt can not be pulled out and retracted. NOTE
Seatbelt pretensioners are not designed to
activate in minor frontal impacts, in side or rear
impacts or in roll-over accidents. The driver ’s seat and passenger ’s seat preten-
sioners and frontal SRS airbag operate simulta-
neously. Pretensioners are designed to function on a
one-time-only basis. In the event that a preten-sioner is activated, both the driver ’s and front
passenger’ s seatbelt retractor assemblies must
be replaced only by an authorized SUBARU
dealer. When replacing seatbelt retractor assem-
blies, use only genuine SUBARU parts. If either front seatbelt does not retract or can-
not be pulled out due to a malfunction or activa-
tion of the pretensioner, contact your SUBARUdealer as soon as possible. If the front seatbelt retractor assembly or sur-
rounding area has been damaged, contact your

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to
explain to the buyer that it has seatbelt preten-sioners by alerting him to the contents of thissection.
WARNING
To obtain maximum protection, the occu-
pants should sit in an upright position with their seatbelts properly fastened. Refer to the
“Seatbelts” section in this chapter.
Do not modify, remove or strike the front
seatbelt retractor assemblies or surrounding
area. This could result in accidental activationof the seatbelt pretensioners or could makethe system inoperative, possibly resulting in
serious injury. Seatbelt pretensioners have no
user-serviceable parts. For required servicingof front seatbelt retractors equipped with seat-
belt pretensioners, see your nearest SUBARU
dealer. When discarding front seatbelt retractor
assemblies or scrapping the entire car due to
collision damage or for other reasons, consult
your SUBARU dealer.
System monitors
HG1016BA
A diagnostic system continually monitors the readi-
ness of the seatbelt pretensioner while the vehicle is
being driven. The seatbelt pretensioners share the
control module with the SRS airbag system. There-
fore, if any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt preten-
sioner, the SRS airbag system warning light will illu-
minate. The SRS airbag system warning light will
show normal system operation by lighting for about
6 seconds when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position.
The following components are monitored by the indi- cator: Front sub sensor (Right hand side)