2005 SUBARU IMPREZA body

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
T
Infants 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, adjust the shoulder belt anchor height (window-
side seating positions only) and then if necessary
move the child closer to the belt buckle to help provide
a good shoulder belt fit. Care must be taken to secure-
ly 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 restraint
system should be used. Never place the shoulder belt
under the child’s arm or behind the child’s back. 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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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Some types of child restraint systems can be installed
on the rear seat of your vehicle without use of the seat-
belts. Such child restraint systems are secured to the
designated anchorages provided on the vehicle body.
The lower and tether anchorages are sometimes re-
ferred to as the LATCH system (
Lower Anchors and
T ethers for CHildren).
Your vehicle is equipped with four lower anchorages
(bars) and three upper anchorages (tether anchorag-
es) for accommodating such child restraint systems. The lower anchorages (bars) are used for installing a
child restraint system only on the rear seat window-
side seating positions. For each window-side seating
position, two lower anchorages are provided.
Each lower anchorage is located where the seat cush-
ion meets the seatback.
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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 supple-
ments the vehicle’s seatbelts. „Vehicle with driver’s and front passen-
ger’s SRS airbags and lap/shoulder re-straints
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 air-
bags) or four airbags (driver’s and front passenger’sfrontal airbags and driver’s and front passenger’s
side airbags).
These SRS airbags are designed only as a supple-
ment to the primary protection provided by the
seatbelt.
y To obtain maximum protection in the event of
an accident, the driver and all passengers in the vehicle should always wear seatbelts when 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 combina-
tion with the seatbelts, it offers the best com-
bined protection in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of
severe injury or death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions concerning
the seatbelt system, see the “Seatbelts” sec- tions in this chapter. y
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 injure an
occupant whose body is too close to SRS air-
bag.
It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help
avoid injuries that can result when the SRS air-
bag contacts an occupant not in proper posi-
tion such as one thrown forward during pre-ac-
cident braking.
Even when properly positioned, there remains
a possibility that an occupant may suffer minor

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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„SRS side airbag (if equipped)
The SRS side airbag is stored in the door side of each
front seatback, which bears an “SRS AIRBAG” label.
In a moderate to severe side impact collision, the SRS
side airbag on the impacted side of the vehicle de-
ploys between the occupant and the door panel and
supplements the seatbelt by reducing the impact on
the occupant’s chest and head.
The SRS side airbag is designed as only a sup-
plement to the primary protection provided by
the seatbelt. It does not do away with the need
to fasten seatbelts. It is also important to wear
your seatbelt to help avoid injuries that can re-
sult when an occupant is not seated in a proper
upright position.
Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to either
front door. The SRS side airbag is stored in
both front seat seatbacks next to the door, and
it provides protection by deploying rapidly
(faster than the blink of an eye) in the event of a
side impact collision. However, the force of
SRS side airbag deployment may cause injuries
if your head or other body parts are too close to
the SRS side airbag.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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Never allow a child to kneel on the front pas-
senger’s seat facing the side window or to wrap
his/her arms around the front seatback. In the
event of an accident, the force of the SRS side
airbag deployment could injure the child seri-
ously because his/her head or arms or other
body parts are too close to the SRS side airbag.
Since your vehicle is also equipped with a pas-
senger’s SRS frontal airbag, children aged 12
and under should be placed in the rear seat
anyway and should be properly restrained at all
times.
Do not attach accessories to the door trim or
near either SRS side airbags and do not place
objects near the SRS side airbags. In the event
of the SRS side airbag deployment, they could
be propelled dangerously toward the vehicle’s
occupants and cause injuries.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
should be made to any components or wiring of
the SRS airbag system.
This includes following modifications:
yInstallation of custom steering wheels
y Attachment of additional trim materials to
the dashboard y Installation of custom seats (for vehicles
with SRS side airbags only) y Replacement of seat fabric or leather (for
vehicles with SRS side airbags only)y Installation of additional fabric or leather
on the front seat (for vehicles with SRS side
airbags only)
y Installation of additional electrical/electronic
equipment such as a mobile two-way radio on
or near the SRS airbag system components
and/or wiring is not advisable. This could inter-
fere with proper operation of the SRS airbag
system.
Do not perform any of the following modifica-
tions. Such modifications can interfere with
proper operation of the SRS airbag system. y Attachment of any equipment (brush bar, winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
genuine SUBARU 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 driver’s door jamb.y Attachment of any equipment (side steps or
side sill protectors, etc.) other than genuine
SUBARU accessory parts to the side body (for
vehicles with side airbags only).
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if you want to in-
stall any accessory parts to your vehicle.

8-7
Driving tips
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Driving tips for AWD vehicles
All wheel drive distributes the engine power to all four
wheels. AWD vehicles provide better traction when
driving on slippery, wet or snow-covered roads and
when moving out of mud, dirt and sand. By shifting
power between the front and rear wheels, SUBARU
AWD can also provide added traction during acceler-
ation and added engine braking force during deceler-
ation.
Therefore, your SUBARU AWD vehicle may handle
differently than an ordinary two wheel drive vehicle
and it contains some features unique to AWD. For safety purposes as well as to avoid damaging the
AWD system, you should keep the following tips inmind: y
An AWD vehicle is better able to climb steeper
roads under snowy or slippery conditions than a two
wheel drive vehicle. There is little difference in han-
dling, however, during extremely sharp turns or sud-
den braking. Therefore, when driving down a slope or
turning corners, be sure to reduce your speed and
maintain an ample distance from other vehicles. y When replacing a tire, make sure you use only the
same size, construction, brand, and load range as the
original tires listed on the tire placard. Using other siz-
es, circumference or construction may result in severe
mechanical damage to the drive train of your vehicle
and may affect ride, handling, braking, speedometer/
odometer calibration, and clearance between the body
and tires. It also may be dangerous and lead to loss of
vehicle control. y If you use a temporary spare tire to replace a flat
tire, be sure to use the original temporary spare tire
stored in the vehicle. Using other sizes may result in
severe mechanical damage to the drive train of your
vehicle. y Always check the cold tire pressure before starting
to drive. The recommended tire pressure is provided
on the tire placard, which is located under the door
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Driving tips
shallow streams, first check the depth of the water and
the bottom of the stream bed for firmness and ensure
that the bed of the stream is flat. Drive slowly and com-
pletely through the stream. The water should be shal-
low enough that it does not reach the vehicle’s under-
carriage. Water entering the engine air intake or the
exhaust pipe or water splashing onto electrical parts
may damage your vehicle and may cause it to stall.
Never attempt to drive through rushing water; regard-
less of its depth, it can wash away the ground from un-
der your tires, resulting in possible loss of traction and
even vehicle rollover. y
Always check your brakes for effectiveness immedi-
ately after driving in sand, mud or water. Do this by
driving slowly and stepping on the brake pedal. Re-
peat that process several times to dry out the brake
discs and brake pads.y Do not drive or park over or near flammable materi-
als such as dry grass or fallen leaves, as they may
burn easily. The exhaust system is very hot while the
engine is running and right after the engine stops. This
could create a fire hazard. y After driving through tall grass, mud, rocks, sand,
rivers, etc., check that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stones, sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to the underbody, a mechanical
breakdown or fire could occur.y
Secure all cargo carried inside the vehicle and make
certain that it is not piled higher than the seatbacks.
During sudden stops or jolts, unsecured cargo could
be thrown around in the vehicle and cause injury. Do
not pile heavy loads on the roof. Those loads raise the
vehicle’s center of gravity and make it more prone to
tip over. y If you must rock the vehicle to free it from sand or
mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and move
the selector lever back and forth between “D” and “R”
repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the best pos-
sible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to
free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can
obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with the
transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT). y Never equip your vehicle with tires larger than those
specified in this manual. y Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle under hard-driv-
ing conditions such as rough roads or off roads will ne-
cessitate more frequent replacement of engine oil,
brake fluid and transmission oil than that specified in
the maintenance schedule described in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your Subaru while