2008 SUBARU OUTBACK window

Front seats........................................................... 1-2
Manual seat ........................................................ 1-3
Power seat (if equipped) ...................................... 1-4
Memory function (Driver ’s seat, if equipped) ........ 1-5
Head restraint adjustment .................................... 1-7
Active head restraint ........................................... 1-7
Lumbar support (if equipped) .............................. 1-8
Seat heater (if equipped) .................................... 1-8
Rear seats ............................................................ 1-9
Folding down the rear seatback ........................... 1-9
Head restraint adjustment ................................... 1-10
Armrest (if equipped) ......................................... 1-12
Loading long objects (Sedan) ............................. 1-12
Seatbelts ............................................................. 1-13
Seatbelt safety tips ............................................. 1-13
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) ................... 1-14
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) ............................................................ 1-14
Seatbelt warning light and chime ........................ 1-15
Fastening the seatbelt ........................................ 1-16
Seatbelt maintenance ......................................... 1-23
Front seatbelt pretensioners ............................. 1-24
System monitors ................................................ 1-25 System servicing
............................................... 1-26
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-27
Child restraint systems ..................................... 1-27
Where to place a child restraint system .............. 1-28
Choosing a child restraint system ...................... 1-30
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt ........................................................... 1-30
Installing a booster seat ..................................... 1-33
Installation of child restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) .............. 1-35
Top tether anchorages ....................................... 1-37
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ................................................ 1-40
Vehicle with SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints for driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers . .......................... 1-40
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system .............. 1-45
SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag ............. 1-55
SRS airbag system monitors .............................. 1-61
SRS airbag system servicing ... .......................... 1-63
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-64
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1

1-10Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
!Sedan models
1) Lock
2) Unlock
3) Release button
Insert the key into the key cylinder on the
seatback, unlock the seatback by turning the key counterclockwise, and then fold
the seatback down while pushing the
release button.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that it is securelylocked. !
Wagon models
Unlock the seatback by pushing the
release button and then fold the seatbackdown.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that it is securelylocked. &
Head restraint adjustment
WARNING
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.
! Rear windows side seating position
CAUTION
The head restraint is not intended to
be used at the lowest position.
Before sitting on the seat, raise the
head restraint to an appropriate
position depending on your sittingheight.

1-14Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. For instructions
and precautions concerning the
child restraint system, refer tothe“Child restraint systems ”
section in this chapter.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seatbelt(s) by the
driver and front passenger when any of
the SRS frontal, side and curtain airbagsdeploys. ! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to the“ Child restraint systems ”section in this
chapter. ! Children
If a child is too big for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the rear seat
and be restrained using the seatbelts.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions. Never allow a child to
stand up or kneel on the seat. If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses
the face or neck, adjust the shoulder belt
anchor height (window-side seating posi-
tions only) and then if necessary move the
child closer to the belt buckle to help
provide a good shoulder belt fit. Care must
be taken to securely place the lap belt as
low as possible on the hips and not on thechild
’s waist. If the shoulder portion of the
belt cannot be properly positioned, a child
restraint system should be used. Never
place the shoulder belt under the child ’s
arm or behind the child ’s back.
! Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the
seatbelts. They should consult their doctor
for specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips, not over the waist. &
Emergency Locking Retrac-
tor (ELR)
The driver ’s seatbelt has an Emergency
Locking Retractor (ELR).
The emergency locking retractor allows
normal body movement but the retractor
locks automatically during a sudden stop,
impact or if you pull the belt very quickly
out of the retractor. & Automatic/Emergency Lock-
ing Retractor (A/ELR)
Each passenger ’s seatbelt has an Auto-
matic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/
ELR). The Automatic/Emergency Locking
Retractor normally functions as an Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/
ELR has an additional locking mode“ Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode ”intended to secure a child restraint
system. When the seatbelt is once drawn
out completely and is then retracted even
slightly, the retractor locks the seatbelt in
that position and the seatbelt cannot be
extended. As the belt is rewinding, clicks
will be heard which indicate the retractor
functions as ALR. When the seatbelt is
retracted fully, ALR mode is released.
When securing a child restraint system on
the passengers ’seats, the seatbelt must
be changed over to the Automatic Locking

1-28Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child
on his or her lap while the vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot pro-
tect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be
caught between the passenger and
objects inside the vehicle. Addition-
ally, holding a child in your lap or
arms in the front seat exposes that
child to another serious danger.
Since the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force, the
child could be injured or even killed.WARNING
Children should be properly re-
strained at all times. Never allow a
child to stand up, or to kneel on any
seat. Unrestrained children will be
thrown forward during sudden stop
or in an accident and can be injured
seriously.
Additionally, children standing up or
kneeling on or in front of the front
seat are exposed another serious
danger. Since the SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed and
force, the child could be injured or
even killed. &
Where to place a child re-
straint system
The following are SUBARU ’s recommen-
dations on where to place a child restraint
system in your vehicle.
A: Front passenger ’s seat
You should not install a child restraint
system (including a booster seat) due to
the hazard to children posed by thepassenger ’s airbag.
B: Rear seat, window-side seatingpositions
Recommended positions for all types of
child restraint systems.
In these positions, Automatic/Emergency
Locking Retractor (A/ELR) seatbelts and
lower anchorages (bars) are provided for

&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
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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-

1-40Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
*SRS airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental re-
straint system. This name is used be-
cause the airbag system supplements thevehicle’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
position and each rear window-side seat-
ing positions. The supplemental restraint
system (SRS) consists of six airbags.
The configurations are as follows: . Driver ’s and front passenger ’s frontal
airbags. Driver ’s and front passenger ’s side
airbags. Curtain airbags (for driver, front pas- senger, and window-side rear passen- gers)
These SRS airbags are designed only
as a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt.
The system also controls front seatbelt
pretensioners. For operation instructions
and precautions concerning the seatbelt
pretensioner, refer to the
“Front seatbelt
pretensioners ”section in this chapter.
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear seat-
belts when the vehicle is moving.
The SRS airbag is designed only
as a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. It does not do away with the
need to fasten seatbelts. In com-
bination with the seatbelts, it
offers the best combined protec-
tion in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions concerning the seatbelt system,
refer to the
“Seatbelts ”section in
this chapter.
. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the SRS airbag. Because
the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed –faster than
the blink of an eye –and force to
protect in high speed collisions,
the force of an airbag can injure
an occupant whose body is too
close to SRS airbag.
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries
that can result when the SRS
airbag contacts an occupant not
in proper position such as one
thrown forward during pre-acci-
dent braking.
Even when properly positioned,
there remains a possibility that
an occupant may suffer minor
injury such as abrasions and
bruises to the face or arms
because of the SRS airbag de-
ployment force.
. 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

to deploy if the vehicle is struck from the
side or from behind, or if it rolls onto its
side or roof, or if it is involved in a low-
speed frontal collision.
1) First impact
2) Second impact
In an accident where the vehicle is
impacted more than once, the driver ’s
and/or front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag(s) will deploy only once on the firstimpact.
Example: In the case of a double collision,
first with another vehicle, then against a
concrete wall in immediate succession,
once either or both of the driver ’s and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags is/are
activated on the first impact, it/they will not
be activated on the second impact. &
SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag
The SRS side airbag is stored in the door
side of each front seat seatback, which
bears an “SRS AIRBAG ”label.
In a moderate to severe side impact
collision, the SRS side airbag on the
impacted side of the vehicle deploys
between the occupant and the door panel
and supplements the seatbelt by reducing
the impact on the occupant ’s chest and
waist. The SRS side airbag operates only
for front seat occupants.
The SRS curtain airbag on each side of
the cabin is stored in the roof side
(between the front pillar and a point over
the rear seat). An “SRS AIRBAG ”mark is
located at the top of each center pillar.
In a moderate to severe side impact
collision, the SRS curtain airbag on the
impacted side of the vehicle deploys
between the occupant and the side
window and supplements the seatbelt by
reducing the impact on the occupant ’s
head.
WARNING
The SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag are designed as only
a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt. They
do not do away with the need to
fasten seatbelts. It is also important
to wear your seatbelt to help avoid
injuries that can result when an
occupant is not seated in a proper
upright position.
WARNING
. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to either front door. The
SRS side airbag is stored in both
front seat seatbacks next to the
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-55
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