2007 SUBARU FORESTER seat adjustment

1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats .......................................................... 1-2Manual seat ............................................................. 1-3
Power seat (if equipped) ........................................ 1-4
Lumbar support (Driver’s seat only) ..................... 1-5
Head restraint adjustment ..................................... 1-6
Active head restraint .............................................. 1-6
Seat heater (if equipped) ................................... 1-7
Rear seats ........................................................... 1-7 Head restraint adjustment ..................................... 1-8
Folding down the rear seatback ............................ 1-9
Armrest (if equipped) ......................................... 1-10
Seatbelts ............................................................. 1-10 Seatbelt safety tips ................................................. 1-10
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) .................... 1-11
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) .................................................................. 1-12
Seatbelt warning light and chime .......................... 1-12
Fastening the seatbelt ............................................ 1-13
Seatbelt maintenance ............................................. 1-19
Seatbelt extender ............................................... 1-20
Front seatbelt pretensioners ............................. 1-21 System monitors .................................................... 1-22
System servicing .................................................... 1-23
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-23
Child restraint systems ..................................... 1-24 Where to place a child restraint system ............... 1-25
Choosing a child restraint system ........................ 1-26
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt .................................................................. 1-27 Installing a booster seat ......................................... 1-30
Installation of child restraint systems by use of
lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) ............... 1-32
Top tether anchorages ........................................... 1-34
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) .............................................................. 1-36Vehicle with driver’s and front passenger’s SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints ........... 1-36
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system .............. 1-40
SRS side airbag (if equipped) ................................ 1-52
SRS airbag system monitors ................................. 1-57
SRS airbag system servicing ................................ 1-58
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-59

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-3
– CONTINUED –
„
Manual seat
T 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-
back is securely locked into place.
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, hold it lightly so
that it may be raised back gradually.
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.
100595
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
100596

1-4 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
TSeat height adjustment (Driver’s
seat only)
1) Turn the dial backward to lower the seat.
2) Turn the dial forward to raise the seat.
Use the adjusting dial to adjust the height
of the seat. „
Power seat (if equipped)
T Fore and aft adjustment
To adjust the seat forward or backward,
move the control switch forward or back- ward. T
Seat cushion angle adjustment
To adjust the seat cushion angle, pull up
or push down the front end of the control
switch. T Seat height adjustment
21
100597
100598
100739
100600

1-6 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 center of the head restraint is clos-
est to the top of the occupant’s ears.„ 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 maximum effectiveness the
head restraint should be adjust so that the
center of the head restraint is closest to
the top of the occupant’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.
100087100089
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.

1-8 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„Head restraint adjustment
TRear windows side seating position
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.
When the seats are not occupied, lower
the head restraint to improve rearward vis-
ibility. T
Rear center seating positionTo 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.
When the rear center seating position is
occupied, place the head restraint to the
click position. When the rear center seat-
ing position is not occupied, lower the
head restraint to improve rearward visibil-
Never stack luggage or other cargo
higher than the top of the seatback
because it could tumble forward and
injure passengers in the event of a
sudden stop or accident.
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.
100094
The head restraint is not intended to
be used at the lowest position. Be-
fore sitting on the seat, raise the
head restraint to the click position
depending on your sitting height.
100098
The head restraint is not intended to
be used at the lowest position. Be-
fore sitting on the seat, raise the
head restraint to the click position
depending on your sitting height.
100099

1-42 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
TDriver’s SRS frontal airbag
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag uses a
dual stage inflator. The inflator operates in
different ways depending on the severity
of impact, backward-forward adjustment
of the driver’s seat position and whether or
not he/she is wearing the seatbelt.
The backward-forward adjustment of the
driver’s seat position is monitored by the
driver’s seat position sensor under the driver’s seat.
Whether or not the driver is wearing the
seatbelt is monitored by the seatbelt buck-
le switch.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may cause the seatbelt buckle
switch and/or the seat position sensor to
malfunction, preventing the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or causing the system to
fail. y
Do not place articles/metal objects or in-
stall any accessory other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the driver’s
seat. Do not allow the rear seat occupant
to kick the driver’s seat or push up its bot-
tom surface with his/her feet. y Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle or under the driver’s seat.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or the
driver’s seat position sensor have failed,
the SRS airbag system warning light will il-
luminate. Although the driver’s SRS fron-
tal airbag can deploy regardless of the
backward-forward adjustment of the driv-
er’s seat position even when the warning
light is on, have the system inspected by
your SUBARU dealer immediately if the
SRS airbag system warning light comes on.
NOTE
The driver’s SRS side airbag and seat-
belt pretensioner are not controlled by
the Subaru advanced frontal airbag
system. T Front passenger’s SRS frontal air- bag
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator op-
erates in different ways depending on the
severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the occupant detection system’s weight
sensor located under the seat.
The system has another sensor that mon-
itors the tension of the front passenger
seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system deter-
mines whether the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag should or should not be in-
flated.
The occupant detection system may not
inflate the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or cause the system to
fail.
Do not attach accessories to the
windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants.
100157

1-48 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
TOperation
A) Driver’s side
B) Passenger’s side
1) SRS AIRBAGs deploy as soon as a collision occurs.
2) After deployment, SRS AIRBAGs start to deflate immediately so that the driver’s vision is not obstructed.
A B
1
2
100619 The SRS airbag can function only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem is designed to determine the activa-
tion or deactivation condition of the front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag depend-
ing on the total load on the front passen-
ger’s seat monitored by the front passen-
ger’s occupant detection system weight
sensor. For this reason, only the driver’s
SRS frontal airbag may deploy in the
event of a collision, but this does not mean
failure of the system.
If the front sub sensors inside both front
fenders and the impact sensors in the air-
bag control module detect a predeter-
mined amount of force during a frontal col-
lision, the control module sends signals to
the airbag module(s) (only driver’s module
or both driver’s and front passenger’s
modules) instructing the module(s) to in-
flate the SRS frontal airbag(s). The driv-
er’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bags use dual stage inflators. The two in-
flators of each airbag are triggered either
sequentially or simultaneously, depending
on the severity of impact, backward-for-
ward adjustment of the driver’s seat posi-
tion and fastening/unfastening of the seat-
belt in the case of the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag and depending on the severity of
impact and the total load on the seat in the

7-6 Starting and operating
not damage an AWD SUBARU vehicle.
Under no circumstances should the rear
wheels be jacked off the ground, nor
should the driveshaft be disconnected for
state emission testing.
The EPA has issued regulations for in-
specting the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD)
system as part of the state emissions in-
spection. The OBD system is designed to
detect engine and transmission problems
that might cause vehicle emissions to ex-
ceed allowable limits. These inspections
apply to all 1996 model year and newer
passenger cars and light trucks. Over 30
states plus the District of Columbia have
implemented the OBD system inspection. yThe inspection of the OBD system con-
sists of a visual operational check of the
“CHECK ENGINE” warning light/mal-
function indicator lamp (MIL) and an ex-
amination of the OBD system with an
electronic scan tool while the engine is
running y A vehicle passes
the OBD system in-
spection if proper the “CHECK ENGINE”
warning light/MIL illumination is observed,
there is no stored diagnostic trouble
codes, and the OBD system readiness
monitors are complete. y A vehicle fails
the OBD inspection if the “CHECK ENGINE”
warning light/MIL is
not properly operating or there is one or
more diagnostic trouble codes stored in
vehicle’s computer with the “CHECK EN-
GINE” warning light/MIL illuminated.
y A state emission inspection may reject
(not pass or fail) a vehicle if the number of
OBD system readiness monitors “Not
Ready” is greater than one. Under this
condition, the vehicle operator should be
instructed to drive his/her vehicle for a few
days to set the monitors and return for an
emission re-inspection. y Owners of rejected or failing vehicles
should contact their SUBARU Dealer for
service.
Preparing to drive
You should perform the following checks
and adjustments every day before you
start driving.
1. Check that all windows, mirrors, and
lights are clean and unobstructed.
2. Check the appearance and condition of
the tires. Also check tires for proper infla-
tion.
3. Look under the vehicle for any sign of
leaks.
4. Check that the hood and rear gate are
fully closed.
5. Check the adjustment of the seat.
6. Check the adjustment of the inside and
outside mirrors.
7. Fasten your seatbelt. Check that your
passengers have fastened their seatbelts.
8. Check the operation of the warning and
indicator lights when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
9. Check the gauges, indicator and warn-
ing lights after starting the engine.
NOTE
Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid,
washer fluid and other fluid levels
should be checked daily, weekly or at
fuel stops.