
1-22Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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.
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child 
on his or her lap or in his or her
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 passenger and objects
inside the vehicle. 
Additionally, 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: Rear seat, window-side seatingpositions 
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: Rear seat, center seating position 
Installing a child restraint system is not 
recommended, although the A/ELR seat-
belt and an upper anchorage (tether
anchorage) (except in Latin American 
models) 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. 
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 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-23
– CONTINUED –  

1-24Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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.
& Installing child restraint sys- 
tems with A/ELR seatbelt
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle 
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint 
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
! Installing a rearward facing childrestraint
1. Place the child restraint system in the 
rear seating position. 
2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through   

or around the child restraint system 
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. 
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle 
until you hear a click.
4. Take up the slack in the lap belt. 
5. Pull out the seatbelt fully from the 
retractor to change the retractor over from
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
to the Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
function. Then, allow the belt to rewind
into the retractor. As the belt is rewinding,
clicks will be heard which indicate the
retractor functions as ALR.
6. Push and pull the child restraint 
system forward and from side to side to
check if it is firmly secured. Sometimes a
child restraint can be more firmly secured
by pushing it down into the seat cushion
and then tightening the seatbelt. 
7. Pull at the shoulder portion of the belt 
to confirm that it cannot be pulled out (ALR
properly functioning).8. To remove the child restraint system, 
press the release button on the seatbelt
buckle and allow the belt to retract
completely. The belt will return to the
ELR mode.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA- 
CING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
PASSENGER ’SSEAT.DOINGSO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THECHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE
SRS AIRBAG. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-25
– CONTINUED –    

4-door models
5-door models
8. If the child restraint system requires a 
top tether, latch the hook onto the top
tether anchorage and tighten the top
tether. For additional instructions, refer to “
Top tether anchorages ”F 1-31.
9. To remove the child restraint system, 
press the release button on the seatbelt
buckle and allow the belt to retract
completely. The belt will return to the
ELR mode. NOTE 
When the child restraint system is no 
longer in use, remove it and restore the
ELR function of the retractor. That
function is restored by allowing the
seatbelt to retract fully. &
Installing a booster seat
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle 
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in- 
side of the vehicle in a sudden 
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint 
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in- Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-27
– CONTINUED –    

1-28Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
creased.
1. Place the booster seat in the rear 
seating position and sit the child on it. The
child should sit well back on the boosterseat. 
2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through 
or around the booster seat and the child
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. 
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle 
until you hear a click. Take care not to
twist the seatbelt. 
Make sure the shoulder belt is positioned 
across the center of child ’s shoulder and
that the lap belt is positioned as low as
possible on the child ’s hips.
4. To remove the booster seat, press the 
release button on the seatbelt buckle and
allow the belt to retract.
WARNING
. Never use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can 
increase the risk or severity of
injury to the child.
. Never place the shoulder belt
under the child ’s arm or behind
the child ’s back. If an accident
occurs, this can increase the risk
or severity of injury to the child.
. The seatbelt should fit snugly in
order to provide full restraint.
Loose fitting belts are not as effective in preventing or redu-
cing injury.
. Place the lap belt as low as
possible on the child ’s hips. A
high-positioned lap belt will in-
crease the risk of sliding under
the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen, and
both can result in serious inter-
nal injury or death.
. Make sure the shoulder belt is
positioned across the center ofchild ’s shoulder. Placing the
shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sud-
den braking or in a collision.   

&Installation of child restraint 
systems by use of lower and 
tether anchorages (LATCH)
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle 
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint 
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
Some types of child restraint systems can 
be installed on the rear seat of your
vehicle without use of the seatbelts. Such
child restraint systems are secured to the
designated anchorages provided on the
vehicle body. The lower and tether an-
chorages are sometimes referred to as the
LATCH system (
Lower Anchors and
T ethers for CHildren).
Your vehicle is equipped with four lower 
anchorages (bars) and two or three upper
anchorages (tether anchorages) for ac-
commodating such child restraint sys-tems.
The lower anchorages (bars) are used for Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-29
– CONTINUED –    

1-34Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Please contact your SUBARU dealer if 
you have any question regarding the
installation of a child restraint system.
CAUTION
Always remove the head restraint 
when mounting a child restraint
system with a top tether. Otherwise,
the top tether cannot be fastened
tightly. *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 by the front
passenger when any of the SRS frontal,
side and curtain airbags deploys. 
Your vehicle is equipped with a supple- 
mental restraint system in addition to a
lap/shoulder belt at each front seating
position and each rear window-side seat-
ing positions. The supplemental restraint
system (SRS) consists of six airbags. 
The configurations are as follows.. Driver ’s and front passenger ’s frontal
airbags. Driver ’s and front passenger ’s side
airbags. Curtain airbags (for driver, front pas-
senger, and window-side rear passen- gers) 
These SRS airbags are designed only 
to be a supplement to the primary
protection 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 1-19.
& General precautions regard- 
ing SRS airbag system
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
to be a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. It does not eliminate 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,
refer to “Seatbelts ”F 1-11.
. The SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag are designed only