2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX warning

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Armrest (if equipped)
To lower the armrest, pull on the top edge of the
armrest.
WARNING
To avoid the possibility of serious injury, pas- sengers must never be allowed to sit on thecenter armrest while the vehicle is in motion.
Loading long objects
Folding down the armrest and opening the seatback
panel affords a loading space for long objects.
To open the seatback panel, pull the release tab.
WARNING
Secure long objects properly to prevent
them from shooting forward and causing seri-
ous injury during a sudden stop or sharp cor-
nering. Tie long objects down with a rope orsomething equivalent. Avoid loading objects longer than 6.6 ft (2
m) and heavier than 55 lb (25 kg). Such

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1. Lower the headrests.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the release knoband 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.
WARNING
After returning the rear seat to its original
position, be certain to place all of the seat- belts and the tab attached to the seat cushion
above the seat cushion. And make certain thatthe shoulder belts are fully visible. Never allow passengers to ride on the
folded rear seatback or in the cargo area. Do-ing 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
WARNING
All persons in the vehicle should fasten
their seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to
move. Otherwise, the possibility of serious in- jury becomes greater in the event of a sudden stop or accident. All belts should fit snugly in order to pro-
vide full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not
as effective in preventing or reducing injury. Each seatbelt is designed to support only
one person. Never use a single belt for two ormore 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 oc- cupants 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 SRSairbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, es-

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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.

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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.

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nAdjusting the front seat shoulder belt anchor height
The shoulder belt anchor height should be adjusted to the position best suited for you.
To lower the anchor height, push the release buttonand slide the anchor down.
To raise the anchor height, slide the anchor up. Pull
down on the anchor to make sure that it is locked inplace.
Always adjust the anchor height so that the shoulder belt passes over the middle of the shoulder without
touching the neck.
WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does notpass over your neck. If it does, adjust the
seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder belt over the neck may result in
neck injury during sudden braking or in a col-lision.
n Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are

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nAdjusting the rear seat shoulder belt anchor height (window-side seating positions only)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be adjusted
to the position best suited for you. To adjust the an-
chor height, push the release button and slide the
anchor up or down. Pull down on the anchor to
make sure that it is locked in place.
Always adjust the anchor height so that the shoulder belt passes over the middle of the shoulder without
touching the neck.
WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does notpass over your neck. If it does, adjust the
seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder belt over the neck may result in
neck injury during sudden braking or in a col-lision.
n Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.

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Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
retracted properly to avoid catching the belt web-
bing in the door.
Rear center seatbelt on Wagon
1) Center seatbelt tongue plate
2) Connector (tongue)
3) Connector (buckle)
4) Center seatbelt buckle
WARNING
Fastening the seatbelt with the webbing twisted can increase the risk or severity ofinjury in an accident. When fastening the belt
after it is pulled out from the retractor, espe-
cially when inserting the connector ’s tongue
plate into the mating buckle (on right-handside), always check that the webbing is nottwisted.

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WARNING
Be sure to fasten both tongue plates to the
respective buckles. If the seatbelt is used onlyas a shoulder belt (with the connector’s
tongue plate not fastened to the connector ’s
buckle on the right-hand side), it cannot prop- erly restrain the wearer in position in an acci- dent, possibly resulting in serious injury ordeath.
1. Remove the tongue plate from the belt holder lo-
cated under the right rear quarter glass and pull out
the seatbelt slowly.