
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
!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.!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.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
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, set both seatbacks to
the original position. Otherwise,
the child restraint system cannot
be securely restrained, which
may result in death or serious
injuries in the event of sudden
stop, sudden steering maneuver
or an accident.
!Installing a rearward facing child
restraint
1. Place the child restraint system in therear 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 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).
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
&General precautions regard-
ing SRS airbag system
WARNING
.To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers must
always wear seatbelts when in
the vehicle. The SRS airbag is
designed only to be a supple-
ment to the primary protection
provided by the seatbelt. It does
not eliminate the need to fasten
seatbelts. In combination with
the seatbelts, it offers the best
combined protection 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”F1-11.
.The SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag are designed only
to be a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. They do not eliminate the
need to fasten seatbelts. It is also
important to wear your seatbeltto help avoid injuries that can
result when an occupant is not
seated in a proper upright posi-
tion.
WARNING
.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 controland the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as
possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
WARNING
.Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to either front door. The
SRS side airbags are stored in
both front seat seatbacks next to
the door, and they provide pro-
tection by deploying rapidly (fas-
ter than the blink of an eye) in the
event of a side impact or frontal
collision. However, the force of
SRS side airbag deployment may
cause injuries if your head or
other parts of the body are too
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close to the SRS side airbag.
.Since your vehicle is equipped
with SRS curtain airbags, do not
sit or lean unnecessarily close to
the front or rear door on either
side. Also, do not put your head,
arms or hands out of the window.
The SRS curtain airbags on both
sides of the cabin are stored in
the roof side (between the front
pillar and a point behind the rear
quarter glass), and they provide
protection by deploying rapidly
(faster than the blink of an eye) in
the event of a side impact or
frontal collision. The SRS curtain
airbags also deploy in the event
of a rollover. However, the force
of its deployment may cause
injuries if your head is too close
to it.
.Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the SRS airbag. Because
the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed–faster than
the blink of an eye–and force to
protect in high speed collisions,
the force of an airbag can injure
an occupant whose body is too
close to SRS airbag.
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuriesthat can result when the SRS
airbag contacts an occupant not
in proper position such as one
thrown forward during pre-acci-
dent braking.
Even when properly positioned,
there remains a possibility that
an occupant may suffer minor
injury such as abrasions and
bruises to the face or arms
because of the SRS airbag de-
ployment force.
WARNING
.Do not rest your arm on either
front door or its internal trim. You
could be injured in the event ofSRS side airbag deployment.
.Do not place any objects over or
near the SRS airbag cover or
between you and the SRS airbag.
If the SRS airbag deploys, these
objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be
propelled inside the vehicle,
causing injury.
WARNING
.Do not put any objects over the
steering wheel pad and dash-
board. If the SRS frontal airbag
deploys, these objects could in-
terfere with its proper operation
and could be propelled inside the
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
&Components
1) SRS frontal airbag
2) SRS side airbag
3) SRS curtain airbag
4) SRS knee airbag
The SRS airbags are stowed in the
following locations.
Driver’s SRS frontal airbag: in the center
portion of the steering wheel
A“SRS AIRBAG”mark is located at the
pad of the airbag.
Front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag:
near the top of the dashboard under the
“SRS AIRBAG”mark
SRS side airbag: in the door side of each
front seat seatback which bears an“SRS
AIRBAG”label
SRS curtain airbag: in the roof side
(between the front pillar and a point
behind the rear quarter glass)
“SRS AIRBAG”marks are located at the
top of each center pillar and each rear
pillar.
SRS knee airbag: under the steering
column
A“SRS AIRBAG”mark is located at the
door of the airbag.
1-44

3. If wearing excessive layers of clothing,
the front passenger should remove any
unnecessary items before sitting in the
front passenger’s seat, or should sit in a
rear seat.
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.
!How to contact the vehicle manu-
facturer concerning modifications
for persons with disabilities that
may affect the advanced airbag
system
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, rear seat, seatbelts, front bumper,
front side frame, radiator panel, instrument
panel, combination meter, steering wheel,
steering column, tire, suspension or floor
panel can affect the operation of the
SUBARU advanced airbag system. If
you have any questions, you may contact
the following SUBARU distributors.
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Dealer Services Department
P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)
Subaru Hawaii
2850 Pukoloa Street, Suite 202,
Honolulu, HI 96819-4467
808-839-2273
Shen’s Corporation dba Prestige Automo-
bile
491, East Marine Corps Drive, Route 1
Dededo, Guam 96921-6225
671-633-2698
Trebol Motors
P.O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00910
787-793-2828
Subaru Canada, Inc.
Consumer Support Department
560 Suffolk Court, Mississauga, Ontario
L5R 4J7
1-800-894-4212
There are currently no SUBARU distribu-
tors in any other U.S. territories. If you are
in such an area, please contact the
SUBARU distributor or dealer from which
you bought your vehicle.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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The driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags use dual stage inflators.
The two inflators of each airbag are
triggered either sequentially or simulta-
neously, depending on the severity of
impact, in the case of the driver’s SRS
frontal airbag and depending on the
severity of impact and the characteristic
of item(s) or person on the seat in the case
of the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag.
After deployment, the SRS airbag imme-
diately starts to deflate so that the driver’s
vision is not obstructed and the driver’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle is
not impaired. The time required from
detecting impact to the deflation of the
SRS airbag after deployment is shorter
than the blink of an eye.
Both when only the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys and the driver’s and front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbags deploy,
the driver’s and front passenger’s seatbelt
pretensioners operate at the same time.
When the SRS airbag deploys, a sudden,
fairly loud inflation noise will be heard and
some smoke will be released. These
occurrences are a normal result of the
deployment. This smoke does not indicate
a fire in the vehicle.CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system
components around the steering
wheel and dashboard with bare
hands right after deployment. Doing
so can cause burns because the
components can be very hot as a
result of deployment.
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag are de-
signed as follows.
.to deploy in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontal
collision
.to function on a one-time-only basis
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag are not
designed as follows.
.to deploy in most lesser frontal im-
pacts
*1
.to deploy in most side or rear impacts
or in most roll-over accidents*2
*1: Because the necessary protection can be
achieved by the seatbelt alone.
*2: Because deployment of only the driver’s
SRS frontal airbag or both the driver’s and front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbags would not
protect the occupant in those situations.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the
level of force experienced in the passen-
ger compartment during a collision. That
level differs from one type of collision to
another, and it may have no bearing on
the visible damage done to the vehicle
itself.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
–CONTINUED–1-53

the cabin is stored in the roof side
(between the front pillar and a point over
the rear seat). An“SRS AIRBAG”mark is
located at the top of each center pillar.
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 on the occupant’s
head.
In a rollover, SRS curtain airbags on both
sides of the vehicle deploy between the
occupant and the side window and sup-
plement the seatbelt by reducing the
impact to the occupant’s head.
In an offset frontal collision, SRS curtain
airbags on both sides of the vehicle
deploy between the occupant and the
side window and supplement the seatbelt
by reducing the impact to the occupant’s
head and chest.
!Operation
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag can function only when the ignition
switch is in the“ON”position.
The following airbags deploy indepen-
dently of each other since each has its
own impact sensor.
.Driver’s SRS side airbag.Front passenger’s SRS side airbag
.SRS curtain airbag (right-hand side)
.SRS curtain airbag (left-hand side)
Therefore, they may not both deploy in the
same accident. Also, the SRS side airbag
and SRS curtain airbag deploys indepen-
dently of the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbags in the steering
wheel and instrument panel.
An impact sensor, which senses impact
force, is located in each of the following
locations.
.In the left and right front doors
.In the left and right center pillars
.In the left and right rear wheel houses
.Under the rear center seat
A rollover sensor is also located inside the
airbag control module.
If both of the following sensors together
sense an impact force above a predeter-
mined level in a side collision, the control
module causesboth the SRS side airbag
and curtain airbag on the impacted side
to inflate regardless of whether the rear
wheel house impact sensor on the same
side senses an impact.
.the impact sensor that is located under
the rear center seat
.one of the center pillar impact sensorsor front door impact sensors
If both of the following sensors together
sense an impact force above a predeter-
mined level in a side collision, the control
module causesonly the SRS curtain
airbag on the impacted sideto inflate.
.the impact sensor that is located under
the rear center seat
.one of the rear wheel house impact
sensors
If the rollover sensor detects rollover of the
vehicle, the control module inflates the
SRS curtain airbags on both sides.At
this time, the driver’s and front passen-
ger’
s seatbelt pretensioners also operate
at the same time.
After the deployment, the SRS side airbag
immediately starts to deflate. The time
required from detection of an impact to
deflation of an SRS side airbag after
deployment is shorter than the blink of
an eye.
The SRS curtain airbag remains inflated
for a while following deployment then
slowly deflates.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag deploy even when no one occupies
the seat on the side on which an impact is
applied.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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