2016 SUBARU LEGACY warning

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
possible on your hips. In a colli-
sion, this spreads the force of the
lap belt over stronger hip bones
instead of across the weaker
abdomen.
.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 or
death.
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 they
cool.!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.
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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 upper part of the anchor and
slide the anchor down.
Pull down the anchor to make sure that it
is locked in place.
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
1. Push the button on the buckle.
2. Have the seatbelt retracted slowly to
avoid the seatbelt being tangled or
twisted.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
–CONTINUED–1-19

WARNING
Fastening the seatbelt with the web-
bing twisted can increase the risk or
severity of injury in an accident.
When fastening the belt after it is
pulled out from the retractor, espe-
cially when inserting the connec-
tor’s tongue plate into the mating
buckle (on right-hand side), always
check that the webbing is not
twisted.
WARNING
Be sure to fasten both tongue plates
to the respective buckles. If the
seatbelt is used only as a shoulder
belt (with the connector’s tongue
plate not fastened to the connec-
tor’s buckle on the right-hand side),
it cannot properly restrain the wear-
er in position in an accident, possi-
bly resulting in serious injury or
death.
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.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
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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/Front seatbelt pretensioners
pretensioners have no user-ser-
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
sioners, consult your 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
modulewiththeSRSairbagsystem.
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”F1-68.
&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 sensors and SRS airbag control
modules are located in the following
locations.
.Front sub sensors: on both sides
of the radiator panel
.Front door impact sensors: on
both front doors
.SRS airbag control module (in-
cluding the impact sensors and
rollover sensor): under the cen-
ter 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.
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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-
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chorages (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
The ALR/ELR seatbelt and an upper
anchorage (tether anchorage, if equipped)
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.
When you install a child restraint system in
the rear seat’s center seating position,
raise the center head restraint.
Lower anchorages (bars) for window-side
seating positions may be used for a seat
in the center seating position if a child
restraint system manufacturer’s instruc-
tions permit and specify using anchors as
far apart as those in this vehicle.If a child restraint system is not correctly
fixed in place (for example, if a child
restraint system can be moved more than
1 inch (2.5 cm) from side to side), you
should install the child restraint system in
a rear seat, window-side seating position.
WARNING
.Even with advanced airbags, chil-
dren can be seriously injured by
the airbag. Put children in the
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
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from
deployment is greater.
For that reason, be sure to se-
cure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing
child seats) in the REAR seats at
all times. You should choose a
restraint device which is appro-
priate for the child’s age, height
and weight. According to acci-
dent statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in thefront seating positions.
.Do not use lower anchorages
(bars) for a seat in the center
seating position unless a child
restraint system manufacturer’s
instructions permit and specify
using anchors spaced as far
apart as those in this vehicle.
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
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
–CONTINUED–1-29

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’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 thesystem. 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.
&Installing child restraint sys-
tems with ALR/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 manufac-
turer’s instructions supplied with
it. After installing the child re-
straint system, check to ensure
that it is held securely in posi-
tion. If it is not held tight and
secure, the danger of your child
suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be
increased.
.When installing a child restraint
system in the rear center seating
position, adjust both seatbacks
at the same angle. Otherwise, the
child restraint system cannot be
securely restrained, causing
death or serious injuries in the
event of sudden stop, sudden
steering maneuver or an acci-
dent.
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