2003 SUBARU IMPREZA seats

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1-1
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Front seats 1-2
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Fore and aft adjustment 1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reclining the seatback 1-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat cushion height adjustment
(driver’ s seat) 1-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Head restraint adjustment 1-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seat heater (if equipped) 1-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear seats 1-8
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Armrest (if equipped) 1-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headrest adjustment – Wagon 1-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Folding down the rear seat – Wagon 1-11 . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelts 1-12
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Seatbelt safety tips 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) 1-14 . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) 1-14
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Seatbelt warning light and chime 1-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fastening the seatbelt 1-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt maintenance 1-27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front seatbelt pretensioners 1-27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System monitors 1-29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System servicing 1-29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precautions against vehicle modification 1-30 . . . . .
Child restraint systems 1-31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing child restraint systems with seatbelt 1-34
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Installation of child restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchorages 1-36 . . . . . . . . . Top tether anchorages 1-39
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SRS airbag
(Supplemental Restraint System airbag) 1-42 .
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s
SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints 1-42 . . . .
SRS frontal airbag 1-46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS side airbag (if equipped) 1-55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system monitors 1-63 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system servicing 1-64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precautions against vehicle modification 1-66 . . . . .
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

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.
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

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restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly
restrained at all times in a child restraint device
or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate for
the child’s age, height and weight. Secure ALL
types of child restraint devices (including for-
ward facing child seat) 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 rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning child restraint systems, see the “Child
restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
Fore and aft adjustment
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to the de-
sired position. Then release the lever and move the
seat back and forth to make sure that it is securelylocked into place.

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Rear seats
WARNING
Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. Do not put cushions or any other materi-
als between occupants and seatbacks or seat
cushions. If you do so, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt slidingup over the abdomen will increase, and bothcan result in serious internal injury or death.
WARNING
Never stack luggage or other cargo higher
than the top of the seatback because it couldtumble forward and injure passengers in theevent of a sudden stop or accident.

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objects can interfere with the driver’s proper
operation of the car, possibly causing an acci-
dent and serious injury. Headrest adjustment – Wagon
To raise the headrest, pull it up. To lower it, push the
head rest down while depressing the release buttonon the top of the seatback.
When the seats are not occupied, lower the head-
rests to improve rearward visibility.

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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.
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, adjust the shoulder belt anchor height (win- dow-side seating positions only) and then if neces-
sary 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 possible onthe hips and not on the child ’s waist. If the shoulder
portion of the belt cannot be properly positioned, a
child restraint system should be used. Never placethe shoulder belt under the child ’s arm or behind the
child’ s back.

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1-14
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 automaticallyduring 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.
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

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Child restraint systems
Infants and small children should always be placed
in an infant or child restraint system in the rear seat
while riding in the vehicle. You should use an infant
or child restraint system that meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards or Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards, is compatible with your vehicle
and is appropriate for the child ’s age and size. All
child restraint systems are designed to be secured
in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of
a lap/shoulder belt (except those covered under the section in this manual, entitled “Installation of child
restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchor-
ages”).
Children could be endangered in an accident if their
child restraints are not properly secured in the ve-
hicle. When installing the child restraint system,
carefully follow the manufacturer ’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces require that
infants and small children be restrained in an
approved child restraint system at all times while the
vehicle is moving.
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap or in his or her arms while the vehicleis moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a collision, because the
child will be caught between the passengerand objects inside the vehicle.
Additionally, holding a child in your lap orarms 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.