2003 SUBARU IMPREZA warning light

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-15
– CONTINUED –
the ALR mode and restore it to the ELR mode, see the “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 slidingunder the lap belt and of the lap belt slidingup over the abdomen will increase, and bothcan result in serious internal injury or death.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-16
WARNING
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.
CAUTION
Metallic parts of the seatbelt can become very hot in a vehicle that has been closed up insunny 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.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-29
– CONTINUED –
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 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)
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
In the event of a malfunction indicated by any of fol-
lowing, the vehicle should be taken promptly to your
nearest SUBARU dealer to have the system
checked. Unless checked and repaired, the seatbelt
pretensioners and SRS airbag will not function reli- ably: Flashing or flickering of the indicator light.
No illumination of the warning light when the igni-
tion switch is first turned to the “ON” position.
Continuous illumination of the warning light.
Illumination of the warning light while driving.
System servicing
WARNING
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’ s wiring could result in accidental activa-

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-32
WARNING
Children should be properly restrained at all times. Never allow a child to stand up, or tokneel on any seat. Unrestrained children willbe thrown forward during sudden stop or in
an accident and can be injured seriously.
Additionally, children standing up or kneeling on or in front of the front seat are exposed
another serious danger. Since the SRS airbag
deploys with considerable speed and force,the child could be injured or even killed.
WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly restrained at all times. The SRSairbag deploys with considerable speed andforce 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, be sure to secure ALL types of child restraint devices (including forward
facing child seats) in the REAR seats at all
times. You should choose a restraint devicewhich is appropriate for the child’s age, height
and weight. According to accident statistics,children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating positions.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
– CONTINUED –
SRS airbag contacts an occupant not in prop- er position such as one thrown forward during
pre-accident braking.Even when properly positioned, there remains
a possibility that an occupant may suffer mi-nor injury such as abrasions and bruises to
the face or arms because of the SRS airbag
deployment force.The SRS airbags deploy with considerable
speed and force. Occupants who are out ofproper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Because the SRS airbag needs enough space for de- ployment, the driver should always sit uprightand well back in the seat as far from the steer-ing wheel as practical while still maintainingfull vehicle control and the front passengershould move the seat as far back as possible and sit upright and well back in the seat. Do not place any objects over or near the
SRS airbag cover or between you and the SRSairbag. If the SRS airbag deploys, those ob-jects could interfere with its proper operationand could be propelled inside the car and
cause injury.
WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed andforce 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 thatALL children (including those in child seats

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-63
– CONTINUED –
The SRS side airbag is basically not designed to
deploy if the vehicle is involved in a frontal collision
or is struck from behind. Examples of such acci-
dents are illustrated.
1) First impact 2) Second impact
In an accident where the vehicle is struck from the
side more than once, the SRS side airbag deploysonly once.
Example: In the case of a double side impact colli- sion, first with one vehicle and immediately followed
by another from the same direction, once the SRSside airbag is activated on the first impact, it will notbe activated on the second.
SRS airbag system monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors the readi- ness of the SRS airbag system while the vehicle is
being driven. The SRS airbag system warning light
“AIRBAG” 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)
Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
Airbag control module (including impact sensors)
Frontal airbag module (Driver ’s side)

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-64
Frontal airbag module (Passenger ’s side)
Side airbag sensor (Driver ’s side — if equipped)
Side airbag sensor (Passenger ’s side — if
equipped) Side airbag module (Driver ’s side — if equipped)
Side airbag module (Passenger ’s side — if
equipped) Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver ’s side)
Seatbelt pretensioner (Passenger ’s side)
All related wiring
In the event of a malfunction indicated by any of fol-
lowing, the vehicle should be taken promptly to your
nearest SUBARU dealer to have the system
checked. Unless checked and repaired, the SRS
airbags will not function reliably: Flashing or flickering of the indicator light.
No illumination of the warning light when the igni-
tion switch is first turned to the “ON” position.
Continuous illumination of the warning light.
Illumination of the warning light while driving.
SRS airbag system servicing
WARNING
When discarding an airbag module or scrap-
ping the entire car damaged by a collision,
consult your SUBARU dealer. The SRS airbag has no user-serviceable
parts. Do not use electrical test equipment on any circuit related to the SRS airbag system.For required servicing of the SRS airbag, see
your nearest SUBARU dealer. Tampering withor disconnecting the system ’s wiring could re-
sult in accidental inflation of the SRS airbag
or could make the system inoperative, which
may result in serious injury. The wiring har-
nesses of the SRS airbag system are coveredwith yellow insulation and system connectorsare yellow for easy identification.

Keys and doors
2-14
Security system (if equipped)
The security system helps to protect your vehicle
and valuables from theft. The horn sounds and the
parking lights flash if someone attempts to break
into your vehicle. The starter motor is also inter-
rupted to prevent starting the vehicle without a key.
The system can be armed and disarmed with the
remote transmitter.The system does not operate when the key is in-
serted into the ignition switch. System operation
The security system will give the following alarm in-
dications when triggered: The parking lights will flash and the horn will
sound intermittently. In addition, the starter motor willnot operate. The alarm automatically resets after 30 seconds;
however, the alarm will reactivate if the vehicle is
tampered with again. The alarm will continue for sixtimes if any sensor continues to be activated.
The alarm is triggered by: Opening a door, the rear gate or trunk lid (vehicle
equipped with trunk light only).
Application of physical shock to the vehicle (e.g.
breaking glass or forced entry). Note that there are
two alarm levels for shock: warning and alarm. In
warning mode, the alarm detects lower level vibra-
tions and triggers 2 warning chirps on the horn and
two flashes on the lights as a deterrent to would be
vandals. In alarm mode, higher levels of shock are
detected and the system will go into full alarm. Ignition switch being turned on while in armed
state. NOTE
With the valet mode selected, the security sys- tem does not operate and the parking lights do not flash when the remote transmitter is used forlocking and unlocking. The security system indi-cator light in the combination meter flashestwice per second to show that the valet mode is
selected. For details, refer to “Valet mode ” in this
section.