2013 SUBARU FORESTER light

serious injury during a sudden
stop, a sudden steering maneu-
ver or a rapid acceleration.
. When you return the seatback to
its original position, shake the
seatback slightly to confirm that
it is securely fixed in place. If the
seatback is not securely fixed in
place, the seatback may sud-
denly fold down in the event of
sudden braking, or objects may
move out from the cargo area,
which could cause serious injury
or death.
. 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.
Also, make certain that the
shoulder belts are fully visible.
CAUTION
For models with the reclining func-
tion, the rear seatback may auto-
matically and forcefully fold down
because of its internal spring. Place
your hand on the seatback to lower
it more gradually.
Release knob
One-touch seatback folding lever (if
equipped)
1. Lower the head restraints.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the
release knob or the one-touch seatback folding lever, 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 securely locked.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-11

1-12Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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. 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 1-22.
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
and side airbags deploy. ! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to “Child
restraint systems ”F 1-22.
! 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, 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 released
and the ELR mode is restored. When securing a child restraint system on
the rear seats using a seatbelt, the
seatbelt must be changed over to the
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 1-25.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the retractor is
restored to the ELR mode by allowing the
seatbelt to retract fully.
& Seatbelt warning light
and chime
Refer to “Seatbelt warning light and
chime ”F 3-13.
& 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.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-13
– CONTINUED –

1-14Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
.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 according to
the following procedure. 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.

1-16Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
! 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 buckle

1-18Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
2. Pass the seatbelt through the belt guide.
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 slowly again.
4. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate
into the center seatbelt buckle marked“
CENTER ”on the left-hand side until it
clicks.
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. ! Unfastening the seatbelt

.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.. 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 the
buyer to the contents of this section.
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection,
the occupants should sit in an
upright position with their seat-
belts properly fastened. Refer to“ Seatbelts ”F 1-12.
. 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
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 SRS 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 1-57.
& 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
SRS airbag or could make the
system inoperative, which may
result in serious injury. Do not
use electrical test equipment on
any circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and SRS airbag
systems. For required servicing
of the seatbelt pretensioner, con-
sult your nearest SUBARU deal-
er.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located
on both the right and left sides at the
front of the vehicle, and the SRS
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 was
damaged in an accident, contact your Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-21
– CONTINUED –

1-24Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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.
If it is unavoidable to install a child
restraint system in the rear seat ’s center
seating position, lower the center head
restraint to the lowest position and install
the child restraint system by correctly
passing the rear center seatbelt through
the belt guide.
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.
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, NEVER 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 the United States
or of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards for Canada. It can be identified by
looking for the label on the child restraint
system or the manufacturer ’s statement of
compliance in the document attached to
the system.
Also it is important for you to make sure
that the child restraint system is compa-
tible with the vehicle in which it will beused.