2012 SUBARU OUTBACK light

1-12Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
extended position. When the rear center
seating position is not occupied, lower the
head restraint to improve rearward visibi-
lity. &Armrest
To lower the armrest, pull on the armrest ’s
top edge.
WARNING
To avoid serious injury, passengers
must never be allowed to sit on the
center armrest while the vehicle is inmotion. 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 in the rear seat
properly restrained at all times.
The SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force
and can injure or even kill chil-
dren, especially if they are not
restrained or improperly re-
strained. 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 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.

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 1-23.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seatbelt by the front
passenger when any of the SRS frontal,
side and curtain airbags deploys. ! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to “Child
restraint systems ”F 1-23.
! 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, 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 the child
’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.
The ALR mode functions as follows.
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 an ALR. When the seatbelt is
retracted fully, the ALR mode is canceled
and the ELR mode is restored. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-13
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1-14Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
When securing a child restraint system on
the rear seats by using a seatbelt, the
seatbelt must be changed over to the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
For instructions on how to install the child
restraint system using a seatbelt, refer to“Installing child restraint systems with A/
ELR seatbelt ”F 1-26.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the retractor is
restored to the Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (ELR) mode by allowing the seat-
belt to retract fully. & Seatbelt warning light
and chime
Refer to “Seatbelt warning light and
chime ”F 3-9.
& 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 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 place the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back. If an
accident occurs, this can increase
the risk or severity of injury.
CAUTION
Metallic parts of the seatbelt can
become very hot in a vehicle that
has been closed up in sunny weath-
er; they could burn an occupant. Do
not touch such hot parts until theycool.

!Front seatbelts
1. Adjust the seat position: Driver ’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the
upright position. Move the seat as far from
the steering wheel as practical while still
maintaining full vehicle control.
Front passenger ’s seat: Adjust the seat-
back to the upright position. Move the seat
as far back as possible.
2. Sit well back in the seat.
3. 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 it a
strong pull, then pull it out slowly again.
4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until you hear a click.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist.
!
Adjusting the front seat shoulder
belt anchor height
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for the
driver/front passenger. Always adjust the
anchor height so that the shoulder belt
passes over the middle of the shoulder
without touching the neck.
To raise:
Slide the anchor up.
To lower:
Push the release button and slide the
anchor down.
Pull down the anchor to make sure that it
is locked in place. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-15
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1-16Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make
sure the shoulder portion of the
webbing does not pass over your
neck. If it does, adjust the seatbelt
anchor to a lower position. Placing
the shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sudden
braking or in a collision.
! 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 seatbelts (except rear center
seatbelt on Outback)
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

1-18Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Rear center seatbelt is stowed in the
recess of the ceiling.
1. Retrieve the connector (tongue) plate
from the slot in the recess by pulling the
connector (tongue) plate.
2. 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

1-22Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
ping the entire vehicle due to
collision damage or for other
reasons, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
& System monitors
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. For details,
refer to “SRS airbag system monitors ”F 1-
62.
& 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.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located in
both front fenders and the airbag
control module including the impact
sensors is located under the center
console. If you need service or
repair in those areas or near the
front seatbelt retractors, have the
work performed by your authorized
SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is
damaged in an accident to the extent
that the seatbelt pretensioner does not
operate, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible. &
Precautions against vehicle modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners. . Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the door
pillar or specified for individual
vehicle models in this Owner ’s
Manual.

WARNING
Put children 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 not restrained or improperly
restrained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults, their
risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater.
For that reason, be sure to secure
ALL types of child restraint devices
(including forward facing child
seats) in the REAR seats at all times.
You should choose a restraint de-
vice which is appropriate for thechild ’s age, height and weight. Ac-
cording to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi- tions.
WARNING
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS
EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER ’S
SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT INSTALL A
REARWARD FACING CHILD
SAFETY SEAT IN THE FRONT PAS-SENGER ’S SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THECHILD ’SHEADTOOCLOSETO
THE SRS AIRBAG. &
Choosing a child restraint system
Choose a child restraint system that is
appropriate for the child ’s age and size
(weight and height) in order to provide the
child with proper protection. The child
restraint system should meet all applic-
able requirements of Federal Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standards for United States or
Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
for Canada. It can be identified by looking
for the label on the child restraint system
or the manufacture ’s statement of com-
pliance in the document attached to the
system. Also it is important for you to
make sure that the child restraint system
is compatible with the vehicle in which it
will be used. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-25
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