2005 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX light

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
cle, be sure to turn the switch off.
y
There is a possibility that people with delicate
skin may suffer slight burns even at low tem-
peratures if he/she uses the seat heater for a
long period of time. When using the heater, al-
ways be sure to warn the persons concerned. y Do not put anything on the seat which insu-
lates against heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
or similar items. This may cause the seat heater
to overheat.
NOTE y Use of the seat heater for a long period of time
while the engine is not running can cause battery
discharge.y When cleaning the seat, do not use benzine,
paint thinner, or any similar materials.
Rear seats
Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the
occupant sits well back and upright in the seat.
Do not put cushions or any other materials be-
tween occupants and seatbacks or seat cush-
ions. If you do so, the risk of sliding under the
lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the
abdomen will increase, and both can result in
serious internal injury or death.
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Seatbelts „Seatbelt safety tips
yAll persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.y All belts should fit snugly in order to provide
full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as ef-
fective in preventing or reducing injury.y Each seatbelt is designed to support only
one person. Never use a single belt for two or
more persons – even children. Otherwise, in an
accident, serious injury or death could result. y Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by occu-
pants of a vehicle that has been in a serious ac-
cident. The entire assembly should be replaced
even if damage is not obvious.y Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and
force and can injure or even kill children, espe- cially if they are 12 years of age and under and
are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater. For that reason, we strongly
recommend that ALL children (including those
in child seats and those that have outgrown
child restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat
properly restrained at all times in a child re-
straint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-
propriate for the child’s height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD
SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD
BY PLACING THE CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE
TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the child restraint system, see the
“Child restraint systems” section in this chap-
ter.

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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„Automatic/Emergency Locking Retrac- tor (A/ELR)
Each passenger’s seatbelt has an Automatic/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (A/ELR). The Automatic/
Emergency Locking Retractor normally functions as
an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/ELR
has an additional locking mode “Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) mode” intended to secure a child re-
straint system. When the seatbelt is once drawn out
completely and is then retracted even slightly, the re-
tractor locks the seatbelt in that position and the seat-
belt cannot be extended. As the belt is rewinding,
clicks will be heard which indicate the retractor func-
tions as an ALR. When the seatbelt is retracted fully,
the ALR mode is released.
When securing a child restraint system on the rear
seats by the use of the seatbelt, the seatbelt must be
changed over to the Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is removed, make
sure that the seatbelt retracts fully and the retractor re-
turned to the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
mode.
For instructions on how to convert the retractor to 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 warning de-
vice 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 when the ignition switch is
turned to “ON” to remind the driver to wear the seat-
belt. If the driver’s seatbelt is not fastened, the warning
light remains on and a warning chime sounds at the
same time. The warning light stays illuminated until
the driver fastens the seatbelt but the chime stops
sounding after about six seconds. „ Fastening the seatbelt
yNever use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In
an accident, this can increase the risk or sever-
ity of injury. y 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 of
across the weaker abdomen.y Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when
the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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TFront seatbelts
1. Adjust the seat position:
Driver’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the upright posi-
tion. 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 possi-
ble.
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 before reach-
ing 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. 4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until you
hear a click.
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When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does not pass
over your neck. If it does, adjust the seatbelt an-
chor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder
belt over the neck may result in neck injury dur-
ing sudden braking or in a collision.
V Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
retracted properly to avoid catching the belt webbing in the door. T
Rear seatbelts (except rear center seatbelt on
Wagon)
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the belt out slowly.
Do not let it get twisted. If the belt stops before reach-
ing 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 a strong pull on it, then
pull it out slowly again.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until you
hear a click.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
3. After confirming that the webbing is not twisted, in-
sert the connector (tongue) attached at the webbing
end into the buckle on the right hand side until a click
is heard.
If the belt stops before 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.
4. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate in the center
seatbelt buckle marked “CENTER” on the left hand side until it clicks.
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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, the occu-
pants should sit in an upright position with
their seatbelts properly fastened. Refer to the “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 vehicle due to
collision damage or for other reasons, consult
your SUBARU dealer.
„ 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 illumi-
nate. The SRS airbag system warning light will show
normal system operation by lighting for about 6 sec-
onds when the ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-
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tion.
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
y And all other airbag components
If the warning light exhibits any of the following
conditions, there may be a malfunction in the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle to your
nearest SUBARU dealer to have the system
checked. Unless checked and properly re-
paired, the seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbag will not operate properly in the event of
a collision, which may increase the risk of inju-
ry.yFlashing or flickering of the indicator light
y No illumination of the warning light when the
ignition switch is first turned to the “ON” posi-tion y
Continuous illumination of the warning light
yIllumination of the warning light while driving
„ System servicing
yWhen discarding a seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or scrapping the entire vehicle 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 SRS air-
bag or could make the system inoperative,
which may result in serious injury. The wiring
harnesses 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 SRS airbag systems.
For required servicing of the seatbelt preten-
sioner, see your nearest SUBARU dealer.