warning SUBARU FORESTER 2005 SG / 2.G Owners Manual

3
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CONTINUED –
Chapter 13: Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
This chapter informs you about Uniform tire quality
grading standards and Reporting safety defects.
Chapter 14: Index
This is an alphabetical listing of all that’s in this manu-
al. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. „Safety warnings
You will find a number of WARNINGs, CAUTIONs and
NOTEs in this manual.
These safety warnings alert you to potential hazards
that could result in injury to you or others.
Please read these safety warnings as well as all other
portions of this manual carefully in order to gain a bet-
ter understanding of how to use your SUBARU vehiclesafely.
A WARNING indicates a situation in which seri-
ous injury or death could result if the warning is
ignored.
A CAUTION indicates a situation in which injury
or damage to your vehicle, or both, could result
if the caution is ignored.
NOTE
A NOTE gives information or suggestions how to
make better use of your vehicle. „ Safety symbol
You will find a circle with a slash through it in this man-
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4
ual. This symbol means “Do not”, “Do not do this”, or
“Do not let this happen”, depending upon the context.Vehicle symbols
There are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.Mark Name CAUTION
Power door lock
Passenger’s windows lock Fuel
Front fog lights
Parking lights
Hazard warning flasher
Cigarette lighter

11
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CONTINUED –
these situations. It is also for their own safety that pets
should be properly restrained in your vehicle. Restrain
a pet with a special traveling harness which can be se-
cured to the rear seat with a seatbelt or use a pet car-
rier which can be secured to the rear seat by routing a
seatbelt through the carrier’s handle. Never restrain
pets or pet carriers in the front passenger’s seat. For
further information, consult your veterinarian, local an-
imal protection society or pet shop. „Tire pressures
Check and, if necessary, adjust the pressure of each
tire (including the spare) at least once a month and be-
fore any long journey.
Check the tire pressure when the tires are cold. Use a
pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressures to the val-
ues shown on the tire placard.
Refer to the “Tires and wheels” section in chapter 11
for detailed information.
Driving at high speeds with excessively low tire
pressures can cause the tires to deform severe-
ly and to rapidly become hot. A sharp increase
in temperature could cause tread separation, and destruction of the tires. The resulting loss
of vehicle control could lead to an accident.
„ California proposition 65 warning
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and
certain vehicle components contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro-
ductive harm. In addition, certain fluids in vehi-
cles and certain components of product wear
contain or emit chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm.

18
„
Instrument panel
12 3 4 5 67
8
9
10
11
12
14
15
16 13
USF032BB
1) Door locks (page 2-6)
2) Outside mirror switch (page 3-
37)
3) Light control lever (page 3-23)
4) Combination meter (page 3-7)
5) Wiper control lever (page 3-28)
6) Hazard warning flasher switch
(page 3-7)
7) Audio (page 5-2)
8) Gear shift lever (MT) (page 7-
12)/Selector lever (AT) (page 7-
15)
9) Climate control (page 4-2)
10) Cruise control (page 7-38)
11) Horn (page 3-40)
12) SRS airbag (page 1-53)
13) Tilt steering (page 3-39)
14) Fuse (page 11-60)/Coin tray (page 6-7)
15) Hood lock release knob (page 11-5)
16) Power window (page 2-24)

28
TWarning and indicator light
Mark Name Page
Seatbelt warning light 3-13
SRS airbag system warning light 3-13
CHECK ENGINE warning
light/Malfunction indicator lamp 3-13
Charge warning light 3-14
Oil pressure warning light 3-15
AT OIL temperature warning
light (AT vehicles) 3-15
or ABS warning light 3-15
or Brake system warning light 3-18
Door open warning light 3-19
All-Wheel Drive warning
light (AT vehicles) 3-19
Low fuel warning light 3-19
Turn signal indicator lights 3-21
High beam indicator light 3-21 Security indicator light (if equipped) 2-17
Cruise control indicator light (if equipped) 3-21
Cruise control set indicator
light (if equipped) 3-21
Vehicle Dynamics Control
operation indicator light (if equipped) 3-20
Vehicle Dynamics Control
warning light/Vehicle Dy-
namics Control OFF indica-
tor light (if equipped) 3-16
Mark Name Page

1-1
1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats .................................................... 1-2 Manual seat ....................................................... 1-3
Power seat (if equipped) .................................. 1-5
Lumbar support ................................................ 1-7
Head restraint adjustment ................................ 1-8
Active head restraint ........................................ 1-9
Seat heater (if equipped) .............................. 1-10
Rear seats ..................................................... 1-11 Head restraint adjustment ................................ 1-12
Folding down the rear seatback ...................... 1-13
Seatbelts ....................................................... 1-14 Seatbelt safety tips ........................................... 1-14
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) .............. 1-15
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) ............................................................ 1-16
Seatbelt warning light and chime .................... 1-16
Fastening the seatbelt ...................................... 1-16
Seatbelt maintenance ....................................... 1-29
Seatbelt extender ......................................... 1-29
Front seatbelt pretensioners ....................... 1-31 System monitors ............................................... 1-32
System servicing .............................................. 1-33
Precautions against vehicle modification ...... 1-34
Child restraint systems ................................ 1-35 Where to place a child restraint system ......... 1-37
Choosing a child restraint system .................. 1-38
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt ............................................................ 1-39
Installing a booster seat ................................... 1-44 Installation of child restraint systems by use
of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) .... 1-45
Top tether anchorages ..................................... 1-50
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ........................................... 1-53Vehicle with driver’s and front passenger’s SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints ..... 1-53
SRS frontal airbag ............................................ 1-57
SRS side airbag (if equipped) .......................... 1-65
SRS airbag system monitors ........................... 1-73
SRS airbag system servicing .......................... 1-75
Precautions against vehicle modification ...... 1-76

1-16
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retrac- tor (A/ELR)
Each passenger’s seatbelt has an Automatic/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (A/ELR). The Automatic/
Emergency Locking Retractor normally functions as
an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/ELR
has an additional locking mode “Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) mode” intended to secure a child re-
straint system. When the seatbelt is once drawn out
completely and is then retracted even slightly, the re-
tractor locks the seatbelt in that position and the seat-
belt cannot be extended. As the belt is rewinding,
clicks will be heard which indicate the retractor func-
tions 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 removed, make
sure that the seatbelt retracts fully and the retractor re-
turned 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, see the
“Child restraint systems” section in this chapter. „
Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt warning de-
vice at the driver’s seat, as required by current safety
standards.
This device causes the seatbelt warning light on the
instrument panel to light up when the ignition switch is
turned to “ON” to remind the driver to wear the seat-
belt. If the driver’s seatbelt is not fastened, the warning
light remains on and a warning chime sounds at the
same time. The warning light stays illuminated until
the driver fastens the seatbelt but the chime stops
sounding after about six seconds. „ Fastening the seatbelt
yNever use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In
an accident, this can increase the risk or sever-
ity of injury. y Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your
hips. In a collision, this spreads the force of the
lap belt over stronger hip bones instead of
across the weaker abdomen.y Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when
the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the

1-33
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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fore, if any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt preten-
sioner, the SRS airbag system warning light will illumi-
nate. The SRS airbag system warning light will show
normal system operation by lighting for about 6 sec-
onds when the ignition key is turned to the “ON” posi-tion.
The following components are monitored by the indi-
cator:yFront sub sensor (Right hand side)
y Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
y Side airbag sensor (Driver’s side)
y Side airbag sensor (Passenger’s side)
y Airbag control module (including impact sensors)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Passenger’s side)
y All related wiring
y And all other airbag components
If the warning light exhibits any of the following
conditions, there may be a malfunction in the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle to your
nearest SUBARU dealer to have the system
checked. Unless checked and properly re-
paired, the seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS airbags will operate improperly (e.g. SRS air-
bags may inflate in a very minor collision or not
inflate in a severe collision), which may in-
crease the risk of injury. y
Flashing or flickering of the indicator light
y No illumination of the warning light when the
ignition switch is first turned to the “ON” posi-tiony Continuous illumination of the warning light
yIllumination of the warning light while driving
„ System servicing
yWhen discarding a seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or scrapping the entire vehicle damaged by
a collision, consult your SUBARU dealer. y Tampering with or disconnecting the sys-
tem’s wiring could result in accidental activa-
tion of the seatbelt pretensioner and/or SRS air-
bag or could make the system inoperative,
which may result in serious injury. The wiring
harnesses of the seatbelt pretensioner and SRS
airbag systems are covered with yellow insula-
tion and the connectors of the system are yel-

1-73
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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The SRS side airbag is basically not designed to de-
ploy if the vehicle is involved in a frontal collision or is
struck from behind. Examples of such accidents are il-
lustrated.
A) First impact
B) Second impact
In an accident where the vehicle is struck from the side
more than once, the SRS side airbag deploys only once.
Example: In the case of a double side impact collision,
first with one vehicle and immediately followed by an-
other from the same direction, once the SRS side air-
bag is activated on the first impact, it will not be acti- vated on the second. „
SRS airbag system monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors the readi-
ness of the SRS airbag system while the vehicle is be-
ing driven. The SRS airbag system warning light “AIR-
BAG” will show normal system operation by lighting for
about 6 seconds when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position.
The following components are monitored by the indi- cator: y Front sub sensor (Right hand side)
y Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
B
A
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1-74
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
y
Airbag control module (including impact sensors)
y Frontal airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Frontal airbag module (Passenger’s side)
y Side airbag sensor (Driver’s side)
y Side airbag sensor (Passenger’s side)
y Side airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Side airbag module (Passenger’s side)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Passenger’s side)
y All related wiring
If the warning light exhibits any of the following
conditions, there may be a malfunction in the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle to your
nearest SUBARU dealer to have the system
checked. Unless checked and properly re-
paired, the seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will operate improperly (e.g. SRS air-
bags may inflate in a very minor collision or not
inflate in a severe collision), which may in-
crease the risk of injury. yFlashing or flickering of the indicator light
y No illumination of the warning light when the
ignition switch is first turned to the “ON” posi-tion y
Continuous illumination of the warning light
yIllumination of the warning light while driving