
1-21
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
seats only)
If the seatbelt warning device for front passenger’s
seat does not function correctly (e.g., it is activated
even when the front passenger’s seat is empty or it is
deactivated even when the front passenger has not
fastened his/her seatbelt), take the following actions. "Ensure that no article is placed on the seat other
than the child restraint system and the child occupant. " Ensure that there is no article left in the seatback
pocket." Ensure that the backward-forward position and
seatback of front passenger’s seat are locked into
place securely by moving the seat back and forth.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If still the seatbelt warning device for front passenger’s
seat does not function correctly after taking relevant
corrective actions described above, immediately con-
tact your SUBARU dealer for an inspection. ! Fastening the seatbelt
"Never use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In
an accident, this can increase the risk or sever-
ity of injury. "
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. " Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when
the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the
seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacks
should be always used in the upright position
while the vehicle is running. If the front seat-
backs are not used in the upright position in a
collision, 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 in-
ternal injury or death. " Do not put cushions or any other materials
between occupants and seatbacks or seat
cushions. 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.

1-69
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
NOTE
The driver’s SRS side airbag, SRS curtain airbag
and seatbelt pretensioner are not controlled by the
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system. !Front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag uses a dual
stage inflator. The inflator operates in different ways
depending on the severity of impact and the total load
on the seat.
The total load on the seat is monitored by the passen-
ger’s occupant detection system weight sensor under
the seat.
The detection system monitors the total load on the
seat and, based on this, determines as to whether or
not the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag should be
activated.
Depending on the weight sensor output, only the driv-
er’s SRS frontal airbag may deploy. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so
may prevent the Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem from functioning correctly or cause the system to fail." Do not apply any strong impact to the front passen-
ger’s seat such as by kicking." Do not spill liquid on the front passenger’s seat. If
liquid is spilt, wipe it off immediately. "
Do not remove or disassemble the front passen-
ger’s seat." Do not install any accessory (such as an audio am-
plifier) other than a genuine SUBARU accessory un-
der the front passenger’s seat." Do not place anything (shoes, umbrella, etc.) under
the front passenger’s seat." The front passenger’s seat must not be used with
the head restraint removed. " Do not leave any article including a child restraint
system on the front passenger’s seat or the seatbelt
tongue and buckle engaged when you leave your ve-
hicle. " Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt buckle.
" Do not use front seats with their backward-forward
position and seatback not being locked into place se-
curely. If any of them are not locked securely, adjust
them again. For adjusting procedure, refer to the
“Manual seat” in the front seats section in Chapter 1 in
this owner’s manual. (Models equipped with manualseats only)
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or passenger’s occu-
pant detection system weight sensor have failed, the
SRS airbag system warning light will illuminate. Have
the system inspected by your SUBARU dealer imme-
diately if the SRS airbag system warning light comeson.

1-72
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
seat, activating the front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bag even though that seat is occupied by a child."
Do not place any article on the seat other than the
child occupant and a child restraint system." Do not place more than one child on the seat.
" Do not install any accessory such as a table or TV
onto the seatback." Do not store a heavy load in the seatback pocket.
" Do not allow the rear seat occupant to place his/her
hands or legs on the front passenger’s seatback, or al-
low him/her to pull the seatback. " If the front passenger’s frontal airbag ON indi-
cator illuminates and the OFF indicator extin-
guishes even when an infant or a small child is
in a child restraint system (including booster
seat)
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” position if the
front passenger’s frontal airbag ON indicator illumi-
nates and the OFF indicator extinguishes even when
an infant or a small child is in a child restraint system
(including booster seat). Remove the child restraint
system from the seat. By referring to the child restraint
manufacturer’s recommendations as well as the child
restraint system installation procedures in the “Child
restraint systems” section in this chapter, correctly in-
stall the child restraint system. Turn the ignition switch
to the “ON” position and make sure that the front pas- senger’s frontal airbag ON indicator goes out and the
OFF indicator comes on.
If still the ON indicator illuminates while the OFF indi-
cator extinguishes, take the following actions. "
Ensure that no article is placed on the seat other
than the child restraint system and the child occupant. " Ensure that there is no article left in the seatback
pocket. " Ensure that the backward-forward position and
seatback of front passenger’s seat are locked into
place securely by moving the seat back and forth.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If the ON indicator still illuminates while the OFF indi-
cator extinguishes after taking relevant corrective ac-
tions described above, relocate the child restraint sys-
tem to the rear seat and immediately contact your
SUBARU dealer for an inspection.
NOTE
When a child who has outgrown a child restraint
system or a small adult is seated in the front pas-
senger’s seat, the Subaru advanced frontal airbag
system may or may not activate the front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag depending on the occu-
pant’s seating posture. If the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag is activated (the ON indicator il-
luminates while the OFF indicator extinguishes),

1-74
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
the side of the seat. "
Ensure that the backward-forward position and
seatback of front passenger’s seat are locked into
place securely by moving the seat back and forth.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)" Next, turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position
and let the system complete the self check. Now, the
ON indicator should illuminate while the OFF indicator
remains extinguished.
If the OFF indicator still illuminates while the ON indi-
cator remains extinguished, ask the occupant to move
to the rear seat and immediately contact your SUBA-
RU dealer for an inspection. ! Effect vehicle modifications made for persons
with disabilities may have on Subaru advanced
frontal airbag system operation (U.S. only)
Changing or moving any parts of the front seats, seat
belts, front bumper, front side frame, instrument panel,
combination meter, steering wheel, steering column,
tire, suspension or floor panel can affect the operation of the Subaru advanced airbag system. If you have
any questions, you may contact the following Subaru
distributors:
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Dealer Services Department P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)
Schuman Carriage Motors, Inc.
1234 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96814
808-592-4497
Triple J Enterprises, Inc.
P. O. Box 6066, Tamuning, Guam 96931
671-646-9126
Trebol Subaru of Puerto Rico, Inc.
P. O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910
787-793-2828
There are no Subaru distributors in any other U.S. ter-
ritories as of May 2004. If you are in such an area,
please contact the Subaru distributor or dealer from
which you bought your vehicle.

1-92
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
roof side (from the front pillar to a point over the
rear seat) is scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged. "
Either center pillar and rear wheel house or a
nearby area of the vehicle was involved in an acci-
dent in which the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag did not deploy. " The fabric or leather of either front seatback is
cut, frayed, or otherwise damaged. ! Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
"To avoid accidental activation of the system
or rendering the system inoperative, which may
result in serious injury, no modifications
should be made to any components or wiring of
the SRS airbag system.
This includes following modifications: "Installation of custom steering wheels
" Attachment of additional trim materials to
the dashboard " Installation of custom seats
" Replacement of seat fabric or leather
" Installation of additional fabric or leather on the front seat "
Attachment of a hands-free microphone or
any other accessory to a front pillar, a center
pillar, a rear pillar, the windshield, a side win-
dow, an assist grip, or any other cabin sur-
face that would be near a deploying SRS cur-
tain airbag.
" 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. " Attachment of any equipment (bush bar,
winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
genuine SUBARU accessory parts. " Modification of the suspension system or
front end structure. " Installation of a tire of different size and con-
struction from the tires specified on the vehicle

3-23
Instruments and controls
– CONTINUED –
seconds later (21 seconds after turning ON the ignition
switch), the warning lights will alternate between flash-
ing and steady illumination at 15-second intervals, and
the chime will sound while the warning light(s) is/are
flashing.
Alternate flashing and steady illumination of the warn-
ing lights and sounding of the chime will continue until
both driver and front passenger fasten their seatbelts.
NOTE "If the driver and/or front passenger unfasten(s)
the seatbelt(s) after fastening, the seatbelt warn-
ing device operates as follows according to the
vehicle speed. "At speeds lower than approximately 9 mph (15
km/h)
The warning light(s) for unfastened seatbelt(s)
will alternate between flashing and steady illu-
mination at 15-second intervals. The chime will
not sound. " At approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or higher
speeds
The warning light(s) for unfastened seatbelt(s)
will alternate between flashing and steady illu-
mination at 15-second intervals and the chime
will sound while the warning light(s) is/are flash-
ing.
" If you unfasten and refasten driver’s seatbelt three times within six seconds after turning ON
the ignition switch, the warning operation that fol-lows the 6-second warning after turning ON the ig-
nition switch is canceled. When the ignition switch
is turned ON next time, however, the complete se-
quence of warning operation resumes.
If there is no passenger on the front passenger’s seat,
the seatbelt warning device for front passenger’s seat
will be deactivated. The front passenger’s occupant
detection system monitors whether or not there is a
passenger on the front passenger’s seat. Observe the
following precautions. Failure to do so may prevent
the device from functioning correctly or cause the de-
vice to fail."
Do not install any accessory such as a table or TV
onto the seatback." Do not store a heavy load in the seatback pocket.
" Do not allow the rear seat occupant to place his/her
hands or legs on the front passenger’s seatback, or al-
low him/her to pull the seatback." Do not use front seats with their backward-forward
position and seatback not being locked into place se-
curely. If any of them are not locked securely, adjust
them again. For adjusting procedure, refer to the
“Manual seat” in the front seats section in Chapter 1 in
this owner’s manual. (Models equipped with manualseats only)

3-24
Instruments and controls
If the seatbelt warning device for front passenger’s
seat does not function correctly (e.g., it is activated
even when the front passenger’s seat is empty or it is
deactivated even when the front passenger has not
fastened his/her seatbelt), take the following actions."
Ensure that no article is placed on the seat other
than the child restraint system and the child occupant." Ensure that there is no article left in the seatback
pocket. " Ensure that the backward-forward position and
seatback of front passenger’s seat are locked into
place securely by moving the seat back and forth.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If still the seatbelt warning device for front passenger’s
seat does not function correctly after taking relevant
corrective actions described above, immediately con-
tact your SUBARU dealer for an inspection. ! SRS airbag system warning light
When the ignition switch is turned to the “ON” position,
the SRS airbag system warning light will come on for
about seven seconds and go out. This shows the SRS
frontal airbag and SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag and seatbelt pretensioners are in normal oper-
ation. If this light comes on while driving or remains illuminat-
ed even after a period of about 7 seconds from when
the ignition has been turned on, it may indicate that the
SRS frontal airbag system or SRS side airbag system
(if equipped) or SRS curtain airbag or seatbelt preten-
sioner system is not working properly. Contact your
nearest SUBARU dealer immediately. !
Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators
“ ”: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
indicator
PASS AIR BAGPASS AIR BAGONONOUT.DISPOFF
PASS AIR BAG
OFFON
UB3208EA
ON or