remove seats SUBARU FORESTER 2001 SF / 1.G Owners Manual

1-2
Front seats
WARNING
Never adjust the seat while driving to avoid the possibility of
loss of vehicle control and of personal injury. Never drive the vehicle with the head restraints removed be-
cause they are designed to reduce the risk of serious neck injury
in the event that the vehicle is struck from the rear. Before adjusting the seat, make sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers are clear of the adjusting mechanism. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding un-der the seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacks should be al-ways used in the upright position while the vehicle is running. Ifthe front seatbacks are not used in the upright position in a colli-
sion, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt slid-ing up over the abdomen will increase, and both can result in se-rious internal injury or death. 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. The SRS airbags deploy with considerable speed and force.
Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag
deploys could suffer very serious injuries.
Because the SRS airbag needs enough space for deployment, thedriver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as farfrom the steering wheel as practical while still maintaining full ve-hicle control and the front passenger should move the seat as farback as possible and sit upright and well back in the seat. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. 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 im-
properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than

1-8
Rear seats
WARNING
Never drive the vehicle with the head rest removed because
they are designed to reduce the risk of serious neck injury in the
event that the vehicle is struck from the rear. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. Do not put cushions or anyother materials between occupants and seatbacks or seat cush-ions. If you do so, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of thelap belt sliding up over the abdomen will increase, and both canresult in serious internal injury or death. Never allow passengers to ride on the folded rear seatback or
in the cargo area. Doing so may result in serious injury or death. Never stack luggage or other cargo higher than the top of the
seatback because it could tumble forward and injure passengersin the event of a sudden stop or accident. Secure skis and other lengthy items properly to prevent them
from shooting forward and causing serious injury during a sud-den stop a sudden steering or a rapid acceleration.
HS0248
Sit well back and upright.

1-12
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
The d river ’s seatb elt has an Emerg enc y Loc king Retrac tor (ELR) .
The emerg enc y loc king retrac tor allows normal b od y movement b ut the
retrac tor loc ks automatic ally d uring a sud d en stop , imp ac t or if you p ull
the b elt very q uic kly out of the retrac tor. Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/ELR)
Eac h p asseng er ’s seatb elt has an Automatic /Emerg enc y Loc king Re-
trac tor (A/ELR). The Automatic /Emerg enc y Loc king Re trac tor normally
func tions as an Emerg enc y Loc king Retrac tor (ELR). The A/ELR has an
ad d itional loc king mod e “Automatic Loc king Retrac tor (ALR) mod e ” in-
tend ed to sec ure a c hild restraint system. When the seatb elt is onc e
d rawn out c omp letely and is then retrac ted even sli g htly, the retrac tor
loc ks the seatb elt in that p osition and the seatb el t c annot b e extend ed .
As the b elt is rewind ing , c lic ks will b e heard whic h ind ic ate the retrac tor
func tions as ALR. When the seatb elt is retrac ted fu lly, ALR mod e is re-
leased .
When sec uring a c hild restraint system on the p asse ng ers’ seats, the
seatb elt must b e c hang ed over to the Automatic Loc k ing Retrac tor (ALR)
mod e.
When the c hild restraint system is removed , make su re that the retrac tor
op erates as an Emerg enc y Loc king Retrac tor (ELR).
For instruc tions on how to c onvert the retrac tor to the ALR mod e and re-
store it to the ELR mod e, see the “Child restraint systems ” sec tion in this
c hap ter. Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehic le is eq uip p ed with a seatb elt warning d e vic e at the d river’s
seat, as req uired b y c urrent safety stand ard s.
This d evic e c auses the seatb elt warning lig ht on th e instrument p anel to
lig ht up for ab out six sec ond s when the ig nition sw itc h is turned to “ON ”
to remind the d river to wear the seatb elt. If the d river’s seatb elt is not fas-
tened , a warning c hime sound s at the same time.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-25
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CONTINUED –
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 e ral Motor Vehic le Safety
Stand ard s or Canad a Motor Vehic le Safety Stand ard s, is c omp atib le with
your vehic le and is ap p rop riate for the c hild ’s ag e and size. All c hild re-
straint systems are d esig ned to b e sec ured in vehic le seats b y lap b elts or
the lap p ortion of a lap /should er b elt.
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.
These statistic s also ind ic ate that the safest p osi tion for a c hild restraint
system is the c enter of the rear seat.
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
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.