2002 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX light

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-2
Front seats
WARNING
Never adjust the seat while driving to avoid
the possibility of loss of vehicle control and of
personal injury. Before adjusting the seat, make sure the
hands and feet of rear seat passengers areclear 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 under the
seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacksshould be always used in the upright position
while the vehicle is running. If the front seat-
backs are not used in the upright position in a
collision, the risk of sliding under the lap belt
and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdo-men will increase, and both can result in seri-ous internal injury or death.
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WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat
properly restrained 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 improperly restrained. Because
children are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from deployment is
greater. For that reason, we strongly recom-
mend 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

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Reclining the seatback
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Pull the reclining lever up and adjust the seatback to
the desired position. Then release the lever and
make sure the seatback is securely locked into place.
The seatback placed in a reclined position can
spring back upward with force when released.
When operating the reclining lever to return the seat-back, hold it lightly so that it may be raised back
gradually.
WARNING
To prevent the passenger from sliding under the seatbelt in the event of a collision, alwaysput the seatback in the upright position whilethe vehicle is in motion. Also, do not place
objects such as cushions between the pas- senger and the seatback. If you do so, the riskof sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen will increase,and both can result in serious internal injuryor death.
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1-6
Seat heater (if equipped)
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The seat heater operates when the ignition switch is
either in the “ACC” or “ON” position.
To turn on the seat heater, push the “LO” or “HI”
position on the switch, as desired, depending on the
temperature.
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1) HI – Rapid heating
2) LO – Normal heating
The indicator located on the switch comes on when the seat heater is in operation. When the vehicle ’s in-
terior is warmed enough or before you leave the ve-
hicle, be sure to turn the switch off.
CAUTION
There is a possibility that people with deli-
cate skin may suffer slight burns even at low
temperatures if he/she uses the seat heaterfor a long period of time. When using the
heater, always be sure to warn the personsconcerned.

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– CONTINUED –
Seatbelts Seatbelt safety tips
WARNING
All persons in the vehicle should fasten
their seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to
move. Otherwise, the possibility of serious in- jury becomes greater in the event of a sudden stop or accident. All belts should fit snugly in order to pro-
vide 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 ormore persons — even children. Otherwise, in
an accident, serious injury or death could re-sult. Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by oc- cupants of a vehicle that has been in a serious
accident. The entire assembly should be re-
placed even if damage is not obvious. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRSairbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, es- pecially if they are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or improperly re-strained. 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 (in- cluding those in child seats and those that
have outgrown child restraint devices) sit inthe REAR seat properly restrained at all times
in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt,whichever is appropriate for the child
’s height
and weight. Secure ALL types of child restraint devices
(including forward facing child seats) 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 rearseating positions than in the front seating
positions. For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint system, see the “ Child restraint systems ” section in this chap-
ter.

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1-12
Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is suitable for your
vehicle. See information on “Child restraint systems ”
in this chapter.
Children
If a child is too big for a child restraint system, the
child should sit in the rear seat and be restrained
using the seatbelts. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating posi-tions. Never allow a child to stand up or kneel on theseat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses the face or neck, move the child closer to the belt buckle to
help provide a good shoulder belt fit. Care must be
taken to securely place the lap belt as low as pos-sible on the hips and not on the child ’s waist. If the
shoulder portion of the belt cannot be properly posi-
tioned, a child restraint system should be used. Never place the shoulder belt under the child ’s arm
or behind the child ’s back.
Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the seatbelts.
They should consult their doctor for specific recom-
mendations. The lap belt should be worn securely and as low as possible over the hips, not over thewaist.
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
The driver ’s seatbelt has an Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (ELR).
The emergency locking retractor allows normal
body movement but the retractor locks automatically during a sudden stop, impact or if you pull the belt
very quickly out of the retractor. Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR)
Each passenger ’s seatbelt has an Automatic/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (A/ELR). The Automatic/
Emergency Locking Retractor normally functions asan Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/ELR
has an additional locking mode “Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) mode ” intended to secure a child
restraint system. When the seatbelt is once drawn
out completely and is then retracted even slightly,
the retractor locks the seatbelt in that position and
the seatbelt cannot be extended. As the belt is re-
winding, clicks will be heard which indicate the re-
tractor functions as an ALR. When the seatbelt is re-
tracted fully, the ALR mode is released.

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– CONTINUED –
When securing a child restraint system on the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt, the seatbelt mustbe changed over to the Automatic Locking Retractor(ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is removed, make
sure that the seatbelt retracts fully and the retractor
returned to the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) mode.
For instructions on how to convert the retractor to
the ALR mode and restore it to the ELR mode, seethe “Child restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt warningdevice at the driver ’s seat, as required by current
safety standards.
This device causes the seatbelt warning light on the
instrument panel to light up for about six seconds
when the ignition switch is turned to “ON” to remind
the driver to wear the seatbelt. If the driver ’s seatbelt
is not fastened, a warning chime sounds at thesame 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. Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your
hips. In a collision, this spreads the force of the lap belt over stronger hip bones instead ofacross the weaker abdomen. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when
the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the
seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacksshould be always used in the upright position
while the vehicle is running. If the front seat-
backs are not used in the upright position in a
collision, the risk of sliding under the lap belt
and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdo- men will increase, and both can result in seri-ous 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

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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can result in serious internal injury or death. 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.
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CAUTION
Metallic parts of the seatbelt can become very hot in a vehicle that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn an occupant.Do not touch such hot parts until they cool.
Front seatbelts
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 maintaining full vehicle
control.Front passenger ’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the
upright position. Move the seat as far back as pos-sible.
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 be-
fore 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 slowly again.
4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until youhear a click.

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WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does notpass over your neck. If it does, adjust the
seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder belt over the neck may result in
neck injury during sudden braking or in a col-lision.
n Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
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Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
retracted properly to avoid catching the belt web- bing in the door.
Rear seatbelts (except rear center seatbelt on
Wagon)
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the belt out
slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If the belt stops be-
fore 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 a
strong pull on it, then pull it out slowly again.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until youhear a click.
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4. 1) To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt.