height SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 4.G Owners Manual

5
–
CONTINUED –
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 ve-
hicle control and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as possible and sit
upright and well back in the seat.
Carefully read the sections “Seat, seatbelt and SRS
airbags” in chapter 1 of this owner’s manual for in-
structions and precautions concerning the seatbelt
system and SRS airbag system. „ Child safety
yNever hold a child on your lap or in your arms
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger
cannot protect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be caught between
the passenger and objects inside the vehicle. y While riding in the vehicle, infants and small
children should always be placed in the REAR
seat in an infant or child restraint system which
is appropriate for the child’s age, height and
weight. 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. Accord-
ing to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating po-
sitions than in the front seating positions. Nev-
er allow a child to stand up or kneel on the seat. y
Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all times in a child
restraint device or in a seatbelt. The SRS airbag
deploys with considerable speed and force and
can injure or even kill children, especially if
they are 12 years of age and under and are not
restrained or improperly restrained. Because
children are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk being injured from deployment is
greater. y NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SAFETY 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. y Always use the child safety locks whenever a
child rides in the rear seat. Serious injury could
result if a child accidentally opened the door
and fell out. Refer to the “Door locks” section in
chapter 2.y Always lock the passenger’s windows using

1-1
1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats .................................................... 1-2 Fore and aft adjustment ................................... 1-3
Seat cushion angle and height adjustment (Power seat only) ........................................... 1-4
Reclining the seatback ..................................... 1-5
Head restraint adjustment ................................ 1-7
Lumbar support (if equipped) .......................... 1-8
Seat heater (if equipped) .............................. 1-9
Rear seats ..................................................... 1-10 Armrest (if equipped) ........................................ 1-11
Headrest adjustment – Rear center seating position on Station wagon ............................ 1-13
Folding down the rear seat – Station wagon .. 1-14
Seatbelts ....................................................... 1-18 Seatbelt safety tips ........................................... 1-18
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) .............. 1-19
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR) ............................................................ 1-20
Seatbelt warning light and chime ................... 1-20
Fastening the seatbelt ...................................... 1-20
Seatbelt maintenance ....................................... 1-31
Seatbelt extender ......................................... 1-32
Front seatbelt pretensioners ....................... 1-34 System monitors ............................................... 1-35
System servicing .............................................. 1-36
Precautions against vehicle modification ...... 1-37
Child restraint systems ................................ 1-37 Where to place a child restraint system ......... 1-39
Choosing a child restraint system .................. 1-41 Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR
seatbelt ............................................................ 1-41
Installing a booster seat ................................... 1-46
Installation of child restraint systems by use
of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) .... 1-48
Top tether anchorages ..................................... 1-52
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ........................................... 1-57Vehicle with driver’s and front passenger’s SRS airbags and lap/shoulder restraints ..... 1-57
SRS frontal airbag ............................................ 1-62
SRS side airbag (if equipped) .......................... 1-70
SRS airbag system monitors ........................... 1-78
SRS airbag system servicing .......................... 1-79
Precautions against vehicle modification ...... 1-80

1-3
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
restrained or improperly restrained. Because
children are lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from deployment is
greater. For that reason, we strongly recom-
mend that ALL children (including those in
child seats and those that have outgrown child
restraint 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 age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward facing child seat) in the REAR
seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILDSEAT 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 seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning child restraint systems, see the “Child
restraint systems” section in this chapter. „
Fore and aft adjustment
T Manual type
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to the desired
position. Then release the lever and move the seat-
back and forth to make sure that it is securely locked
into place.
UB1058BA

1-4
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
T
Power seat (if equipped)
To adjust the seat forward or backward, move the con-
trol switch forward or backward. „
Seat cushion angle and height adjust-
ment (Power seat only)
UB1060BA
UB1078BA

1-5
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
To adjust the angle and height of the seat cushion,
move the control switch in the corresponding direction. „
Reclining the seatback
To prevent the passenger from sliding under
the seatbelt in the event of a collision, always
put the seatback in the upright position while
the vehicle is in motion. Also, do not place ob-
jects such as cushions between the passenger
and the seatback. If you do so, the risk of slid-
ing 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.
UB1062BA
HS1037BA

1-6
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
T
Manual type
Pull the reclining lever up and adjust the seatback to
the desired position. Then release the lever and make
sure the seat is securely locked into place.
The seatback placed in a reclined position can spring
back upward with force when released. When operat-
ing the reclining lever to return the seatback, hold it
lightly so that it may be raised back gradually. T
Power seat (if equipped)
To adjust the angle of the seatback, move the control switch.
NOTE
While adjusting the seatback, you can not at the
same time adjust the seat position or the seat
cushion angle and height.
UB1072BAUB1084BA

1-18
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seatbelts „
Seatbelt safety tips
yAll persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.y All belts should fit snugly in order to provide
full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as ef-
fective in preventing or reducing injury.y Each seatbelt is designed to support only
one person. Never use a single belt for two or
more persons – even children. Otherwise, in an
accident, serious injury or death could result. y Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by occu-
pants of a vehicle that has been in a serious ac-
cident. The entire assembly should be replaced
even if damage is not obvious.y Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and
force and can injure or even kill children, espe- cially if they are 12 years of age and under and
are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater. For that reason, we strongly
recommend that ALL children (including those
in child seats and those that have outgrown
child restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat
properly restrained at all times in a child re-
straint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-
propriate for the child’s height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward 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 seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the child restraint system, see the
“Child restraint systems” section in this chap-
ter.

1-23
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
VAdjusting the front seat shoulder belt anchor
height
The shoulder belt anchor height should be adjusted to
the position best suited for you. To lower the anchor
height, push the release button and slide the anchor
down. To raise the anchor height, slide the anchor up.
Pull down on the anchor to make sure that it is locked
in place.
Always adjust the anchor height so that the shoulder
belt passes over the middle of the shoulder without
touching the neck.
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does not pass
over your neck. If it does, adjust the seatbelt an-
chor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder
belt over the neck may result in neck injury dur-
ing sudden braking or in a collision.
V Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
HS1052BA
HS1053BA

1-40
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
tion.
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 re-
straint system that has a bottom base that fits snugly
against the contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
y
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and
force and can injure or even kill children, espe-
cially if they are 12 years of age and under and
are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater.
For that reason, be sure to secure ALL types of
child restraint devices (including forward fac-
ing child seats) in the REAR seats at all times.
You should choose a restraint device which is
appropriate for the child’s age, height and
weight. According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions.
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A
PASSENGER’S SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT IN-
STALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFETY
SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER’S SEAT.
DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S
HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
HG1043BA

1-41
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
„Choosing a child restraint system
Choose a child restraint system that is appropriate for
the child’s age and size (weight and height) in order to
provide the child with proper protection. The child re-
straint system should meet all applicable requirements
of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for United
States or Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for
Canada. It can be identified by locking for the label on
the child restraint system or the manufacture’s state-
ment of compliance in the document attached to the
system. Also it is important for you to make sure that
the child restraint system is compatible with the vehi-
cle in which it will be used. „
Installing child restraint systems with
A/ELR seatbelt
yChild restraint systems and seatbelts can be-
come hot in a vehicle that has been closed up
in sunny weather; they could burn a small child.
Check the child restraint system before you
place a child in it. y Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
system in your vehicle. Unsecured child re-
straint systems can be thrown around inside of
the vehicle in a sudden stop, turn or accident; it
can strike and injure vehicle occupants as well
as result in serious injuries or death to the
child.
When you install a child restraint system, fol-
low the manufacturer’s instructions supplied
with it. After installing the child restraint sys-
tem, check to ensure that it is held securely in
position. If it is not held tight and secure, the
danger of your child suffering personal injury in
UBS108AA