
&Reclining the seatback
WARNING
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
vehicle 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 internal injury or death.
CAUTION
. In a 7-seater model vehicle, never
allow the third-row seat passen-
gers to adjust the seatback of the
second row. Doing so is danger-
ous as the seatback will tilt
rapidly and could injure the pas-
sengers.
. If the cargo area cover is
equipped, be careful not to pinch
your hand between the headrest
and the cargo area cover when
you recline the rear seat.Pull the lever up and adjust the seatback
to the desired position.
Then release the lever and make sure the
seatback is securely locked into place.
& Folding down the seatback
WARNING
. After returning the seat to its
original position, be certain to
place all of the seatbelts and the
tab attached to the seat cushion
above the seat cushion. And
make certain that the shoulder
belts are fully visible.
. Never allow passengers to ride
on the folded seatback or in the
cargo area. Doing so may result
in serious injury or death.
. Secure skis and other lengthy
items properly to prevent them
from being thrown around inside
the vehicle and causing serious
injury during a sudden stop, a
sudden steering maneuver or a
rapid acceleration.
. If passengers are sitting on the
third-row seat, never drive while
folding the second-row seat. It
can be a serious interference at
the time of braking and impact.
. If passengers are sitting on the
third-row seat, never drive while
the center seatback of the sec-
ond-row seat is folded. Doing so
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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.Raise the seatback of the center
seat while taking care not to trap
your hands or other parts of the
body between the center seat
and window-side seat.NOTE1) HolderWith the seatback folded, attach the
tongue plate of each rear/second-row
seatbelt to the corresponding holder.
Do the same also before someone gets
into the third-row seat.
& 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.
! Window side seats
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 sitting
height.
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
closest to the top of the occupant ’s ears.
When the seats are not occupied, lower
the head restraints to improve rearward
visibility.
! Center seat
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 sittingSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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1-12
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
height.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
closest to the top of the occupant’s ears.
When the center seat is not occupied,
lower the head restraint to improve rear-
ward visibility.
& ArmrestTo lower the armrest, pull on the strap of
the armrest.
WARNING
To avoid the possibility of serious
injury, passengers must never be
allowed to sit on the center armrest
while the vehicle is in motion.
Third-row seat (7-seater
models)
WARNING
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
abdomen will increase, and both can
result in serious internal injury or
death.
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WARNING
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.&Access to the third-row seatThere are levers on both sides of the
second-row seat. Each lever is used to
facilitate access to the third-row seat.
WARNING
In its slid-forward position with the
seatback tipped forward, the sec-
ond-row seat is not locked and free to move. Do not drive the vehicle
with the seat in this state or allow
anyone to sit on the seat unless it is
completely locked. Doing so may
result in serious injury or death.
CAUTION
When getting into or out of the third-
row seat, make sure the second-row
seat is in the completely slid-for-
ward position and be sure to watch
your step.
! To access the third-row seatRaise the lever. The seatback of the
second-row seat will tip forward and the
seat will slide forward. Before driving the vehicle, adjust the fore/
aft position of the second-row seat, raise
the seatback, and make sure the seatback
is securely locked in position.
!
To get out from the third-row seat
Raise the lever from the third-row seat.
The seatback of the second-row seat will
tip forward and the seat will slide forward.
Before driving the vehicle, adjust the fore/
aft position of the second-row seat, raise
the seatback, and make sure the seatback
is securely locked in position.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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1-14
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Folding down the seatback
WARNING
. After returning the seat to its
original position, be certain to
place all of the seatbelts and the
tab attached to the seat cushion
above the seat cushion. And
make certain that the shoulder
belts are fully visible.
. Never allow passengers to ride
on the folded seatback or in the
cargo area. Doing so may result
in serious injury or death.
. Secure skis and other lengthy
items properly to prevent them
from being thrown around inside
the vehicle and causing serious
injury during a sudden stop, a
sudden steering maneuver or a
rapid acceleration.
Place the head restraint in its lowest
position, pull up the lever to release the
seatback lock, and fold down the seat-
back.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place. Make sure it is securely locked.
NOTE1) Holder. Before folding or raising the seat-
back of the third-row seat, confirm that
the seatbelt is flat against the sidewall
at the lower point and the webbing is
attached to the holder.
. When raising the seatback of the
third-row seat, if the seatbelt catches
on the seatback, hold the belt forward
of the seatback while latching the
seatback.
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&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.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
closest to the top of the occupant ’s ears.
When the seats are not occupied, lower the head restraints to improve rearward
visibility.
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 sitting
height.
Seatbelts&
Seatbelt safety tips
WARNING
. All persons in the vehicle should
fasten their seatbelts BEFORE
the vehicle starts to move. Other-
wise, the possibility of serious
injury becomes greater in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent.
. All belts should fit snugly in order
to provide full restraint. Loose
fitting belts are not as effective in
preventing or reducing injury.
. Each seatbelt is designed to
support only one person. Never
use a single belt for two or more
persons –even children. Other-
wise, in an accident, serious
injury or death could result.
. Replace all seatbelt assemblies
including retractors and attach-
ing hardware worn by occupants
of a vehicle that has been in a
serious accident. The entire as-
sembly should be replaced even
if damage is not obvious.
. Put children aged 12 and under inSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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&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 Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the retractor is
restored to the Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (ELR) function by allowing the
seatbelt to retract fully.
For instructions on how to convert the
retractor to the ALR mode and restore it to
the ELR mode, refer to the
“Installing child
restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt ”
section in this chapter.
&
Seatbelt warning light
and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt
warning device at the driver ’s and front
passenger ’s seat.
With the ignition switch turned to the “ON”
position, this device reminds the driver
and front passenger to fasten their seat-
belts by illuminating the warning lights in
the locations indicated in the following
illustrations and sounding a chime.
Driver ’s warning lightFront passenger ’s warning light! Operation
If the driver and/or front passenger have/
has not yet fastened the seatbelt(s) when
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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1-18
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
the ignition switch is turned to the“ON”
position, the seatbelt warning light(s) will
flash for 6 seconds, to warn that the
seatbelt(s) is/are unfastened. If the dri-
ver ’s seatbelt is not fastened, a chime will
also sound simultaneously.NOTE. If the driver ’s and/or front passen-
ger ’s seatbelt(s) is/are still not fastened
6 seconds later, the seatbelt warning
device operates as follows according
to the vehicle speed.
.At speeds lower than approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km/h)
The warning light(s) for unfastened
seatbelt(s) will alternate between
steady illumination and flashing at
15-second intervals. The chime will
not sound.
. At speeds higher than approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km/h)
The warning light(s) for unfastened
seatbelt(s) will alternate between
flashing and steady illumination at
15-second intervals and the chime
will sound while the warning light(s)
is/are flashing.
. It is possible to cancel the warning
operation that follows the 6-second
warning after turning ON the ignition
switch. When the ignition switch is turned ON next time, however, the
complete sequence of the warning
operation resumes. For further details
about canceling the warning operation,
please contact your SUBARU dealer.
If there is no passenger on the front
passenger
’s seat, the seatbelt warning
device for the front passenger ’s seat will
be deactivated. The front passenger ’s
occupant detection system monitors
whether or not there is a passenger on
the front passenger ’s seat.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the device from
functioning correctly or cause the device
to fail.
. Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.
. Do not store a heavy load in the
seatback pocket.
. Do not allow the rear seat/second-row
seat occupant to place his/her hands or
legs on the front passenger ’s seatback, or
allow him/her to pull the seatback.
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
deactivated even when the front passen-
ger has not fastened his/her seatbelt),
take the following actions. .
Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than a child restraint system
and the child occupant.
. Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.
If the seatbelt warning device for front
passenger ’s seat still does not function
correctly after taking relevant corrective
actions described above, immediately
contact your SUB ARU dealer for an
inspection.
& Fastening the seatbelt
WARNING
. Never use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can
increase the risk or severity of
injury.
. Keep the lap belt as low as
possible on your hips. In a colli-
sion, this spreads the force of the
lap belt over stronger hip bones
instead of across the weaker
abdomen.
. 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,
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