1-18Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
the face or neck, adjust the shoulder belt
anchor height (window-side seating posi-
tions only) and then if necessary 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 thechild’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. When securing a child restraint system on
the rear passenger
’s 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 1-32.
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 3-10.
& 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
!Second-row seatbelts –excluding
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. !
Adjusting the shoulder belt anchor
height (second-row seats)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for the
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 on the anchor to make sure that
it is locked in place. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-21
– CONTINUED –
vehicle models in this Owner’s
Manual. Child restraint systems
While riding in the vehicle, infants and
small children should always be placed in
an infant or child restraint system in one of
the rear seating positions recommended
in this Owner
’s Manual.
You should use an infant or child restraint
system that meets Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards or Canada Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standards, is compatible with
your vehicle and is appropriate for thechild ’s age and size.
All child restraint systems are designed to
be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or
the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt
(except those described in “Installation of
child restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH)
”F 1-37).
Children could be endangered in an
accident if their child restraints are not
properly secured in the vehicle. When
installing the child restraint system, care-
fully follow the manufacturer ’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces
require that infants and small children be
restrained in an approved child restraint
system at all times while the vehicle ismoving.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-29
– CONTINUED –
1-30Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child
on his or her lap while the vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot pro-
tect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be
caught between the passenger and
objects inside the vehicle. Addition-
ally, holding a child in your lap or
arms in the front seat exposes that
child to another serious danger.
Since the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force, the
child could be injured or even killed.WARNING
Children should be properly re-
strained at all times. Never allow a
child to stand up, or to kneel on any
seat. Unrestrained children will be
thrown forward during sudden stop
or in an accident and can be injured
seriously.
Additionally, children standing up or
kneeling on or in front of the front
seat are exposed another serious
danger. Since the SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed and
force, the child could be injured or
even killed.
& Where to place a child re-
straint system
The following are SUBARU ’s recommen-
dations on where to place a child restraint
system in your vehicle.
A: Front passenger ’s seat
You should not install a child restraint
system (including a booster seat) due to
the hazard to children posed by thepassenger ’s airbag.
B: Second-row outboard seats
Recommended positions for all types of
child restraint systems.
In these positions, Automatic/Emergency
Locking Retractor (A/ELR) seatbelts and
lower anchorages (bars) are provided for
installing a child restraint system.
Some types of child restraints might not be
able to be secured firmly due to projection
of the seat cushion.
In this seating position, you should use
only a child restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
C: Second-row center seat
Installing a child restraint system is not
recommended, although the A/ELR seat-
belt and an upper anchorage (tether
anchorage) are provided in this position.
Some types of child restraints might not be
able to be secured firmly due to projection
of the seat cushion.
In this seating position, you should use
only a child restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
D: Third-row seat
Installing a child restraint system is not
recommended, although the A/ELR seat-
belt and two upper anchorages (tether
anchorages) are provided in these posi-tions.
These seating positions are not equipped
with lower anchorages (bars) for installing
LATCH system-type child restraints. How-
ever, child restraint devices can be used in
these position using the A/ELR seatbelts
and upper anchorages (tether an-
chorages) provided.
Some types of child restraints might not be
able to be secured firmly due to projection
of the seat cushion.In this seating position, you should use
only a child restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
WARNING
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 chil-
dren are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured
from deployment is greater.
Consequently, 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 THE
CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-31
– CONTINUED –
1-40Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
6. Before seating a child in the child
restraint system, try to move seat back
and forth and left and right to verify that it
is held securely in position.
7. To remove the child restraint system,
follow the reverse procedures of installa-tion.
If you have any question concerning this
type of child restraint system, ask your
SUBARU dealer. &Top tether anchorages
Your vehicle is equipped with five top
tether anchorages so that a child restraint
system having a top tether can be
installed in a rear seating position. When
installing a child restraint system using top
tether, proceed as follows, while observing
the instructions by the child restraint system manufacturer.
Since a top tether can provide additional
stability by offering another connection
between a child restraint system and the
vehicle, we recommend that you use a top
tether whenever one is required or avail- able. !
Tether anchorage location
! Second-row seat
Three tether anchorages, i.e., ones for the
right, center and left seats, are already
installed on the back of each seatback.
Open the cover flap to use each ancho-rage. !
Third-row seat
Two tether anchorages are attached to the
rear edge of the cargo area.
Open the cover flap to use each ancho- rage.
CAUTION
Prevent the top tether from touching
cargo in the cargo area. The top
tether may become slack if the
cargo changes shape or moves. *SRS airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental re-
straint system. This name is used be-
cause the airbag system supplements thevehicle
’s seatbelts.
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. The recorded information cannot
be transmitted to any central communica-
tions system or other external device. & Your vehicle ’s SRS config-
uration
The driver ’s seat, the front passenger ’s
seat, and the outboard seats of the rear/
second seating row of your vehicle are
each provided with, in addition to a lap/
shoulder belt, one or more airbags asfollows. . Frontal airbag (one each for driver ’s
seat and front passenger ’s seat)
. Side airbag (one each for driver ’s seat
and front passenger ’s seat)
. Curtain airbag (one each for the out-
board sides of cabin, extending from driver ’s and front passenger ’s seats to second seating row)
These SRS airbags are designed only
as a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt.
The system also controls front seatbelt
pretensioners. For operation instructions
and precautions concerning the seatbelt
pretensioner, refer to
“Front seatbelt pre-
tensioners ”F 1-27.
WARNING
. 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 airbag is designed only
as a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. It does not do away with the
need to fasten seatbelts. In com-
bination with the seatbelts, it
offers the best combined protec-
tion in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the seatbelt system,
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
– CONTINUED –
1-46Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
refer to “Seatbelts ”F 1-17.
. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the SRS airbag. Because
the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed –faster than
the blink of an eye –and force to
protect in high speed collisions,
the force of an airbag can injure
an occupant whose body is too
close to SRS airbag.
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries
that can result when the SRS
airbag contacts an occupant not
in proper position such as one
thrown forward during pre-acci-
dent braking.
Even when properly positioned,
there remains a possibility that
an occupant may suffer minor
injury such as abrasions and
bruises to the face or arms
because of the SRS airbag de-
ployment force.
. 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.
. Do not place any objects over or
near the SRS airbag cover or
between you and the SRS airbag.
If the SRS airbag deploys, those
objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be
propelled inside the vehicle and
cause injury.WARNING
. 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.
Consequently, we strongly re-
commend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have outgrown child
restraint 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 age,
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.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly