2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX warning

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-28
ating noise will be heard and a small amount of
smoke will be released. These occurrences are nor-
mal 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
activate in minor frontal impacts, in side or rear
impacts or in roll-over accidents. The driver ’s seat and passenger ’s seat preten-
sioners and frontal SRS airbag operate simulta-
neously. Pretensioners are designed to function on a
one-time-only basis. In the event that a preten-sioner is activated, both the driver ’s and front
passenger’ s seatbelt retractor assemblies must
be replaced only by an authorized SUBARU
dealer. When replacing seatbelt retractor assem-
blies, use only genuine SUBARU parts. If either front seatbelt does not retract or can-
not be pulled out due to a malfunction or activa-
tion of the pretensioner, contact your SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
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
explain to the buyer that it has seatbelt preten-sioners by alerting him to the contents of this section.
WARNING
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
serious injury. Seatbelt pretensioners have no
user-serviceable parts. For required servicingof front seatbelt retractors equipped with seat-
belt pretensioners, see your nearest SUBARU
dealer. When discarding front seatbelt retractor
assemblies or scrapping the entire car due to
collision damage or for other reasons, consult
your SUBARU dealer.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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
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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.

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
1-33
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WARNING
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A
PASSENGER’ S SRS AIRBAG, NEVER
INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFE-
TY SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT.
DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR
DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’ S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIR-
BAG.
WARNING
Child restraint systems and seatbelts can
become hot in a vehicle that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a smallchild. Check the child restraint system before you place a child in it. Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
system in your vehicle. Unsecured child re-straint systems can be thrown around insideof the vehicle in a sudden stop, turn or acci-
dent; it can strike and injure vehicle occu- pants as well as result in serious injuries or death to the child.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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If the child restraint system requires a top tether,
latch the hook onto the top tether anchor and tighten
the top tether. See the “Top tether anchorages ” for
additional instructions.
8. To remove the child restraint system, press the
release button on the seatbelt buckle and allow the
belt to retract completely. The belt will return to theELR mode.
If you have any question concerning this type of
child restraint system, ask your SUBARU dealer.
NOTE When the child restraint system is no longer in use, remove it and restore the ELR function of the retractor. That function is restored by allow-
ing the seatbelt to retract fully.
WARNING
When you install a child restraint system, fol- low the manufacturer
’s instructions supplied
with it. After installing the child restraint sys-tem, check to ensure that it is held securely in
position. If it is not held tight and secure, the
danger of your child suffering personal injury in the event of an accident may be increased.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-38
Each lower anchorage is located where the seat
cushion meets the seatback.
1. Use the “
” marks to locate the two lower an-
chorages (bars) for the position where you want to
install the child restraint system.
2. While following the instructions supplied by the
child restraint system manufacturer, connect the
connectors of the child restraint system to the lower anchorages.
When the connectors are fastened, make sure that
the adjacent seatbelts are not caught.
If your child restraint system is of a flexible attach-
ment type (which uses tether straps to connect the
child restraint system proper to the lower anchor- ages), firmly tighten the straps after connecting theconnectors.
3. Connect the top tether hook to the tether anchor-
age and firmly tighten the tether.
For information on how to set the top tether, read the
following “
Top tether anchorages ”.
4. Before seating a child in the child restraint sys-
tem, try to move seat back and forth to verify that it
is held securely in position.
If you have any question concerning this type of
child restraint system, ask your SUBARU dealer.
WARNING
When you install a child restraint system, fol- low the manufacturer ’s instructions supplied
with it. After installing the child restraint sys-tem, check to ensure that it is held securely in
position. If it is not held tight and secure, the
danger of your child suffering personal injuryin the event of an accident may be increased.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental restraint system. This name is used because the airbag system sup- plements the vehicle’s seatbelts.
Vehicle with driver ’s and front pas-
senger’ s SRS airbags and lap/shoul-
der restraints
Your vehicle is equipped with a supplemental
restraint system in addition to a lap/shoulder belt at
each front seating position.
The supplemental restraint system (SRS) consists of two airbags (driver ’s and front passenger ’s frontal
airbags) or four airbags (driver ’s and front passen-
ger’ s frontal airbags and driver ’s and front passen-
ger’ s side airbags).
These SRS airbags are designed only as a sup- plement to the primary protection provided by the seatbelt.WARNING
To obtain maximum protection in the event
of an accident, the driver and all passengers in the vehicle should always wear seatbeltswhen the vehicle is moving. The SRS airbag is
designed only as a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seatbelt. It does
not do away with the need to fasten seatbelts.
In combination with the seatbelts, it offers thebest combined protection in case of a seriousaccident. Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury or death in a crash even whenthe car has the SRS airbag. For instructions and precautions concerningthe seatbelt system, see the “Seatbelts” sec-
tions in this chapter. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the
SRS airbag. Because the SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed – faster than the
blink of an eye – and force to protect in high
speed collisions, the force of an airbag can in-jure an occupant whose body is too close to SRS airbag. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to
help avoid injuries that can result when the