2006 SUBARU OUTBACK child restraint

1-38 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
lower anchorages; lift up the head re-
straint while pressing the release button.
Store the head restrain t in the cargo area.
Avoid placing the head restraint in the
passenger compartment to prevent it from
being thrown around in the passenger
compartment in a sudden stop or a sharp
turn.
2. Open the cover flaps to use the an-
chorages. 3. Fasten the top tether hook of the child
restraint system to the appropriate upper
anchorage.
4. Tighten the top tether securely. *SRS airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System airbag) *SRS: This stands for supplemental re-
straint system. This name is used be-
cause the airbag system supplements the
vehicle’s seatbelts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seatbelt(s) by the
driver and/or front passenger when any of
the SRS frontal, side and curtain airbags
deploys.
„ Vehicle with SRS airbags and
lap/shoulder restraints for
driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers Your vehicle is equipped with a supple-
mental restraint system in addition to a
lap/shoulder belt at each front seating po-
sition and each rear window-side seating
positions. The supplemental restraint sys-
tem (SRS) consists of six airbags.
The configurations are as follows:
y Driver’s and front passenger’s frontal
airbags
y Driver’s and front passenger’s side air-
bags
y Curtain airbags (for driver, front pas-100271
Always remove the head restraint
when mounting a child restraint sys-
tem with a top teth er. Otherwise, it
may happen that the top tether can-
not be fastened tightly. 200308

1-40 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it is
equipped with SRS airbags by alerting
him or her to the applicable section in
this owner’s manual.y Put children aged 12 and under in
the rear seat properly restrained
at all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys 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 re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from de-
ployment is greater. 100082
Consequently, we strongly rec-
ommend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have ou tgrown child re-
straint 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 re-
straint devices (i ncluding forward
facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating po-
sitions.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint sys-
tem, see the “Child restraint sys-
tems” section in this chapter.
y 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. y Never allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger’s
seat, or never hold a child on your
lap or in your arms. The SRS air-
bag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill
the child.
y When the SRS ai rbag deploys,
some smoke will be released. This
smoke could cause breathing
problems for people with a history
of asthma or other breathing trou-
ble. If you or your passengers
have breathing problems after
SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air
promptly.
y A deploying SRS airbag releases
hot gas. Occupants could get
burned if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
– CONTINUED –„ Subaru advanced frontal air-
bag systemYour vehicle is equipped with a Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system that com-
plies with the new advanced frontal airbag
requirements in the amended Federal Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No.
208.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem automatically determines the deploy-
ment force of the driver’s SRS frontal air-
bag at the time of deployment as well as
whether or not to activate the front pas-
senger’s SRS frontal airbag and, if activat-
ed, the deployment force of the SRS fron-
tal airbag at the time of deployment.
Your vehicle has warning labels on the
driver’s and front passenger’s sun visors
beginning with the phrase “EVEN WITH
ADVANCED AIR BAGS” and a tag at-
tached to the glove box lid beginning with
the phrase “Even with Advanced Air
Bags”. Make sure th at you carefully read
the instructions on the warning labels and
tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The subaru
advanced frontal airbag system is a sup-
plemental restraint system and must be
used in combination with a seatbelt. All
occupants should wear a seatbelt or be
seated in an appropriate child restraint
system. The driver’s SRS frontal airbag is stowed
in the center portion of the steering wheel.
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
is stowed near the top of the dashboard
under an “SRS AIRBAG” mark.
In a moderate to seve re frontal collision,
the driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags deploy and supplement the
seatbelts by reducing the impact on the
driver’s and front passenger’s head and
chest.
100261NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SAFETY 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.
Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on the front passenger’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child. 100126

1-46 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
y Do not apply any strong impact to the
front passenger’s seat such as by kicking.
y Do not spill liquid on the front passen-
ger’s seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it off im-
mediately.
y Do not disassemble the front passen-
ger’s seat.
y Do not install any accessory (such as
an audio amplifier) other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the front pas-
senger’s seat.
y Do not place anything (shoes, umbrella,
etc.) under the front passenger’s seat.
y The front passenger’s seat must not be
used with the head restraint removed.
y Do not leave any article including a child
restraint system on the front passenger’s
seat or the seatbelt tongue and buckle en-
gaged when you leave your vehicle.
y Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle and the seatbelt retractor.
y Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-forward position and seatback not
being locked into place securely. If any of
them are not locked securely, adjust them
again. For adjusting procedure, refer to
the “Manual seat” in the front seats sec-
tion in Chapter 1 in this owner’s manual.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or front
passenger’s occupant detection system
have failed, the SRS airbag system warn- ing light will illumi nate. Have the system
inspected by your SUBARU dealer imme-
diately if the SRS airbag system warning
light comes on.
If your vehicle has sustained impact, this
may affect the proper function of the
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system.
Have your vehicle inspected at your
SUBARU dealer.
NOTE The front passenger’s SRS side airbag,
SRS curtain airbag and seatbelt preten-
sioner are not controlled by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system.
T Passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
or : Front passenger’s frontal air- bag ON indicator
or : Front passenger’s frontal air-
bag OFF indicator
The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag.
The indicators are located between the
map lights.
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, both the ON and OFF indi-
cators illuminate for 6 seconds during
which time the system is checked. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. After that, one of
the indicators illuminates depending on
the status of the fr ont passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag determined by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system monitor-
ing.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain extinguished.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator will remain extinguished
while the OFF indicator will illuminate.
If both the ON and OFF indicators remain
lit or extinguished simultaneously, the sys-
tem is faulty. Contact your SUBARU deal-
er immediately for an inspection. 100663

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-47
– CONTINUED –T Conditions in which front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not acti-
vated
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the fol-
lowing conditions are met regarding the
front passenger’s seat:
y The seat is empty.
y The seat is equipped with a rearward
facing child restrain t system a nd an infant
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
y The seat is equipped with a forward fac-
ing child restraint syst em and a small child
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
y The seat is equipped with a booster
seat and a small child is in the booster
seat. (See WARNING that follows.)
y The seat is relieved of the occupant
load for a time exceeding the predeter-
mined monitoring time period.
y The seat is occupied by a child who has
outgrown a child restraint system (See
WARNING that follows .) or by a small
adult.
y The front passenger’s occupant detec-
tion system is faulty. When the front passenger’s seat is occu-
pied by a child, observe the following pre-
cautions. Failure to do so may increase
the load on the front passenger’s seat, ac-
tivating the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even though that seat is occupied
by a child.
y Do not place any article on the seat oth-
er than the child occupant and a child re-
straint system. y Do not place more than one child on the
seat.
y Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.
y Do not store a heavy load in the seat-
back pocket.
y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front
passenger’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback.
V If the front passen ger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator illuminates and the
OFF indicator extinguishes even
when an infant or a small child is in
a child restraint system (including
booster seat)
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion if the front passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator illuminates and the OFF indi-
cator 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 refer-
ring to the child restraint manufacturer’s
recommendations as well as the child re-
straint system installation procedures in
the “Child restraint systems” section in this
chapter, correctly inst all the child restraint
system. Turn the igniti on switch to the
“ON” position and make sure that the front
passenger’s frontal airbag ON indicatorNEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
PASSENGER’S SEAT EVEN IF THE
FRONT PASSENGER’S SRS FRON-
TAL AIRBAG IS DEACTIVATED. Be
sure to install it in the REAR seat in
a correct manner. Also, it is strongly
recommended that any forward fac-
ing child seat or booster seat be in-
stalled in the REAR seat, and that
even children who have outgrown a
child restraint system be also seat-
ed in the REAR seat. This is because
children sitting in the front passen-
ger’s seat may be killed or severely
injured should the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag deploy. REAR
seats are the safest place for chil-
dren.

1-48 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
goes out and the OFF indicator comes on.
If still the ON indicator remains illuminated
while the OFF indicator extinguishes, take
the following actions.
y Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than the child restraint system
and the child occupant.
y Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.
y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion 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 indicator extinguishes after tak-
ing relevant corrective actions described
above, relocate the child restraint system
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 passenger’s seat,
the Subaru advanced frontal airbag
system may or may not activate the
front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
depending on the occupant’s seating
posture. If the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag is activated (the ON indi- cator illuminates while the OFF indica-
tor extinguish es), take the following
actions.
y Ensure that no article is placed on
the seat other than the occupant.
y Ensure that there is no article left in
the seatback pocket.
If the ON indicator still illuminates
while the OFF indicator extinguishes
despite the fact that the actions noted
above have been taken, seat the child/
small adult in the rear seat and immedi-
ately contact your SUBARU dealer for
an inspection. Even if the system has
passed the dealer inspection, it is rec-
ommended that on subsequent trips
the child/small adult always take the
rear seat.
Children who have outgrown a child re-
straint system should always wear the
seatbelt irrespective of whether the airbag
is deactivated or activated.
T Conditions in which front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag is activated
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
will be activated for deployment upon im-
pact when any of the following conditions
is met regarding the front passenger’s
seat.
y When the seat is occupied by an adult. y When a heavy article is placed on the
seat.
When the front passenger’s seat is occu-
pied by an adult, observe the following
precautions. Failure to do so may lessen
the load on the front passenger’s seat, de-
activating the front passenger’s SRS fron-
tal airbag despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult.
y Do not allow the r ear seat occupant to
lift the front passenger’s seat cushion us-
ing his/her feet.
y Do not place any article under the front
passenger’s seat, or squeeze any article
from behind and under the seat. This may
lift the seat cushion.
y Do not squeeze any article between the
front passenger’s seat and side trim/pillar,
door or center consol e box. This may lift
the seat cushion.
V If the passenger’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator illuminates and the
ON indicator extinguishes even
when the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incorrect-
ly sitting in the front passenger’s seat.
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion. Ask the front passenger to set the
seatback to the upri ght position, sit up
straight in the center of the seat cushion,

Keys and doors
2-5
– CONTINUED –Locking without the key
1) Rotate the lock lever rearward.
2) Close the door.
To lock the door fr om the outside without
the key, rotate the lock lever rearward and
then close the door. Locking without the key
1) Push the power door locking switch for-
ward.
2) Close the door.
To lock the door from the outside using the
power door locking switch, push the
switch forward (“LOCK” side) and then
close the door. In this case, all closed
doors and the rear gate (Station wagon)
are locked at the same time.
Always make sure that all doors and the
rear gate are locked before leaving your
vehicle.
NOTE Make sure that you do not leave the key
inside the vehicle before locking the
doors from the outs ide without the key. „ Locking and unlocking from
the inside2 1
200837
LOCK
2 1
200838
Keep all doors locked when you
drive, especially when small chil-
dren are in your vehicle.
Along with the proper use of seat-
belts and child restraints, locking
the doors reduces the chance of be-
ing thrown out of the vehicle in an
accident.
It also helps prevent passengers
from falling out if a door is acciden-
tally opened, and intruders from un-
expectedly opening doors and en-
tering your vehicle.
200384

3-16 Instruments and controls
the device to fail.
y Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.
y Do not store a heavy load in the seat-
back pocket.
y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front
passenger’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback.
y Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-forward position and seatback not
being locked into place securely. If any of
them are not locked securely, adjust them
again. For adjusting procedure, refer to
the “Manual seat” in the front seats sec-
tion in chapter 1 in this owner’s manual.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If the seatbelt warning device for the front
passenger’s seat does not function cor-
rectly (e.g., it is activated even when the
front passenger’s seat is empty or it is de-
activated even when the front passenger
has not fastened his/her seatbelt), take
the following actions.
y Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than a child restraint system
and its child occupant.
y Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.
y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion 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 cor-
rectly after taking re levant corrective ac-
tions described above, immediately con-
tact your SUBARU dealer for an inspec-
tion.
„ SRS airbag system
warning light When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, t he SRS airbag system
warning light will come on for approxi-
mately 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 the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt pre-
tensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle
to your nearest SUBARU dealer to
have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will operate improperly (e.g.
SRS airbags may inflate in a very mi-
nor collision or not inflate in a se-
vere collision), which may increase
the risk of injury.
y Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
y No illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON” position
y Continuous illumination of the
warning light
y Illumination of the warning light
while driving