SUBARU OUTBACK 2001 3.G Workshop Manual

1-28
Seatbelt maintenance
CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid. Never attempt to make modifications or changes that will pre-
vent the seatbelt from operating properly.
To c lean the seatb elts, use a mild soap and lukewar m water. Never
b leac h or d ye the b elts b ec ause this c ould seriousl y affec t their streng th.
Insp ec t the seatb elts and attac hments inc lud ing the web b ing and all
hard ware p eriod ic ally for c rac ks, c uts, g ashes, tea rs, d amag e, loose
b olts or worn areas. Rep lac e the seatb elts even if only minor d amag e is
found .
Front seatbelt pretensioners
WARNING
To obtain maximum protection, occupants should sit in an up-
right position with their seatbelts properly fastened. Refer to
“Seatbelts” section in this chapter.
Do not modify, remove or strike the front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or surrounding area. This could result in accidental ac-tivation of the seatbelt pretensioners or could make the system
inoperative, possibly resulting in serious injury. Seatbelt preten-sioners have no user-serviceable parts. For required servicing of
front seatbelt retractors equipped with seatbelt pretensioners,
see your nearest SUBARU dealer. When discarding front seatbelt retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire car due to collision damage or for other reasons,
consult your SUBARU dealer.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-29
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HB0373
Seatbelt retractor assembly (Pretensioner)
The d river
’s and front p asseng er ’s seatb elts have a seatb elt p reten-
sioner. The seatb elt p retensioners are d esig ned to b e ac tivated in the
event of an ac c id ent involving a mod erate to severe frontal c ollision.
The p retensioner sensor also serves as a SRS fronta l airb ag sensor. If
the sensor d etec ts a c ertain p red etermined amount o f forc e d uring a
frontal c ollision, the front seatb elt is q uic kly d r awn b ac k in b y the re-
trac tor to take up the slac k so that the b elt more effec tively restrains
the front seat oc c up ant.
When a seatb elt p retensioner is ac tivated , an op era ting noise will b e
heard and a small amount of smoke will b e released . These oc c ur-
renc es are normal and not harmful. This smoke d oes not ind ic ate a
fire in the vehic le.
Onc e the seatb elt p retensioner has b een ac tivated , the seatb elt re-
trac tor remains loc ked . Conseq uently, the seatb elt c an not b e p ulled
out and retrac ted . NOTE Seatbelt pretensioners are not designed to activate in minor
frontal impacts, in side or rear impacts or in roll-over accidents. The driver ’s seat and passenger ’s seat pretensioners and fron-
tal airbag operate simultaneously. Pretensioners are designed to function on a one-time-only ba-
sis. In the event that a pretensioner is activated, both the driver ’s
and front passenger ’s seatbelt retractor assemblies must be re-

1-30placed and only by an authorized SUBARU dealer. When replac-
ing seatbelt retractor assemblies, use only genuine SUBARUparts.
If either front seatbelt does not retract or cannot be pulled out
due to a malfunction or activation of the pretensioner, contactyour SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. If the front seatbelt retractor assembly or surrounding area
has been damaged, contact your SUBARU dealer as soon as pos-sible. When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to explain to the buy-
er that it has seatbelt pretensioners by alerting him to the con-tents of this section. System monitors
HB4010EC
A d iag nostic system c ontinually monitors the read in ess of the seatb elt
p retensioner while the vehic le is b eing d riven. The seatb elt p reten-
sioners share the c ontrol mod ule with the airb ag sy stem. Therefore, if
any malfunc tion oc c urs in a seatb elt p retensioner, the SRS airb ag sys-
tem warning lig ht will illuminate. The SRS airb ag s ystem warning lig ht
will show normal system op eration b y lig hting for a b out 6 sec ond s
when the ig nition key is turned to the “ON ” p osition.
The following c omp onents are monitored b y the ind ic ator:
Front sub sensor (Rig ht hand sid e)
Front sub sensor (Left hand sid e)
Airb ag c ontrol mod ule (inc lud ing imp ac t sensors)

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-31
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Seatb elt p retensioner (Driver ’s sid e)
Seatb elt p retensioner (Passeng er ’s sid e)
All related wiring
In the event of a malfunc tion ind ic ated b y any of f ollowing , the vehic le
should b e taken p romp tly to your nearest SUBARU d ea ler to have the
system c hec ked . Unless c hec ked and rep aired , the se atb elt p reten-
sioners and airb ag s will not func tion reliab ly:
Flashing or flic kering of the ind ic ator lig ht.
No illumination of the warning lig ht when the ig nit ion switc h is
first turned to the “ON ” p osition.
Continuous illumination of the warning lig ht.
Illumination of the warning lig ht while d riving .
System servicing
WARNING
When discarding a seatbelt retractor assembly or scrapping
the entire car damaged by a collision, consult your SUBARU deal-
er. Tampering with or disconnecting the system ’s wiring could re-
sult in accidental activation of the seatbelt pretensioner and/orairbag or could make the system inoperative, which may result in
serious injury. The wiring harnesses of the seatbelt pretensionerand SRS airbag systems are covered with yellow insulation andthe connectors of the system are yellow for easy identification.Do not use electrical test equipment on any circuit related to theseatbelt pretensioner and airbag systems. For required servicing
of the seatbelt pretensioner, see your nearest SUBARU dealer.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located in both front fenders and theairbag control module including the impact sensors is locatedunder the center console. If you need service or repair in those
areas or near the front seatbelt retractors, we recommend thatyou have an authorized SUBARU dealer perform the work.

1-32NOTE If the front part of the vehicle is damaged in an accident to the extent that the seatbelt pretensioner does not operate, contactyour SUBARU dealer as soon as possible.
Precautions against vehicle modification CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following modifications. Such modifi- cations can interfere with proper operation of the seatbelt perten-sioners. Attachment of any equipment (bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than SUBARU genuine accessory parts tothe 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 tire placard attached to the door jamb.
Always c onsult your SUBARU d ealer if you want to in stall any ac c es-
sory p arts to your vehic le.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-33
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Child restraint systems
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from injury in a collision, because the child will be caught between the
passenger and objects inside the vehicle. Additionally, holding achild in your lap or arms in the front seat exposes that child to
another serious danger. Since the SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force, the child could be injured or evenkilled. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerablespeed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater. For that reason, be sure to secure 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 isappropriate for the child ’s age, height and weight. According to
accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained inthe rear seating positions than in the front seating positions. SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER ’S
SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD
SAFETY SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACINGTHE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
Children should be properly restrained in the rear seat at all
times. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front
passenger’ s seat. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill the child.

1-34
HB0306
HB0308HB0307
Never install rearward facing child safety seat in the front passen-
ger’
s seat.
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger ’s
seat or any other seat
Never hold a child on your lap or inyour arms in the front passenger
’s
seat or any other seat.
HS1031BB
WARNING
Child restraint systems and seatbelts can become hot in a ve-
hicle that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check the child restraint system before you place achild in it. Do not leave an unsecured child restraint system in your vehi-
cle. Unsecured child restraint systems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden stop, turn or accident; it can strikeand injure vehicle occupants as well as result in serious injuriesor death to the child.
Infants and small c hild ren should always b e p lac ed in an infant or c hild
restraint system in the rear seat while rid ing in t he vehic le. You should
use an infant or c hild restraint system that meets Fed eral Motor Vehic le

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-35
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Safety Stand ard s or Canad a Motor Vehic le Safety Sta
nd ard s, is c omp at-
ib le with your vehic le and is ap p rop riate for the c hild’s ag e and size. All
c hild restraint systems are d esig ned to b e sec ured in vehic le seats b y
lap b elts or the lap b elt p ortion of a lap /should er b elt (exc ep t those c ov-
ered und er the sec tion in this manual, entitled “Instruc tion of c hild re-
straint systems b y use of lower and tether anc horag es”).
Child ren c ould b e end ang ered in an ac c id ent if thei r c hild restraints are
not p rop erly sec ured in the vehic le. When installin g the c hild restraint
system, c arefully follow the manufac turer ’s instruc tions.
Ac c ord ing to ac c id ent statistic s, c hild ren are safe r when p rop erly re-
strained in the rear seating p ositions than in the front seating p ositions.
All U.S. states and Canad ian p rovinc es req uire that infants and small
c hild ren b e restrained in an ap p roved c hild restrai nt system at all times
while the vehic le is moving .
Installing child restraint systems with seatbelt
NOTE When the child restraint system is no longer in use, remove it and
restore the ELR function of the retractor. That function is restored
by allowing the seatbelt to retract fully.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint system, follow the manufactur-
er’ s instructions supplied with it. After installing the child re-
straint system, check to ensure that it is held securely in posi-
tion. If it is not held tight and secure, the danger of your childsuffering personal injury in the event of an accident may be in-creased.

1-36
HB1080BA
1. Set the c hild restraint system in the seating p osition.
2. Run the lap and should er b elt throug h or around t he c hild restraint
system following the instruc tions p rovid ed b y its m anufac turer. If the
should er b elt g oes in front of the c hild ’s fac e or nec k, p ut it b ehind the
c hild restraint system.
3. Insert the tong ue p late into the b uc kle.
4. Take up the slac k in the lap b elt.
5. Pull out the seatb elt fully from the retrac tor to c hang e the retrac tor
over from the Emerg enc y Loc king Retrac tor (ELR) to the Automatic
Loc king Retrac tor (ALR) func tion. Then, allow the b elt to rewind into
the retrac tor. As the b elt is rewind ing , c lic ks wil l b e heard whic h ind i-
c ate the retrac tor func tions as ALR.
6. Before having a c hild sit in the c hild restraint system, move it b ac k
and forth to c hec k if it is firmly sec ured . Sometim es a c hild restraint
c an b e more firmly sec ured b y p ushing it d own into the seat c ushion
and then tig htening the seatb elt.
7. Pull at the should er p ortion of the b elt to c onfi rm that it c annot b e
p ulled out (ALR p rop erly func tioning ).
If the c hild restraint system req uires a top tether , latc h the hook onto
the top tether anc hor and tig hten the top tether. S ee the “Top tether
anc horag es ” for ad d itional instruc tions.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-37
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HB1083BAHBS065BA
8. To remove the c hild restraint system, p ress the r elease b utton on
the seatb elt b uc kle and allow the b elt to retrac t c omp letely. The b elt
will return to the ELR mod e.
If you have any q uestion c onc erning this typ e of c h ild restraint sys-
tem, ask your SUBARU d ealer. Installation of child restraint systems by use of lower and teth- er anchorages
Some typ es of c hild restraint systems c an b e instal led on the rear
seat of your vehic le without use of the seatb elts. Suc h c hild restraint
systems are sec ured to the d ed ic ated anc horag es p ro vid ed on the
vehic le b od y.
HB1086BA
Your vehic le is eq uip p ed with four lower anc horag es (b ars) and three
up p er anc horag es (tether anc horag es) for ac c ommod at ing suc h c hild
restraint systems.