2003 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

1-22
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
0
1. Pull out the seatbelt slowly from the overhead re-
tractor.
1) Seatbelt comfort guide
2. Pass the seatbelt through the seatbelt comfort
guide located beside the headrest.
HS1057BA
1
HS1058BB

1-23
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
–CONTINUED –
3. After confirming that the webbing is not twisted, in-
sert the connector (tongue) attached at the webbing
endintothebuckleontheright-handsideuntilaclick
is heard.
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 slowly again. 4. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate in the center
seatbelt buckle marked “CENTER” on the left-hand
side until it clicks.
HS1059BAHS1060BA

1-24
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder
belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible on your hips,
not on your waist.

Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the release button of the center seatbelt buckle
(on the left-hand side) to unfasten the seatbelt.
NOTE
When the seatback is folded down for greater lug-
gage space, it is necessary to disconnect the con- nector.
5
6
HS1061BB
HS1062BA

1-25
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
–CONTINUED –
0
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 will
disconnect from the buckle.
2. Allow the retractor to roll up the belt. You should
hold the webbing end and guide it back into the retrac-
tor while it is rolling up. Neatly store the tongue plates
in the recess in the retractor and then insert the con-
nector (tongue) plate into the slot located at the front
of the recess.
HS1063BA
HS1064BA
HS1065BA

1-26
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.
HS1066BA

1-27
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
–CONTINUED –
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

1-28
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”
HS1103BA

1-29
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
–CONTINUED –
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