2006 SUBARU OUTBACK Owners Manual

1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbagsFront seats .......................................................... 1-2 Manual seat ............................................................. 1-3
Power seat (if equipped) ...... ............................ ...... 1-4
Reclining the seatback ........................................... 1-4
Head restraint adjustment ..................................... 1-5
Active head restraint .......... .................................... 1-6
Lumbar support (if equipped) ................................ 1-6
Seat heater (if equipped) ................................... 1-7
Rear seats ........................................................... 1-7 Folding down the rear seat – Station wagon ....... 1-8
Head restraint adjustment ..................................... 1-8
Armrest (if equipped) ......................................... 1-10 Loading long objects (Sedan) ............................... 1-10
Seatbelts ............................................................. 1-11 Seatbelt safety tips ................................................. 1-11
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) .................... 1-12
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor
(A/ELR) .................................................................. 1-13
Seatbelt warning light and chime .......................... 1-13
Fastening the seatbelt ............................................ 1-15
Seatbelt maintenance ............................................. 1-21
Front seatbelt pretensioners ............................. 1-21 System monitors .................................................... 1-22
System servicing .................................................... 1-23
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-24
Child restraint systems ..................................... 1-25
Where to place a child restraint system ............... 1-26
Choosing a child restraint system ........................ 1-27 Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR
seatbelt .................................................................. 1-28
Installing a booster seat ......................................... 1-31
Installation of child restraint systems by use of
lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) ............... 1-32
Top tether anchorages ........................................... 1-36
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System
airbag) .............................................................. 1-38 Vehicle with SRS airbags and lap/shoulder
restraints for driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers ............. ............ .... 1-38
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system .............. 1-43
SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag .............. 1-53
SRS airbag system monitors ............................. .... 1-59
SRS airbag system servicing ............................ .... 1-60
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-61

1-2 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats y Never adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid the possibility of loss
of vehicle control and of personal
injury.
y Before adjusting the seat, make
sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers are clear of the
adjusting mechanism.
y Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint 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 uprigh t position while
the vehicle is running. If the front
seatbacks are not used in the up-
right 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 internal
injury or death. y The SRS airbags deploy with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper posi-
tion when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries.
Because the SRS airbag needs
enough space for deployment, the
driver should always sit upright
and well back in the seat as far
from the steering wheel as practi-
cal while still maintaining full ve-
hicle control and the front passen-
ger should move the seat as far
back as possible and sit upright
and well back in the seat.
100082Put 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 restrained or
improperly restrained. Because chil-
dren are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured
from deployment is greater. Conse-
quently, we strongly recommend
that ALL children (including those in
child seats and those that have out-
grown child restraint devices) sit in
the REAR seat properly restrained
at all times in a child restraint device
or in a seatbelt, whichever is appro-
priate for the child’s age, height and
weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing
child seat) in the REAR seats at all
times.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-3
– CONTINUED –„ Manual seatT Fore and aft adjustment Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to
the desired position. Then release the le-
ver and move the seat back and forth to
make sure that it is securely locked into
place.
T Reclining the seatback
Pull the reclining lever up and adjust the
seatback to the desired position. Then re-
lease the lever and make sure the seat is
securely locked into place.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 re-
strained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precau-
tions concerning child restraint sys-
tems, see the “Child restraint sys-
tems” section in this chapter.
100244 100085To prevent the passenger from slid-
ing under the seatbelt in the event of
a collision, always put the seatback
in the upright posi tion while the ve-
hicle is in motion. Also, do not place
objects such as cushions between
the passenger and the seatback. 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 inter-
nal injury or death.
100245

1-4 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
The seatback placed in a reclined position
can spring back upward with force when
released. When operating the reclining le-
ver to return the seatback, hol d it lightly so
that it may be raised back gradually.
T Seat cushion height adjustment
(driver’s seat)
The height of the s eat can be adjusted by
moving the seat cush ion 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) T Fore and aft adjustment
To adjust the seat forward or backward,
move the control switch forward or back-
ward.
NOTE During backward-f orward adjustment
of the seat, you cannot adjust the seat
cushion angle or seat height. „ Reclining the seatback
100246 100247
To prevent the passenger from slid-
ing under the seatbelt in the event of
a collision, always put the seatback
in the upright position while the ve-
hicle is in motion. Also, do not place
objects such as cushions between
the passenger and the seatback. 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 inter-
nal injury or death. 100085

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-5
– CONTINUED –To adjust the angle of the seatback, move
the control switch.
T 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.
T Seat height adjustment (Driver’s
seat only)
To adjust the seat height, pull up or push
down the rear end of the control switch. „ 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 center of the head restraint is clos-
est to the top of the occupant’s ears.100250
100248 100249
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. 200282

1-6 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„ Active head restraint
The front seats of your vehicle are
equipped with active 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 maximu m 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. „ Lumbar support (if equipped)
Pull the lever forward or backward.
Pulling the lever forward will increase the
amount of support for your lower back.100089
y Each active head restraint is ef-
fective only when its height is
properly adjusted and the driver/
passenger sits in the correct posi-
tion on the seat.
y If your vehicle is involved in a
rear-end collision, have an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer inspect the
active head restraints.
y The active head restraints may
not operate in the event the vehi-
cle experiences only a slight im-
pact in the rear.
y 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. 100252

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-7
– CONTINUED –Seat heater (if equipped)
The seat heater operates when the igni-
tion switch is either in the “ACC” or “ON”
position.
Each seat heater has four levels of adjust-
ment. To use the heater in the right-hand
seat, turn the “R” adjustment knob forward
until the “ ” mark reaches the desired
position. To activate the heater in the left-
hand seat, turn the “L” adjustment knob
forward until the “ ” mark reaches the
desired position. Each heater warms the
seat most quickly with the “ ” mark on
the adjustment knob in the furthest-for-
ward position. An indicator light on the ad-
justment knob for each seat heater comes
on when that seat heater is activated. When the vehicle’s interior is warmed
enough or before you leave the vehicle,
be sure to turn the switch off.
NOTE Use of the seat heater for a long period
of time while the en gine is not running
can cause battery discharge. Rear seats100661
y There is a possibility that people
with delicate skin may suffer
slight burns even at low tempera-
tures if they use the seat heater
for a long period of time. When us-
ing the heater, always be sure to
warn the persons concerned.
y Do not put anything on the seat
which insulates against heat,
such as a blanket, cushion, or
similar items. This may cause the
seat heater to overheat.
Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits well
back and upright in the seat. 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 ab-
domen will increase, and both can
result in serious internal injury or
death. 100253