warning SUBARU FORESTER 2012 SH / 3.G Owner's Guide

1-28Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
8. If the child restraint system requires a
top tether, latch the hook onto the top
tether anchorage and tighten the top
tether. For additional instructions, refer to“Top tether anchorages ”F 1-32.
9. To remove the child restraint system,
press the release button on the seatbelt
buckle and allow the belt to retract
completely. The belt will return to the
ELR mode. 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. & Installing a booster seat
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become 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.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
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 the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
1. Place the booster seat in the rear
seating position and sit the child on it. The
child should sit well back on the boosterseat.

2. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the booster seat and the child
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click. Take care not to
twist the seatbelt.
Make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of child’s shoulder and
that the lap belt is positioned as low as
possible on the child ’s hips.
4. To remove the booster seat, press the
release button on the seatbelt buckle and
allow the belt to retract.
WARNING
. Never use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can increase the risk or severity of
injury to the child.
. Never place the shoulder belt
under the child ’s arm or behind
the child ’s back. If an accident
occurs, this can increase the risk
or severity of injury to the child.
. The seatbelt should fit snugly in
order to provide full restraint.
Loose fitting belts are not as
effective in preventing or redu-
cing injury.
. Place the lap belt as low as
possible on the child ’s hips. A
high-positioned lap belt will in-
crease the risk of sliding under
the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen, and
both can result in serious inter-
nal injury or death.
. Make sure the shoulder belt is
positioned across the center of
child ’s shoulder. Placing the
shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sud-
den braking or in a collision. &
Installation of child restraint
systems by use of lower and
tether anchorages (LATCH)
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become 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.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-29
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1-34Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
*SRS airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental re-
straint system. This name is used be-
cause the airbag system supplements thevehicle’s seatbelts.
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. & Models with SRS airbags and
lap/shoulder restraints for
driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers
Your vehicle is equipped with a supple-
mental restraint system in addition to a
lap/shoulder belt at each front seating
position and each rear window-side seat-
ing positions. The supplemental restraint
system (SRS) consists of six airbags.
The configurations are as follows. . Driver ’s and front passenger ’s frontal
airbags . Driver ’s and front passenger ’s side
airbags. Curtain airbags (for driver, front pas-
senger, and window-side rear passen- gers)
These SRS airbags are designed only
as a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt.
The system also controls front seatbelt
pretensioners. For operation instructions
and precautions concerning the seatbelt
pretensioner, refer to
“Front seatbelt pre-
tensioners ”F 1-20.
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear seat-
belts when the vehicle is moving.
The SRS airbag is designed only
as a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. It does not do away with the
need to fasten seatbelts. In com-
bination with the seatbelts, it
offers the best combined protec-
tion in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the seatbelt system, refer to
“Seatbelts ”F 1-12.
. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the SRS airbag. Because
the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed –faster than
the blink of an eye –and force to
protect in high speed collisions,
the force of an airbag can injure
an occupant whose body is too
close to SRS airbag.
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries
that can result when the SRS
airbag contacts an occupant not
in proper position such as one
thrown forward during pre-acci-
dent braking.
Even when properly positioned,
there remains a possibility that
an occupant may suffer minor
injury such as abrasions and
bruises to the face or arms
because of the SRS airbag de-
ployment force.
. 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 deploy-

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 vehicle control
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as
possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
. Do not place any objects over or
near the SRS airbag cover or
between you and the SRS airbag.
If the SRS airbag deploys, those
objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be
propelled inside the vehicle and
cause injury.WARNING
. 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, 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 of being injured from
deployment 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 restraint
device or in a seatbelt, whichever
is appropriate for the child ’s age,
height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
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 1-22.
. NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THECHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG.
. Never allow a child to stand up,
or to kneel on the front passen-ger ’s seat, or never hold a child
on your lap or in your arms. The
SRS airbag deploys with consid-
erable force and can injure or
even kill the child.
CAUTION
. When the SRS airbag deploys,
some smoke will be released.
This smoke could cause breath-
ing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. If you or your
passengers have breathing pro-
blems after SRS airbag deploys,
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-35
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!Components
1) Airbag control module (including impact
and rollover sensors)
2) Frontal airbag module (driver ’s side)
3) Frontal airbag module (front passenger ’s
side)
4) Front sub sensor (left-hand side) 5) Front sub sensor (right-hand side)
6) Side airbag module (driver
’s side)
7) Side airbag module (front passenger ’s
side)
8) Side airbag sensor (center pillar left-hand side) 9) Side airbag sensor (center pillar right-
hand side)
10) Airbag wiring
11) Seatbelt pretensioner (driver ’s side)
12) Seatbelt pretensioner (front passenger ’s
side)
13) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house right-hand side)
14) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house left-hand side)
15) Curtain airbag module (right side)
16) Curtain airbag module (left side)
17) Seatbelt buckle switch (front passenger ’s
side)
18) Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
19) Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight sensor
20) Front passenger ’s occupant detection
control module
21) Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicator
22) SRS airbag system warning light
23) Satellite safing sensor (under the rear center seat)
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-37
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1-38Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&SUBARU advanced frontal
airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a SUBARU
advanced frontal airbag system that com-
plies with the new advanced frontal airbag
requirements in the amended Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
No. 208.
The SUBARU advanced frontal airbag
system automatically determines the de-
ployment force of the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag at the time of deployment as well as
whether or not to activate the frontpassenger ’s SRS frontal airbag and, if
activated, the deployment force of the
SRS frontal airbag at the time of deploy-ment.
Your vehicle has warning labels on the driver ’s and front passenger ’s sun visors
beginning with the phrase “EVEN WITH
ADVANCED AIR BAGS ”and a tag
attached to the glove box lid beginning
with the phrase “Even with Advanced Air
Bags ”. Make sure that you carefully read
the instructions on the warning labels and tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The SUBARU
advanced frontal airbag system is a
supplemental restraint system and must
be used in combination with a seatbelt. All
occupants should wear a seatbelt or be
seated in an appropriate child restraint system.
The driver
’s SRS frontal airbag is stowed
in the center portion of the steering wheel.
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is stowed near the top of the dashboard
under an “SRS AIRBAG ”mark.
In a moderate to severe frontal collision,
the driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbags deploy and supplement the
seatbelts by reducing the impact on thedriver ’s and front passenger ’s head and
chest.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA-
CING 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.
WARNING
Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on the front passenger ’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child.

WARNING
Never hold a child on your lap or in
your arms. The SRS airbag deploys
with considerable force and can
injure or even kill the child.WARNING
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper position
when the SRS airbag deploys could
suffer very serious injuries. Be-
cause the SRS airbag needs enough
space for deployment, the driver
should always sit upright and well
back in the seat as far from the
steering wheel as practical while
still maintaining full vehicle control
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as
possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuries that
can result when the SRS airbag
contacts an occupant not in proper
position such as one thrown toward
the front of the vehicle during pre-
accident braking.
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the
steering wheel pad and dashboard.
If the SRS frontal airbag deploys,
those objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause
injury. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-39
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1-40Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Do not attach accessories to the
windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants.
! Driver ’s SRS frontal airbag
The driver ’s SRS frontal airbag uses a
dual stage inflator. The inflator operates in
different ways depending on the severity
of impact.
Have the system inspected by your
SUBARU dealer immediately if the SRS
airbag system warning light illuminates. NOTE
The driver
’s SRS side airbag, SRS
curtain airbag and seatbelt preten-
sioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-tem. ! Front passenger ’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator
operates in different ways depending on
the severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the occupant detection system ’s weight
sensor located under the seat.
The system has another sensor that
monitors the tension of the front passen-
ger seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system determines
whether the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag should or should not be inflated.
The occupant detection system may not
inflate the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the SUBARU
advanced frontal airbag system from
functioning correctly or cause the system
to fail. .
Do not apply any strong impact to the
front passenger ’s seat such as by kicking.
. Do not spill liquid on the front passen-
ger ’s seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it off
immediately. . Do not remove or disassemble the front
passenger ’s seat.
. Do not install any accessory (such as
an audio amplifier) other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the front pas-senger ’s seat.
. Do not place anything (shoes, umbrel-
la, etc.) under the front passenger ’s seat.
. The front passenger ’s seat must not be
used with the head restraint removed. . Do not leave any article including a
child restraint system on the front passen- ger ’s seat or the seatbelt tongue and
buckle engaged when you leave yourvehicle. . Do not place a magnet near the
seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt retractor.. Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-forward position and seatback not
being locked into place securely. If any of
them are not locked securely, adjust them
again. For the adjustment procedure of
the manual seats, refer to “Manual seat ”
F 1-3.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or frontpassenger ’s occupant detection system

have failed, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. Have the
system inspected by your SUBARU deal-
er immediately if the SRS airbag system
warning light illuminates.
If your vehicle has sustained impact, this
may affect the proper function of the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag system.
Have your vehicle inspected at your
SUBARU dealer. NOTE
The front passenger’s SRS side airbag,
SRS curtain airbag and seatbelt pre-
tensioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-tem. ! Passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
Refer to “Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON and OFF indicators ”F 3-15.
! Conditions in which front passen- ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not
activated
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the
following conditions are met regarding the
front passenger ’s seat:
. The seat is empty.
. The seat is equipped with a rearward
facing child restraint system and an infant is restrained with it. (See WARNING thatfollows.) .
The seat is equipped with a forward
facing child restraint system and a small
child is restrained with it. (See WARNING
that follows.) . The seat is equipped with a booster
seat and a small child is in the booster
seat. (See WARNING that follows.) . The seat is relieved of the occupant
load for a time exceeding the predeter-
mined monitoring time period. . The seat is occupied by a child who
has outgrown a child restraint system or
by a small adult. (See WARNING thatfollows.) . The front passenger ’s occupant detec-
tion system is malfunctioning.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA-
CING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
PASSENGER ’S SEAT EVEN IF THE
FRONT PASSENGER ’S SRS FRON-
TAL AIRBAG IS DEACTIVATED. Be
sure to install it in the REAR seat in
a correct manner. Also, it is strongly
recommended that any forward fa-
cing child seat or booster seat be
installed in the REAR seat, and that
even children who have outgrown a child restraint system be also
seated in the REAR seat. This is
because children sitting in the frontpassenger
’s seat may be killed or
severely injured should the frontpassenger ’s SRS frontal airbag de-
ploy. REAR seats are the safest
place for children.
When the front passenger ’s seat is occu-
pied by a child, observe the following
precautions. Failure to do so may increase
the load on the front passenger ’s seat,
activating the front passenger ’sSRS
frontal airbag even though that seat is
occupied by a child. . Do not place any article on the seat
other than the child occupant and a child
restraint system. . Do not place more than one child on
the seat.. Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.. Do not store a heavy load in the
seatback pocket.. Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front passenger ’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-41
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WARNING
The SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag are designed as only
a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt. They
do not do away with the need to
fasten seatbelts. It is also important
to wear your seatbelt to help avoid
injuries that can result when an
occupant is not seated in a proper
upright position.
WARNING
. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to either front door. The
SRS side airbag is stored in both
front seat seatbacks next to the door, and it provides protection
by deploying rapidly (faster than
the blink of an eye) in the event of
a side impact collision. However,
theforceofSRSsideairbag
deployment may cause injuries
if your head or other parts of the
body are too close to the SRS
side airbag.
. Since your vehicle is equipped
with SRS curtain airbags, do not
sit or lean unnecessarily close to
the front or rear door on either
side. Also, do not put your head,
arms or hands out of the window.
The SRS curtain airbag on each
side of the cabin is stored in the
roof side (between the front pillar
and a point over the rear seat),
and it provides protection by
deploying rapidly (faster than
the blink of an eye) in the event
of a side impact or a rollover.
However, the force of its deploy-
ment may cause injuries if your
head is too close to it.
WARNING
Do not rest your arm on either front
door or its internal trim. It could be
injured in the event of SRS side
airbag deployment. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-49
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