Safety precautions when driving &Seatbelt and SRS airbag
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.
. 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 (Supplemental Restraint
System) airbag does not do away
with the need to fasten seatbelts.
In combination with the seat-
belts, it offers the best combined
protection in case of a seriousaccident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag. .
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
injuries. Because the SRS airbag
needs enough space for deploy-
ment, the driver should always
sit upright and well back in the
seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still
maintaining full vehicle control
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as
possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
For instructions and precautions, carefully
read the following sections. . For the seatbelt system, refer to “Seat-
belts ”F 1-17.
. For the SRS airbag system, refer to
“ *SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) ”F 1-45. &
Child safety
WARNING
. Never hold a child on your lap or
in your arms while the vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot
protect the child from injury in a
collision, because the child will
be caught between the passen-
ger and objects inside the vehi-cle.
. While riding in the vehicle, in-
fants and small children should
always be placed in one of the
rear seating positions recom-
mended in this Owner ’s Manual
in an infant or child restraint
system which is appropriate for
the child ’s age, height and
weight. If a child is too big for a
child restraint system, the child
should sit in a 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 seat-
ing positions. Never allow a child
to stand up or kneel on the seat.
. Put children aged 12 and under in
a REAR seat properly restrained 5
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1-2Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats
WARNING
. Never adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid the possibility of
loss of vehicle control and of
personal injury.
. Before adjusting the seat, make
sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers or luggage are
clear of the adjusting mechan-ism.
. Do not put objects under the front
seats. They may interfere with
front seat locking and cause anaccident.
. 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.
. 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
injuries. Because the SRS airbag
needs enough space for deploy-
ment, the driver should always
sit upright and well back in the
seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still
maintaining full vehicle control
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as
possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in a
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 re-
strained or improperly restrained.
Because children are lighter and
weaker than adults, their risk of
being injured from deployment is
greater. Consequently, we strongly
recommend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in a REAR seat
properly restrained at all times in a
child restraint device or in a seat-
belt, whichever is appropriate for
the child ’s age, height and weight.
Always secure ALL types of child
restraint devices (including forward
facing child seats) in one of the rear
seating positions recommended in
this Owner ’s Manual.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA-
CING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS
INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD
BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD
TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precau-
tions concerning child restraint sys-
tems, refer to“Child restraint sys-
tems ”F 1-31.
& Power seat
! Forward and backward adjustment
To adjust the seat forward or backward,
move the control switch forward or back-ward. NOTE
During backward-forward adjustment
of the seat, you cannot adjust the seat
cushion angle or seat height. !
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.
To adjust the angle of the seatback, move
the control switch. !
Seat cushion angle adjustment (driver ’s seat)
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-3
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1-4Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
To adjust the seat cushion angle, pull up
or push down the front end of the controlswitch. !Seat height adjustment (driver ’s
seat)
To adjust the seat height, pull up or push
down the rear end of the control switch. & Memory function (driver ’s
seat –if equipped)
Two of your favorite seat positions can be
registered. Register the seat position withbutton “1 ” or “2 ” and retrieve the seat
position by pressing either button.
The following seat positions can be registered. . Forward/backward position of the seat .
Angle of seatback
. Angle of seat cushion
. Height of seat
! Registration of seat position
WARNING
. Never adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid the possibility of
loss of vehicle control and of
personal injury.
. Before adjusting the seat, make
sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers or luggage are
clear of the adjusting mechan-ism.
1. With the select lever in the “P ” posi-
tion, adjust the seat position.
2. While pressing the “SET ”button, press
the desired button “1 ” or “2 ”.
3. The chime sounds once, and the seat
position is registered. ! Retrieval of seat position
WARNING
. Never retrieve the seat position
while driving to avoid the possi-
bility of loss of vehicle control
and of personal injury.
. Perform the seat position retrie-
val before driving. Be sure to
confirm that the select lever
position is in the “P ” position.
Do not drive until the retrieval of
the seat position is complete.
1-6Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
To raise:
Pull the head restraint up.
To lower:
Push the head restraint down while
pressing the release button on the top of
the seatback.
To remove:
While pressing the release button, pull out
the head restraint.
To install:
Install the head restraint into the holes that
are located on the top of the seatback until
the head restraint locks.
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. Therefore, when
you remove the head restraints,
you must reinstall all head re-
straints to protect vehicle occu-pants.
. All occupants, including the dri-
ver, should not operate a vehicle
or sit in a vehicle ’s seat until the
head restraints are placed in their
proper positions in order to mini-
mize the risk of neck injury in the event of a crash.
& 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 the driver/
passenger sits in the correct
position 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.
1-12Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Head restraint adjustment
Both the rear window side seats and the
rear center seat are equipped with headrestraints.
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.
. All occupants, including the dri-
ver, should not operate a vehicle
or sit in a vehicle ’s seat until the
head restraints are placed in their
proper positions in order to mini-
mize the risk of neck injury in the
event of a crash.
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. !
Window side seats
A) When not used (retracted position)
B) When used (extended position)
1) Head restraint
2) Release button To raise:
Pull the head restraint up.
To lower:
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
A) When not used (retracted position)
B) When used (extended position)
1-16Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Head restraint adjustment
Both the third-row seats are equipped with
head restraints.
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.
. All occupants, including the dri-
ver, should not operate a vehicle
or sit in a vehicle ’s seat until the
head restraints are placed in their
proper positions in order to mini-
mize the risk of neck injury in the
event of a crash.
A) When not used (retracted position)
B) When used (extended position)
1) Head restraint
2) Release button
To raise:
Pull the head restraint up. To lower:
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 sittingheight.
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 a rear seat properly restrained at
all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys 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. Conse-
quently, we strongly recommend
that ALL children (including
those in child seats and those
that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in a 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.
Always secure ALL types of child
restraint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in one of
the rear seating positions recom-
mended in this Owner ’s Manual.
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.
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 to“
Child restraint systems ”F 1-31.
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 airbags
deploy. ! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to “Child
restraint systems ”F 1-31.
! 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 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-17
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