2004 SUBARU LEGACY Car seat

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and heavier than 55 lbs (25 kg). Such objects
can interfere with the driver’s proper operation
of the car, possibly causing an accident and se-
rious injury. „
Headrest adjustment – Rear center
seating position on Station wagon
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.
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„
Folding down the rear seat – Station wagon
yAfter returning the rear seat to its original po-
sition, be certain to place all of the seatbelts
and the tab attached to the seat cushion above
the seat cushion. And make certain that the
shoulder belts are fully visible. y Never allow passengers to ride on the folded
rear seatback, in the cargo area. Doing so may
result in serious injury or death. y Secure skis and other lengthy items properly
to prevent them from being thrown around in-
side the vehicle and causing serious injury dur-
ing a sudden stop, a sudden steering or a rapid
acceleration. T
Folding down the seatback
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TInfants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is suitable for your ve-
hicle. See information on “Child restraint systems” inthis chapter. T 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 po-
sitions than in the front seating positions. Never allow
a child to stand up or kneel on the seat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses the face or
neck, 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 on the
hips and not on the child’s waist. If the shoulder portion
of the belt cannot be properly positioned, a child re-
straint system should be used. Never place the shoul-
der belt under the child’s arm or behind the child’sback. T
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 the waist. „ 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 automatically during
a sudden stop, impact or if you pull the belt very quick-
ly out of the retractor.
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yIf the front seatbelt retractor assembly or sur-
rounding area has been damaged, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. y When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to ex-
plain to the buyer that it has seatbelt pretension-
ers by alerting him to the contents of this section.
y To obtain maximum protection, occupants
should sit in an upright position with their seat-
belts properly fastened. Refer to “Seatbelts”
section in this chapter.y 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 seri-
ous injury. Seatbelt pretensioners have no
user-serviceable parts. For required servicing
of front seatbelt retractors equipped with seat-
belt pretensioners, see your nearest SUBARU
dealer.y When discarding front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or scrapping the entire car due to col-
lision damage or for other reasons, consult
your SUBARU dealer.
„ System monitors
SRS airbag system warning light
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 airbag system. Therefore, if
any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt pretensioner, the
SRS airbag system warning light will illuminate. The
SRS airbag system warning light will show normal sys-
tem operation by lighting for about 6 seconds when
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the ignition key is turned to the “ON” position.
The following components are monitored by the indi- cator: y
Front sub sensor (Right hand side)
y Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
y Airbag control module (including impact sensors)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Passenger’s side)
y All related wiring
In the event of a malfunction indicated by any of follow-
ing, the vehicle should be taken promptly to your near-
est SUBARU dealer to have the system checked. Un-
less checked and repaired, the seatbelt pretensioners
and airbags will not function reliably:y Flashing or flickering of the indicator light.
y No illumination of the warning light when the ignition
switch is first turned to the “ON” position.y Continuous illumination of the warning light.
y Illumination of the warning light while driving.
„ System servicing
yWhen discarding a seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or scrapping the entire car damaged by a collision, consult your SUBARU dealer. y
Tampering with or disconnecting the sys-
tem’s wiring could result in accidental activa-
tion of the seatbelt pretensioner and/or airbag
or could make the system inoperative, which
may result in serious injury. The wiring har-
nesses of the seatbelt pretensioner and SRS
airbag systems are covered with yellow insula-
tion and the connectors of the system are yel-
low for easy identification. Do not use electrical
test equipment on any circuit related to the
seatbelt pretensioner and airbag systems. For
required servicing of the seatbelt pretensioner,
see your nearest SUBARU dealer.
The front sub sensors are located in both front
fenders and the airbag control module includ-
ing the impact sensors is located under the
center console. If you need service or repair in
those areas or near the front seatbelt retrac-
tors, we recommend that you have an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer perform the work.

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NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is damaged in an ac-
cident to the extent that the seatbelt pretensioner
does not operate, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. „Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if you want to in-
stall any accessory parts to your vehicle.
Do not perform any of the following modifica-
tions. Such modifications can interfere with
proper operation of the seatbelt pertensioners. y Attachment of any equipment (bush bar,
winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
SUBARU genuine accessory parts to the front
end. y Modification of the suspension system or
front end structure. y Installation of a tire of different size and con-
struction from the tires specified on the tire
placard attached to the door jamb.
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 ap-
propriate 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 manu-al, entitled “Installation of child restraint systems by
use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH)”).
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Children could be endangered in an accident if their
child restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle.
When installing the child restraint system, carefully fol-
low the manufacturer’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating positions
than in the front seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces require that in-
fants and small children be restrained in an approved
child restraint system at all times while the vehicle is moving.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her
lap while the vehicle is moving. The passenger
cannot protect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be caught between
the passenger and objects inside the vehicle.
Additionally, holding a child in your lap or arms
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.
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the event of an accident may be increased.
1. Place the booster seat in the rear seating position
and sit the child on it. The child should sit well back on
the booster seat.
2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through or around
the booster seat and the child following the instruc-
tions provided by its manufacturer.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until you
hear a click. Take care not to twist the seatbelt.
Make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the
center of child’s shoulder and that the lap belt is posi-
tioned as low as possible on the child’s hips. 4. To remove the booster seat, press the release but-
ton on the seatbelt buckle and allow the belt to retract.
y
Never use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In
an accident, this can increase the risk or sever-
ity of injury to the child. y Never place the shoulder belt under the
child’s arm or behind the child’s back. If an ac-
cident occurs, this can increase the risk or se-
verity of injury to the child.y The seatbelt should fit snugly in order to pro-
vide full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as
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