2003 SUBARU FORESTER headrest

1-10
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Never stack luggage or other cargo higher than
the top of the seatback because it could tumble
forward and injure passengers in the event of a
sudden stop or accident.

Headrest adjustment
Rear windows side seating position
To raise the headrest, pull it up.
To lower it, push the headrest down while depressing
the release button on the top of the seatback.
When the seats are not occupied, lower the headrest
to improve rearward visibility.
HS8005BA
HS1046BA

1-11
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
–CONTINUED –
Rear center seating position
To raise the headrest, pull it up.
To lower it, push the headrest down while pressing the
release button on the top of the seatback.
When the rear-center seating position is occupied,
place the headrest in its highest position. When the
rear center seating position is not occupied, lower the
headrest to improve rearward visibility.
Folding down the rear seatback
HS1106BAHS1047BA
HS1048BA

1-12
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1. Lower the headrests.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the release knob
and then fold the seatback down.
To return the seatback to its original position, raise the
seatback until it locks into place and make sure that it
is securely locked.

After returning the rear seatback to its origi-
nal position, make certain that the shoulder
belts are fully visible. Never allow passengers to ride on the folded
rear seatback or in the cargo area. Doing so
may result in serious injury or death. Secure lengthy items properly to prevent
them from shooting forward and causing seri-
ous injury during a sudden stop.
Seatbelts Seatbelt safety tips
All persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident. All belts should fit snugly in order to provide
full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as ef-
fective in preventing or reducing injury. Each seatbelt is designed to support only
one person. Never use a single belt for two or
more 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 occu-
pants 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 SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and

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

1-38
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

Top tether anchorages
Anchorage location
1) For left seat
2) For center seat 3) For right seat
Three anchorages, i.e., ones for the right, center and
left positions, are already installed on the rear edge of
the roof. Open the cover flaps to use the anchorages. To hook the top tether
1. Remove the rear seat headrest at the seating posi-
tion where the child restraint system has been in-
stalled with the seatbelt or lower anchorages; lift up
the headrest while pressing the release button. Store
the headrest in the cargo area. Avoid placing the
headrest in the passenger compartment to prevent it
from being thrown around in the passenger compart-
ment in a sudden stop or a sharp turn.
3
2
1
HS1080BB
HS1081BA

1-39
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
–CONTINUED –
F: Front of vehicle
1) Top tether hook
2) Upper anchorage
2. Fasten the top tether hook of the child restraint sys-
tem to the appropriate upper anchorage.
3. Tighten the top tether securely.
Always remove the headrest when mounting a
child restraint system with a top tether. Other-
wise, it may not be possible to fasten the top
tether tightly. *SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental restraint system.
This name is used because the airbag system supple-
ments the vehicle’s seatbelts.
Vehicle with driver

10-6
Appearance care
maturely. Regular cleaning with a soft, moist, natural
fiber cloth should be performed monthly, taking care
not to soak the leather or allow water to penetrate the
stitched seams.
A mild detergent suitable for cleaning woolen fabrics
may be used to remove difficult dirt spots, rubbing with
a soft, dry cloth afterwards to restore the luster. If your
SUBARU is to be parked for a long time in bright sun-
light, it is recommended that the seats and headrests
be covered, or the windows shaded, to prevent fading
or shrinkage.
Minor surface blemishes or bald patches may be treat-
ed with a commercial leather spray lacquer. You will
discover that each leather seat section will develop
soft folds or wrinkles, which is characteristic of genu-
ine leather.
Synthetic leather upholstery
The synthetic leather material used on the SUBARU
may be cleaned using mild soap or detergent and wa-
ter, after first vacuuming or brushing away loose dirt.
Allow the soap to soak in for a few minutes and wipe
off with a clean, damp cloth. Commercial foam-type
cleaners suitable for synthetic leather materials may
be used when necessary.NOTE
Strong cleaning agents such as solvents, paint
thinners, window cleaner or gasoline must never
be used on leather or synthetic interior materials.

14-4
Index
Stopping .................................................... 7-11
Exterior care ................................................... 10-2 F
Flat tires ................................................. 9-3, 9-5
Floor mat ........................................................ 6-15
Fluid level Automatic transmission ............................. 11-24
Brake ......................................................... 11-30
Clutch (MT vehicles) .................................. 11-31
Power steering ........................................... 11-29
Fog light switch ............................................... 3-21
Front differential gear oi l (AT vehicles) ........... 11-26
Front seatbelt pretensioners ........................... 1-27
Front seats ..................................................... 1-2 Fore and aft adjustment ............................. 1-3
Reclining .................................................... 1-4
Front-wheel drive warning light (AT vehicles) . 3-15
Fuel ................................................................ 7-2
Economy hints ........................................... 8-2
Filler lid and cap ........................................ 7-4
Gauge ........................................................ 3-7
Requirements ............................................ 7-2
Fuses ............................................................. 11-50
Fuses and circuits .......................................... 12-6 G
GAWR ............................................................. 8-16
Glove box ........................................................ 6-5
Gross axle weight rating .................................. 8-16
Gross vehicle weight rating ............................. 8-16
GVWR ............................................................. 8-16 H
Hazard warning flasher ................................... 3-5
Headlights ....................................................... 3-17
Headrest adjustment ....................................... 1-10
Headlight flasher ............................................. 3-18
Heater operation ............................................. 4-6
High beam indicator light ................................. 3-15
Hill holder ................................................ 7-29, 11-35
Horn ................................................................ 3-34 I
Ignition switch .................................................. 3-2
Illuminated entry .............................................. 2-8
Illumination brightness control ......................... 3-20
Indicator light ................................................... 3-9
Inside mirror .................................................... 3-29
Interior lights .................................................... 6-2