2004 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
webbing and all hardware periodically for cracks, cuts,
gashes, tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas. Re-
place the seatbelts even if only minor damage is
found.
y
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemi-
cals and particularly battery acid. y Never attempt to make modifications or
changes that will prevent the seatbelt from op-
erating properly.
Seatbelt extender
If the front seatbelts are not long enough to permit the
tongue plate to engage with the seatbelt buckle, an
optional seatbelt extender is available from your
SUBARU dealer. When ordering an extender, only or-
der one particularly designed for your vehicle. Several
different types of extenders are available to match var-
ious varieties of front seatbelt designs. See your
SUBARU dealer for assistance.
The extender adds approximately 8 inches (200 mm)
of length and it can be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position.
Be sure to observe the following when using
the seatbelt extender.
Failure to follow these instructions and warn-
ings could reduce the effectiveness of the seat-
belt and result in more serious injury in the
event of a collision.y Never use the extender when the belt itself is
long enough to permit it to be buckled properly.
If removal of heavy clothing is all that is needed
to permit the seatbelt to be buckled properly,
remove the heavy clothing and do not use the

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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extender. yDo not use the extender if the buckle of the
extender rests over the abdomen. y Do not let someone else use the extender.
Use of an extender when it is not needed could
reduce the effectiveness of the seatbelt and re-
sult in more serious injury in the event of a col-
lision.y Use the extender only for the front seatbelts
and only for the model for which it was original-
ly provided. Never use the extender for the rear
seatbelts or for a different model.
NOTE
When the seatbelt extender is used by a pregnant
passenger, consult a doctor to get approval in ad-
vance. To connect the extender to the seatbelt, insert the
tongue plate into the seatbelt buckle so that the
“PRESS” signs on the buckle-release buttons of the
extender and the seatbelt are both facing outward as
shown in the diagram. You will hear a click when the
tongue plate locks into the buckle.
When releasing the seatbelt, press on the buckle-re-
lease button on the extender, not on the seatbelt. This
helps to prevent damage to the vehicle interior and ex-
tender itself.
For the safety of others, the extender should be re-
moved after each use, especially if the next person us-
ing the seatbelt does not need one.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver’s and front passenger’s seatbelts have a
seatbelt pretensioner. The seatbelt pretensioners are
designed to be activated in the event of an accident in-
volving a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as a SRS frontal
airbag sensor. If the sensor detects a certain predeter-
mined amount of force during a frontal collision, the
front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by the retractor
to take up the slack so that the belt more effectively re-
strains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated, an operat-
ing noise will be heard and a small amount of smoke
will be released. These occurrences are normal 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 y
Seatbelt pretensioners are not designed to acti-
vate in minor frontal impacts, in side or rear im-
pacts or in roll-over accidents. y The driver’s seat and passenger’s seat preten-
sioners and frontal airbag operate simultaneous- ly. y 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 pas-
senger’s seatbelt retractor assemblies must be re-
placed and only by an authorized SUBARU dealer.
When replacing seatbelt retractor assemblies, use
only genuine SUBARU parts. y If either front seatbelt does not retract or cannot
be pulled out due to a malfunction or activation of
the pretensioner, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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Children should be properly restrained at all
times. Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on any seat. Unrestrained children will be
thrown forward during sudden stop or in an ac-
cident and can be injured seriously.
Additionally, children standing up or kneeling
on or in front of the front seat are exposed an-
other serious danger. Since the SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed and force, the
child could be injured or even killed.
„ Where to place a child restraint system
The following are SUBARU’s recommendations on
where to place a child restraint system in your vehicle. A: Front passenger’s seat
You should not install a child restraint system due to
the hazard to children posed by the passenger’s air-
bag.
B: Rear seat, window-side seating positions
Recommended positions for all types of child restraintsystems.
In these positions, Automatic/Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (A/ELR) seatbelts and lower anchor bars are
provided for installing a child restraint system.
C: Rear seat, center seating position
Installing a child restraint system is not recommended,
although the A/ELR seatbelt is provided in this posi-UB1118AA