2005 SUBARU OUTBACK Owners Manual

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbagsFront seats
"
Never adjust the seat while driving to avoid
the possibility of loss of vehicle control and of
personal injury. " Before adjusting the seat, make sure the
hands and feet of rear seat passengers are
clear of the adjusting mechanism. " 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." The SRS airbags deploy with considerable
speed and force. Occupants who are out of
proper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Because the
SRS airbag needs enough space for deploy-
ment, the driver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still maintaining full ve-
hicle control and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as possible and situpright and well back in the seat.
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, especially if
they are 12 years of age and under and are not
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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restrained or improperly restrained. Because
children are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from deployment is
greater. For that reason, we strongly recom-
mend 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 restraint device
or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate for the
child’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward facing child seat) in the REAR
seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILDSEAT 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 child restraint systems, see the “Child
restraint systems” section in this chapter. !
Manual seat
! Fore and aft adjustment
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to the desired
position. Then release the lever and move the seat
back and forth to make sure that it is securely locked
into place.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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Reclining the seatback
To prevent the passenger from sliding under
the seatbelt in the event of a collision, alwaysput the seatback in the upright position while
the vehicle is in motion. Also, do not place ob-
jects such as cushions between the passenger
and the seatback. If you do so, the risk of slid-
ing 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. Pull the reclining lever up and adjust the seatback to
the desired position. Then release the lever and make
sure the seat is securely locked into place.
The seatback placed in a reclined position can spring
back upward with force when released. When operat-
ing the reclining lever to return the seatback, hold it
lightly so that it may be raised back gradually.
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!Seat cushion height adjustment (driver’s seat)
The height of the seat can be adjusted by moving the
seat cushion adjustment lever up and down.
When the lever is pushed down, the seat is lowered.
When the lever is pulled up, the seat rises. !
Power seat (if equipped)
! Fore and aft adjustment
To adjust the seat forward or backward, move the con-
trol switch forward or backward.
NOTE
During backward-forward adjustment of the seat,
you cannot adjust the seat cushion angle or seat
height.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
!
Reclining the seatback
To prevent the passenger from sliding under
the seatbelt in the event of a collision, always put the seatback in the upright position while
the vehicle is in motion. Also, do not place ob-
jects such as cushions between the passenger
and the seatback. If you do so, the risk of slid-
ing 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. To adjust the angle of the seatback, move the control switch.
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!Seat cushion angle adjustment (Driver’s seat
only)
To adjust the seat cushion angle, pull up or push down
the front end of the control switch. !
Seat height adjustment (Driver’s seat only)
To adjust the seat height, pull up or push down the
rear end of the control switch.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
!
Head restraint adjustment
To raise the head restraint, pull it up. To lower it, push
the head restraint down while pressing the release
button on the top of the seatback.
The head restraint should be adjusted so that the cen-
ter of the head restraint is closest to the top of the oc-
cupant’s ears.
Never drive the vehicle with the head restraints
removed because they are designed to reduce
the risk of serious neck injury in the event that
the vehicle is struck from the rear.
! Active head restraint
The front seats of your vehicle are equipped with ac-
tive head restraints. They automatically tilt forward
slightly in the event the vehicle is struck from the rear,
decreasing the amount of rearward head movement
and thus reducing the risk of whiplash. For maximum
effectiveness the head restraint should be adjusted so
that the center of the head restraint is closest to the top
of the occupant’s ears.
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"Each active head restraint is effective only
when its height is properly adjusted and the
user sits in the correct position on the seat. " Each active head restraint is designed to
work only once. If your vehicle is involved in a
rear-end collision, have an authorized SUBARU
dealer inspect the active head restraints." The active head restraints may not operate in
the event the vehicle experiences only a slight
impact in the rear." The active head restraints may be damaged if
they are pushed hard from behind or subjected
to shock. As a result, they may not function if
the vehicle suffers a rear impact. !
Lumbar support (if equipped)
Pull the lever forward or backward.
Pulling the lever forward will increase the amount of
support for your lower back.
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