Page 45 of 447
catching the belt webbing in the door. !Rear seatbelts (except rear center seatbelt)
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the
belt out slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If
the belt stops before reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving a
strong pull on it, then pull it out slowlyagain.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
5. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist. ! Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid
catching the belt webbing in the door. ! Rear center seatbelt
1) Center seatbelt tongue plate
2) Connector (tongue)
3) Connector (buckle)
4) Center seatbelt buckleSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-19
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Page 46 of 447
1-20Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Fastening the seatbelt with the web-
bing twisted can increase the risk or
severity of injury in an accident.
When fastening the belt after it is
pulled out from the retractor, espe-
cially when inserting the connec-tor ’s tongue plate into the mating
buckle (on right-hand side), always
check that the webbing is nottwisted.WARNING
Be sure to fasten both tongue plates
to the respective buckles. If the
seatbelt is used only as a shoulder
belt (with the connector ’s tongue
plate not fastened to the connec-tor ’s buckle on the right-hand side),
it cannot properly restrain the wear-
er in position in an accident, possi-
bly resulting in serious injury ordeath.
Sedan models
Rear center seatbelt is stowed in the
recess on the rear shelf behind the rear
seat head restraint.
Wagon models
Rear center seatbelt is stowed in the
Page 47 of 447
recess of the ceiling.
1. Remove the connector (tongue) plate
from the slot in the recess by pulling the
connector (tongue) plate.
Sedan models
Wagon models2. Pull out the seatbelt slowly from the
retractor.
3. After confirming that the webbing is not
twisted, insert the connector (tongue)
attached at the webbing end into the
buckle on the right-hand side until a click
is heard. If the belt stops before reaching
the buckle, return the belt slightly and pull
it out more slowly. If the belt still cannot be
unlocked, let the belt retract slightly after
giving it a strong pull, then pull it out slowlyagain.
4. After fastening the seatbelt, make sure
that the
“”mark on the connector
(tongue) and the “”mark on the buckle
face outwards.
5. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate
into the center seatbelt buckle marked Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-21
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Page 48 of 447
1-22Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
“ CENTER ”on the left-hand side until it
clicks.
6. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt. And place the lap belt as
low as possible on your hips, not on yourwaist. !
Unfastening the seatbeltPush the release button of the center
seatbelt buckle (on the left-hand side) to
unfasten the seatbelt.
1. Insert a key or other hard pointed
object into the slot in the connector
(buckle) on the right-hand side and push
it in, and the connector (tongue) plate will
disconnect from the buckle.
Sedan models
Page 49 of 447

Wagon models
2. Allow the retractor to roll up the belt.
You should hold the webbing end and
guide it back into the retractor while it is
rolling up. Neatly store the tongue plate in
the recess and then insert the connector
(tongue) plate into the slot.Sedan models
Wagon models
CAUTION
. Do not allow the retractor to roll
up the seatbelt too quickly.
Otherwise, the metal tongue
plates may hit against the trim,
resulting in damaged trim.
. Have the seatbelt fully rolled up
so that the tongue plates are
neatly stored. A hanging tongue
plate can swing and hit against
the trim during driving, causing
damage to the trim.
& Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously
affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-23
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Page 50 of 447

1-24Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
CAUTION
. Keep the belts free of polishes,
oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid.
. Never attempt to make modifica-
tions or changes that will prevent
the seatbelt from operating prop-
erly. Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver
’s and front passenger ’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontalcollision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as a
SRS frontal airbag sensor. If the sensor
detects a certain predetermined amount of
force during a frontal collision, the front
seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by the
retractor to take up the slack so that the
belt more effectively restrains the front
seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a small amount of smoke will be released.
These occurrences are normal and not
harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been
activated, the seatbelt retractor remains
locked. Consequently, the seatbelt can not
be pulled out and retracted and therefore
must be replaced. NOTE .
Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor frontal
impacts, in side or rear impacts or in
roll-over accidents.. The driver ’s seat and passenger ’s
seat pretensioners and frontal airbag
operate simultaneously.. Pretensioners are designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis. In the
event that a pretensioner is activated,
both the driver ’s and front passenger ’s
seatbelt retractor assemblies must be
replaced and only by an authorized
SUBARU dealer. When replacing seat-
belt retractor assemblies, use only
genuine SUBARU parts.. If either front seatbelt does not
retract or cannot be pulled out due to
a malfunction or activation of the
pretensioner, contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible.
Page 51 of 447

.If the front seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or surrounding area has been
damaged, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible.. When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it has
seatbelt pretensioners by alerting him
to the contents of this section.
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection,
occupants should sit in an up-
right position with their seatbelts
properly fastened. Refer to the“ Seatbelts ”section in this chap-
ter.
. Do not modify, remove or strike
the front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or surrounding area.
This could result in accidental
activation of the seatbelt preten-
sioners or could make the sys-
tem inoperative, possibly result-
ing in serious injury. Seatbelt
pretensioners have no user-ser-
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
sioners, see your nearest
SUBARU dealer.
. When discarding front seatbelt retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire vehicle due to
collision damage or for other
reasons, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
& System monitors
SRS airbag system warning light (vehicle
with SI-DRIVE)
SRS airbag system warning light (vehicle
without SI-DRIVE)
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The
seatbelt pretensioners share the control
module with the airbag system. Therefore,
if any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt
pretensioner, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. The SRS
airbag system warning light will show
normal system operation by lighting for
approximately 6 seconds when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the “ON ”position.
The following components are monitored
by the indicator: . Front sub sensor (right-hand side)
. Front sub sensor (left-hand side)Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-25
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Page 52 of 447

1-26Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
.Airbag control module (including im-
pact sensors) . Frontal airbag module (driver ’s side)
. Frontal airbag module (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Side airbag sensor (center pillar right-
hand side). Side airbag sensor (center pillar left-
hand side). Side airbag module (driver ’s side)
. Side airbag module (front passenger ’s
side). Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel
house right-hand side). Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel
house left-hand side) . Curtain airbag module (right-hand side)
. Curtain airbag module (left-hand side)
. Satellite safing sensor (under the rear
center seat) . Seatbelt pretensioner (driver ’s side)
. Seatbelt pretensioner (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension
sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection control module.
Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator. All related wiring
WARNING
If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt
pretensioners and/or SRS airbag
system. Immediately take your vehi-
cle to your nearest SUBARU dealer
to have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will operate improperly (e.g.
SRS airbags may inflate in a very
minor collision or not inflate in a
severe collision), which may in-
crease the risk of injury. . Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
. No illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON ”position
. Continuous illumination of the
warning light
. Illumination of the warning light
while driving &
System servicing
WARNING
. When discarding a seatbelt re-
tractor assembly or scrapping
the entire vehicle damaged by a
collision, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
. Tampering with or disconnecting
the system ’s wiring could result
in accidental activation of the
seatbelt pretensioner and/or air-
bag or could make the system
inoperative, which may result in
serious injury. Do not use elec-
trical test equipment on any
circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and airbag sys-
tems. For required servicing of
the seatbelt pretensioner, consult
your nearest SUBARU dealer.