2017 SUBARU FORESTER seats

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, the following equip-
ment is provided for installing a child
restraint system.
. Automatic Locking Retractor/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) seat-
belts
. Lower anchorages (bars)
. Upper anchorages (tether anchorages)
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) are pro-
vided 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. Place 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 the
front 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.
. Do not connect two or more
lower hooks onto the same an-
chorage (bar).
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
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phone or any other accessory to
a front pillar, a center pillar, a rear
pillar, the windshield, a side win-
dow, an assist grip, or any other
cabin surface that would be near
a deploying SRS curtain airbag.
A hands-free microphone or
other accessory in such a loca-
tion could be propelled through
the cabin with great force by the
curtain airbag, or it could prevent
correct deployment of the curtain
airbag. In either case, the result
could be serious injuries.
WARNING
Do not hang coat hangers or other
hard or pointed objects on thepassenger
’s hand grips. If such
items were hanging on the passen-
ger ’s hand grips during deployment
of the SRS curtain airbags, they
could cause serious injuries by
coming off the passenger ’s hand
grips and being thrown through the
cabin or by preventing deployment
of the curtain airbags.
WARNING
Do not put any kind of cover or
clothes or other objects over either
front seatback and do not attach
labels or stickers to the front seat
surface on or near the SRS side
airbag. They could prevent proper
deployment of the SRS side airbag, reducing protection available to the
front seat
’s occupant.
WARNING
Place children in the rear seat
properly restrained at all times. The
SRS airbag deploys with consider-
able speed and force and can injure
or even kill children, especially if
they are not restrained or impro-
perly restrained. Because children
are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from
deployment is greater.
Consequently, we strongly recom-
mend that ALL children (including
those in child seats and those that
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)
have outgrown child restraint de-
vices) sit in the REAR seat properly
restrained at all times in a child
restraint device or in a seatbelt,
whichever is appropriate for the
child’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing
child seats) in the REAR seats at
all times.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-
tions.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint sys-
tem, refer to “Child restraint sys-
tems ”F 1-29.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A FORWARD OR
REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT
IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE
SRS AIRBAG.
WARNING
Never allow a child to stand up or
kneel on the front passenger ’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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 disassemble
the 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 put sharp object(s) on the
seat or pierce the seat uphols-
tery.
. 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
passenger ’s occupant detection system
have failed, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. Have the
system inspected by your SUBARU deal-
er immediately if the SRS airbag system
warning light illuminates.
If your vehicle has sustained impact, this
may affect the proper function of the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag system.
Have your vehicle inspected at your
SUBARU dealer. Do not use the front
passenger ’s seat while driving the vehicle
to your SUBARU dealer.
! Passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
Refer to “Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON and OFF indicators ”F 3-16.
! Occupant detection system
The occupant detection system sensor is
installed under the seat upholstery and
monitors the physique and posture of the
front passenger. Using this information, the occupant detection system determines
whether the front passenger
’s SRS frontal
airbag should be deployed or not.
If the front passenger ’s seat cushion is
wet, this may adversely affect the ability of
the system to determine deployment. If
the seat cushion is wet, the front passen-
ger should stop sitting on the front
passenger ’s seat. Wipe off liquid from
the seat immediately, let the seat dry
naturally and then check that the front
passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and OFF
indicators

work properly.
ON /: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
indicator
/: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator
If the front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
1-52

and OFF indicators do not work properly
even when the front passenger’s seat is
dry, do not allow anyone to sit on the front
passenger ’s seat and have the occupant
detection system checked by your
SUBARU dealer.
Also, if luggage or electronic devices are
placed on the front passenger ’s seat, this
may adversely affect the ability of the
system to determine deployment. This
may prevent the front passenger ’s frontal
airbag ON and OFF indicators from work-
ing properly. Check that the indicators
work properly.
When the OFF indicator turns off and the
ON indicator illuminates, the front passen-
ger ’s frontal airbag may deploy during a
collision. Remove luggage and electronic
devices from the front passenger ’s seat.
CAUTION
Electrical devices, such as cell
phones, laptops, portable music
players, or electronic games, espe-
cially when connected to the acces-
sory power outlet and placed on the
front passenger ’s seat or used by
the person sitting in the front pas-
senger ’s seat, may affect the opera-
tion of the occupant detection sys-
tem. If either of the following situa- tions occurs when using an electro-
nic device in the vehicle, at first try
to relocate that device to avoid it
creating any interference.
.
The SRS airbag system warning
light illuminates.
. The front passenger ’s frontal air-
bag ON and OFF indicators oper-
ate erratically.
If the device continues to cause
interference, the use of that device
in the vehicle should be discontin-
ued.
! Conditions in which front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not
activated
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the
following conditions are met regarding the
front passenger ’s seat:
. The seat is empty.
. The seat is equipped with an appro-
priate child restraint system and an infant
is restrained in it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
. The front passenger ’s occupant detec-
tion system is malfunctioning.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A FORWARD OR
REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT
IN THE FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT
EVEN IF THE FRONT PASSEN-
GER ’S SRS FRONTAL AIRBAG IS
DEACTIVATED. Be sure to install it
in the REAR seat in a correct
manner. Also, it is strongly recom-
mended that any forward facing
child seat or booster seat be in-
stalled in the REAR seat, and that
even children who have outgrown a
child restraint system be also
seated in the REAR seat. This is
because children sitting in the front
passenger ’s seat may be killed or
severely injured should the front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag de-
ploy. REAR seats are the safest
place for children.
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 interfere with
the proper operation of the occu-
pant detection system, activating
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
–CONTINUED –1-53

are placed on the seat.!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. Make sure that the front passenger
does not use a blanket, seat cushion, seat
cover, seat heater or massager, etc.
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. of Columbia>
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
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)
&Precautions against vehicle
modification
WARNING
To avoid accidental activation of the
system or rendering the system
inoperative, which may result in
serious injury, no modifications
should be made to any components
or wiring of the SRS airbag system.
This includes following modifica-
tions.
. Installation of custom steering
wheels
. Attachment of additional trim
materials to the dashboard
. Installation of custom seats
. Replacement of seat fabric or
leather
. Installation of additional fabric or
leather on the front seat
. Attachment of a hands-free mi-
crophone or any other accessory
to a front pillar, a center pillar, a
rear pillar, the windshield, a side
window, an assist grip, or any
other cabin surface that would be
near a deploying SRS curtain
airbag. .
Installation of additional electri-
cal/electronic equipment such as
a mobile two-way radio on or
near the SRS airbag system
components and/or wiring is not
advisable. This could interfere
with proper operation of the
SRS airbag system.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the SRS airbag system.
. Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver ’s
door pillar or specified for indivi-
dual vehicle models in this Own-
er ’s Manual.
. Attachment of any equipment
(side steps or side sill protectors, etc.) other than genuine SUBARU
accessory parts to the side body.
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts on
your vehicle.
1-72

Keys and doors/Child safety locks
Child safety locks
Each rear door has a child safety lock.
When the child safety lock lever is in the
“LOCK ”position, the door cannot be
opened from inside. The door can only
be opened from the outside.
WARNING
Always turn the child safety locks to
the “LOCK ”position when children
sit on the rear seat. Serious injury
could result if a child accidentally
opens the door and falls out.
Windows
WARNING
To avoid serious personal injury
caused by entrapment, always con-
form to the following instructions
without exception.
. When operating the power win-
dows, be extremely careful to
prevent anyone ’s fingers, arms,
neck, head or other objects from
being caught in the window.
. Always lock the passengers ’win-
dows using the lock switch when
children are riding in the vehicle.
. Always carry the key when you
leave the vehicle for safety rea-
sons and never allow an unat-
tended child to remain in the
vehicle. Failure to follow this
procedure could result in injury
to a child operating the power
window.
. The driver should be aware of
and pay careful attention to his/
her responsibilities.
CAUTION
After fully opening or fully closing a
window, do not continue to press
the switch in the same direction. It
may cause the power window to
malfunction.
NOTE
. Due to the structure of the vehicle
body, the rear seat window cannot be
fully opened.
. When the following operations are
performed, the power window breaker
will operate and it may not be possible
to open or close the window.
–After the driver ’s window and, for
some models, the front passenger ’s
window are fully closed or fully
opened, the switch is continuously
operated in the same direction for a
few seconds.
– After the windows for three or
more seats are fully closed or fully
opened, each switch is continu-
ously operated in the same direc-
tion simultaneously for a few sec-
onds.
. In this case, after the breaker re-
covers, be sure to initialize the power
windows. If they are not initialized, the
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