2003 SUBARU FORESTER belt

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

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 hanging
tongue plate can swing and hit against the trim
during driving, causing damage to the trim.
Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap and lukewarm
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. Re-
place the seatbelts even if only minor damage is
found.
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.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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 in-
volving a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as the frontal
SRS airbag sensor. If the sensor detects a certain pre-
determined amount of force during a frontal collision,
the front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by the re-
tractor to take up the slack so that the belt more effec-
tively restrains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated, an operat- ing noise will be heard and a small amount of smoke
will be released. These occurrences are normal 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 and
therefore must be replaced.
NOTE
Seatbelt pretensioners are not designed to acti-
vate in minor frontal impacts, in side or rear im-
pacts or in roll-over accidents. The driver

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

If the front seatbelt retractor assembly or sur-
rounding area has been damaged, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to ex-
plain to the buyer that it has seatbelt pretension-
ers by alerting him to the contents of this section.
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 activation
of the seatbelt pretensioners or could make the
system inoperative, possibly resulting in seri-
ous injury. Seatbelt pretensioners have no
user-serviceable parts. For required servicing
of front seatbelt retractors equipped with seat-
belt pretensioners, see your nearest SUBARU
dealer. When discarding front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or scrapping the entire car due to col-
lision damage or for other reasons, consult
your SUBARU dealer.
System monitors
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
illuminate. 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”
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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position.
The following components are monitored by the indi-
cator: Front sub sensor (Right hand side)
Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
Airbag control module (including impact sensors)
Seatbelt pretensioner (driver’s side)
Seatbelt pretensioner (Passenger’s side)
All related wiring
And all other airbag components
In the event of a malfunction indicated by any of follow-
ing, the vehicle should be taken promptly to your near-
est SUBARU dealer to have the system checked.
Unless checked and repaired, the seatbelt pretension-
ers and SRS airbag will not function reliably: Flashing or flickering of the indicator light.
No illumination of the warning light when the ignition
switch is first turned to the “ON” position. Continuous illumination of the warning light.
Illumination of the warning light while driving.
System servicing
When discarding a seatbelt retractor assem- bly or scrapping the entire car damaged by a
collision, consult your SUBARU dealer.
Tampering with or disconnecting the sys-
tem

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is damaged in an ac-
cident to the extent that the seatbelt pretensioner
does not operate, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
Do not perform any of the f ollowing modifica-
tions. Such modifications can interfere with
proper operation of the seatbelt pretensioners. Attachment of any equipment (bush bar,
winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
SUBARU genuine accessory parts to the frontend. Modification of the suspension system or
front end structure. Installation of a tire of different size and con-
struction from the tires specified on the tire
placard attached to the driver

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her
lap or in his or her arms 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 a child in your lap or arms
in the front seat exposes that child to another
serious danger. Since the SRS airbag deploys
with considerable speed and force, the child
could be injured or even killed.
Children should be properly restrained at all
times. Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on any seat. Unrestrained children will be
thrownforwardduringsuddenstoporinanac-
cident and can be injured seriously.
Additionally,childrenstandinguporkneeling
on or in front of the front seat are exposed an-
other serious danger. Since the SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed and force, the
child could be injured or even killed.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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, be sure to secure ALL types of
child restraint devices (including forward fac-
ing child seats) in the REAR seats at all times.
You should choose a restraint device which is
appropriate for the child

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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come hot in a vehicle that has been closed up
in sunny weather; they could burn a small child.
Check the child restraint system before you
place a child in it. Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
system in your vehicle. Unsecured child re-
straint systems can be thrown around inside of
the vehicle in a sudden stop, turn or accident; it
can strike and injure vehicle occupants as well
as result in serious injuries or death to the
child.
Installing child restraint systems with
seatbelt
1. Set the child restraint system in the seating posi-
tion.
2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through or around
the child restraint system following the instructions
provided by its manufacturer. If the shoulder belt goes
in front of the child’s face or neck, put it behind the
child restraint system.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle.
4. Take up the slack in the lap belt.
5. Pull out the seatbelt fully from the retractor to
change the retractor over from the Emergency Lock-
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