2016 SUBARU WRX warning light

Front seats ........................................................... 1-2Manual seat ........................................................ 1-4
Power seat (driver ’ s seat – if equipped) ... ............ 1-5
Head restraint adjustment .................................... 1-5
Seat heater (if equipped) .................................... 1-6
Rear seats ............................................................ 1-7Head restraint adjustment .................................... 1-8
Folding down the rear seatback ........................... 1-9
Seatbelts ............................................................. 1-11Seatbelt safety tips ............................................. 1-11
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) ................... 1-13
Automatic Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking
Retractor (ALR/ELR) ......................................... 1-13
Seatbelt warning light and chime ........................ 1-13
Fastening the seatbelt ........................................ 1-13
Seatbelt maintenance ......................................... 1-16
Front seatbelt pretensioners ............................. 1-17Seatbelt with shoulder belt pretensioner .. ........... 1-17
Seatbelt with shoulder belt and lap belt
pretensioners ................................................... 1-18
System monitors ................................................ 1-20
System servicing ................................................ 1-20 Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-21
Child restraint systems ..................................... 1-21Where to place a child restraint system .............. 1-23
Choosing a child restraint system ...................... 1-24
Installing child restraint systems with ALR/ELR
seatbelt ........................................................... 1-24
Installing a booster seat ..................................... 1-28
Installation of child restraint systems by use of
lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) .............. 1-29
Top tether anchorages ....................................... 1-32
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) ................................................ 1-33Models with SRS airbags and lap/shoulder
restraints for driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers . .......................... 1-33
Components ...................................................... 1-36
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag system ........... 1-38
SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag ............. 1-50
SRS airbag system monitors .............................. 1-57
SRS airbag system servicing ... .......................... 1-58
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-59Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seats
Front seats WARNING. Never adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid loss of vehicle con-
trol and personal injury.
. Before adjusting the seat, make
sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers and cargo are
clear of the adjusting mechan-
ism.
. After adjusting the seat, push it
slightly to make sure it is se-
curely locked. If the seat is not
securely locked, it may move or
the seatbelt may not operate
properly.
. Do not put objects under the front
seats. They may interfere with
front seat locking and cause an
accident.
. 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.
. 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. WARNINGPut children 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 not restrained or improperly
restrained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults, their
risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater. Consequently, we
strongly recommend that ALL chil-
dren (including those in child seats
and those that have outgrown child
restraint devices) sit in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all times
in a child restraint device or in a
seatbelt, whichever is appropriate1-2

can cause battery discharge.
Type A
Type B 1) HIGH (HI) – Rapid heating
2) LOW (LO) – Normal heating
3) Off
A) Left-hand side
B) Right-hand side
To turn on the seat heater, push the “ LOW ”
( “ LO ” )or “ HIGH ” ( “ HI ” ) position on the
switch, as desired, depending on the
temperature.
Selecting the “ HIGH ” ( “ HI ” ) position will
cause the seat to heat up quicker.
To turn off the seat heater, lightly press the
opposite side of the current position.
The indicator located on the switch illumi-
nates when the seat heater is in operation.
When the vehicle ’ s interior is warmed
enough or before you leave the vehicle,
be sure to turn the switch off. Rear seats
WARNING
Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits well
back and upright in the seat. 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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats
– CONTINUED –1-7

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats
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 trunk, which
could cause serious injury or
death.
Lock release knob
1) Unlocked
2) Locked
A) Unlocking marker in red
1) Securing hook
WARNING
When the seatback is returned to its
original position, observe the follow- ing precautions. Failure to do so
may lead to serious injury or an
accident because the operation effi-
ciency of the seatbelt is inhibited.
. The seatbelt should not be
caught in the seatback and it
should be fully visible.
. The seatbelt should not pass
behind the securing hook for
the seatback.
CAUTIONDo not hang luggage etc. on the
securing hook. The possibility ex-
ists that the seatback may not be
able to be fixed firmly in place. This
could lead to unexpected accidents.
1. Lower the head restraint of the rear
center seating position.1-10

& 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 Locking Retractor/
Emergency Locking Retrac-
tor (ALR/ELR) Each passenger ’ s seatbelt has an Auto-
matic Locking Retractor/Emergency Lock-
ing Retractor (ALR/ELR). The Automatic
Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking
Retractor normally functions as an Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ELR). The ALR/
ELR has an additional locking mode
“ Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode ” intended to secure a child restraint
system. 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.
When securing a child restraint system on the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt,
the seatbelt must be changed over to the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the seatbelt
retracts fully and the retractor returned to
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
mode.
For instructions on how to convert the
retractor to the ALR mode and restore it to
the ELR mode, refer to “ Installing child
restraint systems with ALR/ELR seatbelt ”
F 1-24.
& Seatbelt warning light
and chime Refer to “ Seatbelt warning light and
chime ” F 3-14.
& 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 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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
– CONTINUED –1-13

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
WARNINGNever 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 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. 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.1-14

! 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:
Pull the release knob and slide the anchor
down.
Pull down on the anchor to make sure that
it is locked in place. WARNINGWhen 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. Allow the seatbelt to retract slowly to
avoid the seatbelt being tangled or
twisted.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid catching the belt webbing in the door.
! Rear seatbelts
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 slowly
again.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
NOTE The center seatbelt buckle is marked
as “ CENTER ” .Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
– CONTINUED –1-15

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
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 1-11.
. 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, 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
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.
CAUTIONThe sensors and SRS airbag control
modules are located in the following
locations.
. Front sub sensors: on both the
right and left side at the front of
the vehicle
. Front door impact sensors: on
both front doors
. Satellite safing sensor: under the
rear center seat
. Side airbag sensors: on both
center pillars
. Curtain airbag sensors: on both
rear wheel houses
. SRS airbag control module (in-
cluding the impact sensors): un-
der the center of the instrument
panel
If you need service or repair in those
areas or near the front seatbelt
retractors, have the work performed
by your authorized SUBARU dealer.1-20