2009 SUBARU FORESTER warning

tions concerning child restraint sys-
tems, refer to the“Child restraint
systems ”section in this chapter.
& Manual seat
! Forward and backward adjustment
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to
the desired position. Then release the
lever and move the seat back and forth to
make sure that it is securely locked intoplace. !
Reclining the seatback
Pull the reclining lever up and adjust the
seatback to the desired position. Then
release the lever and make sure the
seatback is securely locked into place.
The seatback placed in a reclined position
can spring back upward with force when
the lever is pulled. While operating the
lever to return the seatback, hold the
seatback lightly so that it may be raised
back gradually.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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-3
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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.
& 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
closest to the top of the occupant
’s ears.
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.
& 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 adjusted so that
the center of the head restraint is closest
to the top of the occupant
’s ears.
CAUTION
. Each active head restraint is
effective only when its height is
properly adjusted and driver/pas-
senger sits in the correct posi-
tion on the seat.
. If your vehicle is involved in a
rear-end collision, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer in-
spect the active head restraints.
. The active head restraints may
not operate in the event the
vehicle experiences only a slight
impact in the rear.
. 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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-5

1-6Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seat heater (if equipped)
Each front seat is equipped with a seat
heater.
The seat heater operates when the igni-
tion switch is either in the “Acc ”or “ON ”
position.
Each seat heater has four levels of
adjustment. To use the heater in the
right-hand seat, turn the “R ” adjustment
dial forward until the “
”mark reaches the
desired position. To activate the heater in
the left-hand seat, turn the “L ” adjustment
dial forward until the “
”mark reaches the
desired position. Each heater warms the
seat most quickly with the “
”mark on the
adjustment dial in the furthest-forward
position. An indicator light next to the adjustment dial for each seat heater
illuminates when that seat heater isactivated.
When the vehicle
’s interior is warmed
enough or before you leave the vehicle,
be sure to turn the switch off.
CAUTION
. There is a possibility that people
with delicate skin may suffer
slight burns even at low tempera-
tures if they use the seat heater
for a long period of time. When
using the heater, always be sure
to warn the persons concerned.
. Do not put anything on the seat
which insulates against heat,
such as a blanket, cushion, or
similar items. This may cause the
seat heater to overheat.
NOTE
Use of the seat heater for a long period
of time while the engine is not running
can cause battery discharge. Rear seats
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 ordeath.

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. &
ArmrestTo lower the armrest, pull on the top edge
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. &
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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-7
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&Reclining the seatback (if equipped)
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
If the vehicle is equipped with a
cargo area cover, be careful not to
pinch your hand between the headr-
est and the cargo area cover when
you recline the rear seat.
Push the switch and adjust the seatback
to the desired position.
Then release the switch and make sure
the seatback is securely locked into place. & Folding down the rear seat- back
WARNING
. After returning the rear seatback 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 rear seatback or in
the cargo area. Doing so may
result in serious injury or death.
. Secure all objects and especially
long items properly to prevent
them from being thrown around
inside the vehicle and causing
serious injury during a sudden
stop, a sudden steering maneu-
ver or a rapid acceleration.
. For vehicles equipped with the
rear seat center table, when fold-
ing down the rear seatback, re-
turn the rear seat center table to
its original position. If the rear
seat center table is not returned
to its original position, the rear
seat center table could break and
bodily injury could occur.
CAUTION
Vehicles with the reclining function
may automatically fold down Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-9
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1-10Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
strongly because of it ’s internal
spring. Operate the seatback assist-
ing with your hands.
1. Lower the head restraints.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the
release knob 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. 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 morepersons –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 in the rear seat properly restrained
at all times. The SRS airbag
deploys 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
restrained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from
deployment is greater. For that
reason, we strongly recommend
that ALL children (including
those in child seats and those
that have outgrown 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
appropriate for the child
’s height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THECHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG.

1-12Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the seatbelt
retracts fully and the retractor returned to
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) mode.
For instructions on how to convert the
retractor to the ALR mode and restore it to
the ELR mode, refer to the “Child restraint
systems ”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, as required by current
safety standards.
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
illustration and sounding a chime.
Driver ’s warning light
Front passenger ’s warning light
! Operation
If the driver and/or front passenger have/
has not yet fastened the seatbelt(s) when 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) are/is 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 occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front passenger ’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback. . 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 tothe “Front seats ”section in chapter 1.
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, although we
strongly recommended that all children
sit in the rear seat properly restrained. . Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.. Ensure that the backward-forward po-
sition and seatback of front passenger ’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth.
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 SUBARU dealer for aninspection.
& 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 weakerabdomen.
. 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,
the front seatbacks should be
always used in the upright posi-
tion while the vehicle is running.
If the front seatbacks are not
used in the upright position in a
collision, 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.
. Do not put cushions or any other
materials betwe en 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 ordeath.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-13
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