the belt more effectively restrains the
driver.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a
small amount of smoke will be released.
These occurrences are normal and not
harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been
activated, the seatbelt retractor remains
locked. Consequently, the seatbelt cannot
be pulled out and retracted and therefore
must be replaced.
NOTE
.Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor impacts.
.In cases of rollover accidents, as the
SRS curtain airbags deploy, the seat-
belt pretensioners are activated simul-
taneously.
.In cases of frontal collisions, the
following components will operate si-
multaneously.
–Seatbelt pretensioner for driver
–Seatbelt pretensioner for front
passenger
–SRS frontal airbag for driver
–SRS frontal airbag for front pas-
senger*
–SRS seat cushion airbag fordriver
–SRS seat cushion airbag for front
passenger*
–SRS curtain airbags (both sides)
(if an offset frontal collision occurs)
*: This does not operate if the occupant
detection system deactivates airbag op-
eration. For details, refer to“Front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag”F1-52
.
.In cases of side collisions, the
following components will operate si-
multaneously.
–SRS curtain airbag (impacted
side)
–SRS side airbag (impacted side)
(when any of the center pillar im-
pact sensors/front door impact sen-
sors senses an impact force)
–Seatbelt pretensioner for driver
(when the driver’s side front door
impact sensor senses an impact
force)
–Seatbelt pretensioner for front
passenger (when the front passen-
ger’s side front door impact sensor
senses an impact force)
.Pretensioners are designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis. In the
event that a pretensioner is activated,
both the driver’s and front passenger’s
seatbelt retractor assemblies should
be replaced only by an authorizedSUBARU dealer. When replacing seat-
belt retractor assemblies, use only
genuine SUBARU parts.
.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”F1-16.
.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
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
–CONTINUED–1-25
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
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 descriptions are SUBARU’s
recommendations 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 the
passenger’s airbag.
B: Rear seat, window-side seating
positions
Recommended positions for all types of
child restraint systems.
In these positions,Automatic Locking
Retractor/Emergency Locking Retractor
(ALR/ELR) seatbelts and lower an-
1-28
!Installing a rearward facing child
restraint
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. If using the seatbelt in the ALR mode
is recommended by the manufacturer’s
instructions supplied with the child re-
straint system, perform the following pro-
cedure.
(1) 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)
mode.
(2) 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 side to side to check
that it is firmly secured in the center of the
seat. Sometimes a child restraint can be
more firmly secured by pushing it down
into the seat cushion and then tightening
the seatbelt.
7. If the seatbelt has been set to the ALR
mode in step 5, pull at the shoulder portion
of the belt to confirm that it cannot be
pulled out (ALR properly functioning).
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
–CONTINUED–1-31
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
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 THE
CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE
SRS AIRBAG.
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 retracting the
seatbelt fully.
!Installing forward facing child re-
straint
WARNING
Before installing a child restraint
system, be sure to confirm that the
seatback is securely locked into
place. Otherwise, in an accident,
serious injury or death could result.
1. Shake the seatback slightly to confirm
that it is securely locked into place.
2. If the child restraint system makes
contact with the head restraint of the rear
seating position where the child restraint
system is to be installed, raise the head
restraint to the extended position. If the
child restraint system still makes contact,
remove the head restraint. For details,
refer to“Head restraint adjustment”F1-
14.
CAUTION
Store the head restraint that has
been removed in the trunk or cargo
area. Avoid placing the head re-
straint in the passenger compart-
ment to prevent it from being thrown
around in the passenger compart-
ment in a sudden stop or a sharp
turn.
3. For the Outback, adjust the seatback
to the upright position.
4. Place the child restraint system in the
rear seating position.
WARNING
When you intend to install a child
restraint system on the rear center
seating position, if the child restraint
system does not fit snugly against
the contours of the rear center seat
cushion, install the child restraint
system on the window-side seating
position to be safe. For details, refer
to“Where to place a child restraint
system”F1-28.
1-32
5. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the child restraint system
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer.
6. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
7. Take up the slack in the lap belt.
8. 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.
9. Before seating a child in the child
restraint system, try to move it back and
forth and left and right to verify that it is
firmly secured in the center of the seat.
Sometimes a child restraint can be more
firmly secured by pushing it down into the
seat cushion and then tightening the
seatbelt.
10. Pull at the shoulder portion of the belt
to confirm that it cannot be pulled out (ALRproperly functioning).
Legacy
Outback
11. If the child restraint system requires a
top tether, latch the hook onto the top
tether anchor and tighten the top tether.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
–CONTINUED–1-33
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
waist.
In a moderate to severe side impact
collision, the SRS curtain airbag on the
impacted side of the vehicle deploys
between the occupant and the side
window and supplements the seatbelt by
reducing the impact to the occupant’s
head.
NOTE
The SRS side airbag and seatbelt
pretensioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem.
!Driver’s SRS frontal airbag
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag uses a
dual stage inflator. The inflator operates in
different ways depending on the severity
of impact.
Have the system inspected by your
SUBARU dealer immediately if the SRS
airbag system warning light illuminates.
!Front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator
operates in different ways depending on
the severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the passenger’s occupant detection sys-tem sensor located under the seat.
The system has another sensor that
monitors the tension of the front passen-
ger’s seatbelt. Using the total seat load
and seatbelt tension data from the sen-
sors, the occupant detection system de-
termines whether the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag should or should not be
inflated.
The occupant detection system may not
inflate the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may prevent the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag
system from functioning correctly
or cause the system to fail.
.Do not apply any strong impact
to the front passenger’sseat
such as by kicking.
.Do not let rear passengers rest
their feet between the front seat-
back and seat cushion.
.Do not spill liquid on the front
passenger’s seat. If liquid is
spilled, wipe it off immediately.
.Do not remove or disassemblethe front passenger’s seat.
.Do not install any accessory
(such as an audio amplifier) other
than a genuine SUBARU acces-
sory under the front passenger’s
seat.
.Do not place anything (shoes,
umbrella, etc.) under the front
passenger’s seat.
.Do not use the front passenger’s
seat with the head restraint re-
moved.
.Do not leave any articles on the
front passenger’s seat or the
seatbelt tongue and buckle en-
gaged when you leave your ve-
hicle.
.Do not place a magnet near the
seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt
retractor.
.Do not use front seats with their
backward-forward position and
seatback not being locked into
place securely. If any of them are
not locked securely, adjust them
again. For adjusting procedure,
refer to“Manual seat”F1-4
(models equipped with manual
seats only).
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or front
1-52
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
CAUTION
When the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an infant in an appro-
priate child restraint system, ob-
serve the following precautions.
Failure to do so may increase the
load on the front passenger’s seat,
activating the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag even though that
seat is occupied by an infant.
.Do not place any article on the
seat other than the infant in the
child restraint system.
.Do not place more than one
infant in the child restraint sys-
tem.
.Do not install any accessory
such as a table or TV onto the
seatback.
.Do not store a heavy load in the
seatback pocket.
.Do not allow the rear seat occu-
pant to place his/her hands or
legs on the front passenger’s
seatback, or allow him/her to pull
the seatback.!If the front passenger’s frontal
airbag ON indicator illuminates
and the OFF indicator turns off
even when an infant or a small
child is in a child restraint sys-
tem (including booster seat)
1. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position.
2. Remove the child restraint system
from the seat.
3. By referring to the child restraint
manufacturer’s recommendations as well
as the child restraint system installation
procedures in“Child restraint systems”
F1-27, correctly install the child restraint
system.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the“ON”
position and make sure that the front
passenger’s frontal airbag ON indicator
turns off and the OFF indicator illuminates.
If still the ON indicator remains illuminated
while the OFF indicator turns off, take the
following actions.
.Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than the child restraint system
and the child occupant.
.Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.
.Ensure that the backward-forward po-
sition and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely bymoving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
If the ON indicator still remains illuminated
while the OFF indicator turns off after
taking relevant corrective actions de-
scribed above, relocate the child restraint
system to the rear seat and immediately
contact your SUBARU dealer for an
inspection.
NOTE
When a child who has outgrown a child
restraint system or a small adult is
seated in the front passenger’s seat,
the SUBARU advanced frontal airbag
system may or may not activate the
front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
depending on the occupant’s seating
posture. Children should always wear a
seatbelt when sitting in the seat irre-
spective of whether the airbag is
deactivated or activated. If the front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag is acti-
vated (the ON indicator remains illumi-
nated while the OFF indicator turns off),
take the following actions.
.Ensure that no article is placed on
the seat other than the occupant.
.Ensure that there is no article left in
the seatback pocket.
If the ON indicator still remains illumi-
1-54
nated while the OFF indicator turns off
despite the fact that the actions noted
above have been taken, seat the child/
small adult in the rear seat and im-
mediately contact your SUBARU dealer
for an inspection. Even if the system
has passed the dealer inspection, it is
recommended that on subsequent trips
the child/small adult always take the
rear seat.
Children who have outgrown a child
restraint system should always wear the
seatbelt irrespective of whether the airbag
is deactivated or activated.
!Conditions in which front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag is activated
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
will be activated for deployment upon
impact when any of the following condi-
tions is met regarding the front passen-
ger’s seat.
.When the seat is occupied by an adult.
.When a heavy article is placed on the
seat.
CAUTION
When the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an adult, observe the
following precautions. Failure to do
so may lessen the load on the front
passenger’s seat, deactivating thefront passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult. This may
result in personal injury.
.Do not allow the rear seat occu-
pant to lift the front passenger’s
seat cushion using his/her feet.
.Do not place any article under the
front passenger’s seat, or
squeeze any article from behind
and under the seat. This may lift
the seat cushion.
.Do not squeeze any article be-
tween the front passenger’s seat
and side trim/pillar, door or cen-
ter console box. This may lift the
seat cushion.
!If the passenger’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator illuminates and
the ON indicator turns off even
when the front passenger’s seat
is occupied by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incor-
rectly sitting in the front passenger’s seat.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position.
2. Ask the front passenger to set the
seatback to the upright position, sit up
straight in the center of the seat cushion,
correctly fasten the seatbelt, position his/her legs out forward, and adjust the seat to
the rearmost position.
3. Turn the ignition switch to the“ON”
position.
If the OFF indicator remains illuminated
while the ON indicator remains off, take
the following actions.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”position.
2. Ensure that there is no article, book,
shoe, or other object trapped under the
seat, at the rear of the seat, or on the side
of the seat.
3. Ensure that the backward-forward
position and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
4. Turn the ignition switch to the“ON”
position and wait 6 seconds to allow the
system to complete self-checking. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators turn
off for 2 seconds. Now, the ON indicator
should illuminate while the OFF indicator
remains off.
If the OFF indicator still remains illumi-
nated while the ON indicator remains off,
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your SUBARU
dealer for an inspection.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
–CONTINUED–1-55