2008 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

1-32Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
NOTE
When the child restraint system is no
longer in use, remove it and restore the
ELR function of the retractor. That
function is restored by retracting the
seatbelt fully. ! Installing forward facing child re- straint
1. Place the child restraint system in the
seating position.
2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the child restraint system
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
4. Take up the slack in the lap belt.
5. Pull out the seatbelt fully from the
retractor to change the retractor over from
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
to the Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
function. Then, allow the belt to rewind
into the retractor. As the belt is rewinding,
clicks will be heard which indicate the
retractor functions as ALR.6. Before having a child sit in the child
restraint system, move it back and forth
and right and left to check if it is firmly
secured. Sometimes a child restraint can
be more firmly secured by pushing it down
into the seat cushion and then tightening
the seatbelt.
7. Pull at the shoulder portion of the belt
to confirm that it cannot be pulled out (ALR
properly functioning).

Sedan
Station wagon
8. If the child restraint system requires a
top tether, latch the hook onto the top
tether anchor and tighten the top tether.
Refer to the “Top tether anchorages ”for additional instructions.
9. To remove the child restraint system,
press the release button on the seatbelt
buckle and allow the belt to retract
completely. The belt will return to the
ELR mode. NOTE
When the child restraint system is no
longer in use, remove it and restore the
ELR function of the retractor. That
function is restored by allowing the
seatbelt to retract fully.
&
Installing a booster seat
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-33
– CONTINUED –

1-34Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
1. Place the booster seat in the rear
seating position and sit the child on it. The
child should sit well back on the boosterseat.
2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the booster seat and the child following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click. Take care not to
twist the seatbelt.
Make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of child
’s shoulder and
that the lap belt is positioned as low as
possible on the child ’s hips.
4. To remove the booster seat, press the
release button on the seatbelt buckle and
allow the belt to retract.
WARNING
. Never use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can
increase the risk or severity of
injury to the child. .
Never place the shoulder belt
under the child ’s arm or behind
the child ’s back. If an accident
occurs, this can increase the risk
or severity of injury to the child.
. The seatbelt should fit snugly in
order to provide full restraint.
Loose fitting belts are not as
effective in preventing or redu-
cing injury.
. Place the lap belt as low as
possible on the child ’s hips. A
high-positioned lap belt will in-
crease the risk of sliding under
the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen, and
both can result in serious inter-
nal injury or death.
. Make sure the shoulder belt is
positioned across the center ofchild ’s shoulder. Placing the
shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sud-
den braking or in a collision.

&Installation of child restraint
systems by use of lower and
tether anchorages (LATCH)
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
Some types of child restraint systems can
be installed on the rear seat of your
vehicle without use of the seatbelts. Such
child restraint systems are secured to the
dedicated anchorages provided on the
vehicle body.
The lower and tether anchorages are
sometimes referred to as the LATCH
system ( Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CH ildren).
Your vehicle is equipped with four lower
anchorages (bars) and three upper an-
chorages (tether anchorages) for accom-
modating such child restraint systems.
The lower anchorages (bars) are used for
installing a child restraint system only on
the rear seat window-side seating posi-
tions. For each window-side seating posi-
tion, two lower anchorages are provided.
Each lower anchorage is located behind
the cover of seatback bottom. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-35
– CONTINUED –

1-36Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Sedan
Station wagon
The tether anchorages (upper an-
chorages) are provided for all the seating
positions (center and both window-side
ones) of the rear seat.
You will find marks “”at the bottom of the
rear seat seatbacks. These marks indicate
the positions of the lower anchorages(bars).
Each lower anchorage is located behind
the cover of seatback bottom.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
Peel off the anchorage cover from the
selected side of the rear seatback to
expose the anchorages (bars) to be used
for installation of the child restraint system.
1. While following the instructions sup-
plied by the child restraint system manu-

facturer, connect the lower hooks onto the
lower anchorages located at“”marks on
the bottom of the rear seatback. When the
hooks are connected, make sure the
adjacent seatbelts are not caught.
2. If your child restraint system is of a
flexible attachment type (which uses
tether belts to connect the child restraint
system properly to the lower anchorages),
while pushing the child restraint into the
seat cushion, pull both left and right lower
tether belts up to secure the child restraint
system firmly by taking up the slack in thebelt.
3. Connect the top tether hook to the
tether anchorage and firmly tighten the
tether. For information on how to set the
top tether, read the following “Top tether
anchorages ”.
4. Before seating a child in the child
restraint system, try to move seat back
and forth and left and right to verify that it
is held securely in position.
5. To remove the child restraint system,
follow the reverse procedures of installa-tion.
If you have any question concerning this
type of child restraint system, ask your
SUBARU dealer. & Top tether anchorages
Your vehicle is equipped with three top
tether anchorages so that a child restraint
system having a top tether can be
installed in the rear seat. When installing
a child restraint system using top tether,
proceed as follows, while observing the instructions by the child restraint system
manufacturer.
Since a top tether can provide additional
stability by offering another connection
between a child restraint system and the
vehicle, we recommend that you use a top
tether whenever one is required or avail-able. !
Tether anchorage location
! Sedan
Three tether anchorages are installed on
the rear shelf behind the rear seat head
restraint. Open the cover flap to use eachanchorage. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-37
– CONTINUED –

1-38Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
! Station wagon
Three tether anchorages, i.e., ones for the
right, center and left positions, are already
installed on the rear edge of the roof.
Open the cover flap to use each ancho- rage. !
To hook the top tether
! Sedan
1. Remove the head restraint at the
seating position where the child seat has
been installed with the seatbelt or lower
anchorages; lift up the head restraint while
pressing the release button.
Store the head restraint in the trunk. Avoid
placing the head restraint in the passen-
ger compartment to prevent it from being
thrown around in the passenger compart-
ment in a sudden stop or a sharp turn.
2. Open the cover flaps to use the anchorages.
3. Fasten the top tether hook of the child
restraint system to the appropriate upperanchorage.

4. Tighten the top tether securely.
CAUTION
Do not route the top tether over the
head restraint. It may happen that
the top tether cannot be fastened
tightly.
When the child restraint system is to
be secured using the top tether,
pass the top tether under the head
restraint between the head restraint
stay posts. If the top tether still
cannot be fastened tightly, remove
the head restraint.
! Station wagon
1. Remove the head restraint at the seating position where the child restraint
system has been installed with the seat-
belt or lower anchorages; lift up the head
restraint while pressing the release button.
Store the head restraint 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 sharpturn.
2. Open the cover flaps to use the anchorages.
3. Fasten the top tether hook of the child
restraint system to the appropriate upperanchorage.
4. Tighten the top tether securely.
CAUTION
Always remove the head restraint
when mounting a child restraint
system with a top tether. Otherwise,
it may happen that the top tether
cannot be fastened tightly. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-39