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.
WARNING
Never stack luggage or other cargo
higher than the top of the seatback
because it could tumble forward and
injure passengers in the event of a
sudden stop or accident.
&Reclining the seatback
(Outback)
WARNING
To prevent the passenger from slid-
ing under the seatbelt in the event of
a collision, always put the seatback
in the upright position while the
vehicle is in motion.
CAUTION
If the vehicle is equipped with a
cargo area cover, observe the fol-
lowing precautions.
. Be careful not to pinch your hand
between the headrest and the
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats
cargo area cover when you re-
cline the rear seat.
. Move the front cover of the cargo
area cover backward so that the
cover is not damaged by the
reclined seatback. Refer to “Car-
go area cover (Outback –if
equipped) ”F 6-15.
Adjust the seatback to the desired position
while pulling the lever.
After adjusting the seatback, release the
lever and make sure the seatback is
securely locked into place.
& Folding down the rear seat-
back
WARNING
. When you fold down the seat-
back, check that there are no
passengers or objects on the
rear seat. Not doing so creates
a risk of injury or property da-
mage if the seatback suddenly
folds down.
. Never allow passengers to ride
on the folded rear seatback or in
the cargo area or trunk. Doing so
may result in serious injury or
death.
. Secure all objects and especially
long items properly to prevent
them from being thrown around
inside the vehicle and causing
serious injury during a sudden
stop, a sudden steering maneu-
ver or a rapid acceleration.
. When you return the seatback to
its original position, shake the
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 cargo area,
which could cause serious injury
or death.
. After returning the rear seat to its
original position, be certain to
place all of the seatbelts and the
tab attached to the seat cushion
above the seat cushion. Also,
make certain that the shoulder
belts are fully visible.
CAUTION
The rear seatback may fold down
quickly due to the internal spring.
Hold the seatback while pulling the
release lever to slow it down.
! Legacy
To fold down the seatback, perform the
following procedure.
1. Open the trunk lid. Refer to “Opening
the trunk lid (Legacy) ”F 2-25, “Opening
the trunk lid (Legacy) ”F 2-27 or “To open
the trunk lid from inside” F2-39.
1-12
1) Release lever
2. Pull the release lever on the side that
you want to fold down.
3. Fold the seatback down.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that it is securely
locked.!
OutbackRelease button
Release lever on both sides of the cargo
area
Unlock the seatback by performing either
of the following procedures and then fold the seatback down.
.
Push the release button
. Pull the release lever
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place. Make sure that it is securely
locked.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats
&Head restraint adjustment
Both the rear window side seats and the
rear center seat are equipped with head
restraints.
WARNING
. Never drive the vehicle with the
head restraints removed because
they are designed to reduce the
risk of serious neck injury in the
event that the vehicle is struck
from the rear. Therefore, when
you remove the head restraints,
you must reinstall all head re-
straints to protect vehicle occu-
pants.
. All occupants, including the dri-
ver, should not operate a vehicle
or sit in a vehicle ’s seat until the
head restraints are placed in their
proper positions in order to mini-
mize the risk of neck injury in the
event of a crash. !
Rear window side seating position
1) Head restraint
2) Release button
To raise:
Pull the head restraint up.
To lower:
Push the head restraint down while
pressing the release button on the top of
the seatback.
To remove:
While pressing the release button, pull out
the head restraint.
To install:
Install the head restraint into the holes that
are located on the top of the seatback until
the head restraint locks.
The head restraint should be adjusted so that the center of the head restraint is
closest to the top of the occupant
’s ears.
When the seats are not occupied, lower
the head restraints to improve rearward
visibility.
NOTE
For Legacy, it is not possible to remove
or install the head restraint without
folding down the rear seatback. Fold
down the rear seatback and then
remove or install the head restraint.
1-14
!Rear center seating position
CAUTION
The head restraint is not intended to
be used in the retracted position.
Before sitting on the seat, raise the
head restraint to the extended posi-
tion.
A) When not used (retracted position)
B) When used (extended position)
1) Head restraint
2) Release button
To raise:
Pull the head restraint up.
To lower:
Push the head restraint down while
pressing the release button on the top of
the seatback.
To remove:
While pressing the release button, pull out
the head restraint.
To install:
Install the head restraint into the holes that
are located on the top of the seatback until
the head restraint locks.
When the rear-center seating position is
occupied, raise the head restraint to the extended position. When the rear center
seating position is not occupied, lower the
head restraint to improve rearward visibi-
lity.
&
Armrest
To lower the armrest, pull on the armrest ’s
top edge.
WARNING
To avoid serious injury, passengers
must never be allowed to sit on the
center armrest while the vehicle is in
motion.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats1-15
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
Seatbelts
&Seatbelt safety tips
WARNING
. All persons in the vehicle should
fasten their seatbelts BEFORE
the vehicle starts to move. Other-
wise, the possibility of serious
injury becomes greater in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent.
. All belts should fit snugly in order
to provide full restraint. Loose
fitting belts are not as effective in
preventing or reducing injury.
. Each seatbelt is designed to
support only one person. Never
use a single belt for two or more
persons –even children. Other-
wise, in an accident, serious
injury or death could result.
. Replace all seatbelt assemblies
including retractors and attach-
ing hardware worn by occupants
of a vehicle that has been in a
serious accident. The entire as-
sembly should be replaced even
if damage is not obvious. .
Putchildrenintherearseat
properly restrained at all times.
The SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force
and can injure or even kill chil-
dren, 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. Conse-
quently, we strongly recommend
that ALL children (including
those in child seats and those
that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) 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 height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A 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. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. For instructions
and precautions concerning the
child restraint system, refer to
“
Child restraint systems ”F 1-27.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seatbelt by the front
passenger when any of the SRS frontal,
side and curtain airbags deploys.
! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to “Child
restraint systems ”F 1-27.
! Children
If a child is too big for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the rear seat
and be restrained using the seatbelts.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions. Never allow a child to
stand up or kneel on the seat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses
the face or neck, move the child closer to
the belt buckle to help provide a good
1-16
shoulder belt fit. Care must be taken to
securely place the lap belt as low as
possible on the hips and not on the child’s
waist. If the shoulder portion of the belt
cannot be properly positioned, a child
restraint system should be used. Never
place the shoulder belt under the child ’s
arm or behind the child ’s back.
! Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the
seatbelts. They should consult their doctor
for specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips, not over the waist.
&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.
The ALR mode functions as follows.
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 canceled
and the ELR mode is restored.
When securing a child restraint system on
the rear seats by using a seatbelt, the
seatbelt must be changed over to the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
For instructions on how to install the child
restraint system using a seatbelt, refer to
“
Installing child restraint systems with
ALR/ELR seatbelt ”F 1-30.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the retractor is
restored to the Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (ELR) mode by allowing the seat-
belt to retract fully.
&Seatbelt warning light
and chime
Refer to “Seatbelt warning light and
chime ”F 3-13.
& 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
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
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&Precautions against vehicle
modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners.
. 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 door
pillar or specified for individual
vehicle models in this Owner ’s
Manual.
Child restraint systems
Infants and small children should always
be placed in an infant or child restraint
system in the rear seat while riding in the
vehicle.
You should use an infant or child restraint
system that meets Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards or Canada Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standards, is compatible with
your vehicle and is appropriate for the
child ’s age and size.
All child restraint systems are designed to
be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or
the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt
(except those covered under the section in
this manual, entitled “Installation of child
restraint systems by use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH)
”F 1-36).
Children could be endangered in an
accident if their child restraints are not
properly secured in the vehicle. When
installing the child restraint system, care-
fully follow the manufacturer ’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces
require that infants and small children be
restrained in an approved child restraint
system at all times while the vehicle is
moving.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
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