height SUBARU FORESTER 2017 SJ / 4.G Owners Manual

Safety precautions when
driving
&Seatbelt and SRS airbag
WARNING
. All persons in the vehicle should
fasten their seatbelts BEFORE
the vehicle starts to move. Other-
wise, the possibility of serious
injury becomes greater in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent.
. To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers must
always wear seatbelts when in
the vehicle. The SRS (Supple-
mental Restraint System) airbag
does not do away with the need
to fasten seatbelts. In combina-
tion with the seatbelts, it offers
the best combined protection 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. .
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.
For instructions and precautions, carefully
read the following sections.
. For the seatbelt system, refer to “Seat-
belts ”F 1-16.
. For the SRS airbag system, refer to
“ *SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) ”F 1-42.
& Child safety
WARNING
. Never 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
collision, because the child will
be caught between the passen-
ger and objects inside the vehi-
cle.
. While riding in the vehicle, in-
fants 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.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Never allow a child
to stand up or kneel on the seat.
. Place children in the REAR seat
properly restrained at all times in
a child restraint device or in a
seatbelt. The SRS airbag deploys
4

whichever is appropriate for the
child’s age, height and weight. Se-
cure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing
child seat) in the REAR seats at all
times.
NEVER INSTALL A FORWARD OR
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 seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precau-
tions concerning child restraint sys-
tems, refer to “Child restraint sys-
tems ”F 1-29.
WARNING
To prevent the passenger from slid-
ing 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 objects such as cushions
between the passenger and the
seatback. 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.
WARNING
Do not let rear passengers rest their
feet between the front seatback and
seat cushion. Doing so may lead to
defective operation of the following
systems and could result in serious
injury.
. Occupant detection system
. SRS side airbag
. Seat heater (if equipped)
. Power seat (if equipped)
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seats
–CONTINUED –1-3

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seats
&Manual seat
! Forward and backward adjustment
Pull the lever upward and slide the seat to
the desired position. Then release the
lever and try to move the seat back and
forth to make sure that it is securely locked
into place. !
Reclining the seatback
Pull the reclining lever up and adjust the
seatback to the desired position. Then
release the lever and make sure the
seatback is securely locked into place.
The seatback placed in a reclined position
can spring back upward with force when
the lever is pulled. While operating the
lever to return the seatback, hold the
seatback lightly so that it may be raised
back gradually. !
Seat height adjustment (driver ’s
seat)1) When the lever is pushed down, the seat is lowered.
2) When the lever is pulled up, the seat rises.
The height of the seat can be adjusted by
moving the seat adjustment lever up and
down.
1-4

&Power seat (driver ’s seat —if
equipped)
1) Seat position forward/backward con-
trol switch
To adjust the seat forward or backward,
move the control switch forward or
backward. During forward/backward ad- justment of the seat, you cannot adjust
the seat cushion angle or seat height.
2) Seat cushion angle control switch
To adjust the seat cushion angle, pull up
or push down the front end of the control
switch.
3) Seat height control switch
To adjust the seat height, pull up or push
down the rear end of the control switch.
4) Seatback angle (reclining) control
switch
To adjust the angle of the seatback,
move the control switch.
5) Lumbar support control switch
To increase lower back support, push the
front side of the switch. To decrease
lower back support, push the rear side of
the switch.
!Memory function (driver ’s seat —if
equipped)
WARNING
. Never adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid loss of vehicle con-
trol and personal injury.
. Before adjusting the seat, make
sure that cargo or the hands and
feet of rear seat passengers are
clear of the adjusting mechan-
ism.
. Never retrieve the seat position
while driving to avoid loss of vehicle control and personal in-
jury.
. Perform the seat position retrie-
val before driving. Be sure to
confirm that the select lever is
in the “P ” position, and the
parking brake is applied, when
adjusting the seat position. Do
not drive until the retrieval of the
seat position is complete.
. When retrieving a registered seat
position, make sure the hands,
feet and possessions of rear seat
passengers are clear of the seat
adjusting mechanism.
. When any unusual conditions or
malfunctions occur during the
retrieval of the seat position, stop
the retrieval of the seat position
by performing any of the follow-
ing procedures.
– Operate any of the power seat
switches
– Press the “SET ”button
– Press button “1 ” or “2 ”
Some of your desired seat positions can
be registered. Register the seat position
with button “1 ” or “2 ” or each of the access
keys and retrieve the seat position.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seats
–CONTINUED –1-5

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seats
The following seat positions can be
registered.
.Forward/backward position of the seat
. Angle of seatback
. Angle of seat cushion
. Height of seat
! Registration of seat position with
button “1 ” or “2”
1. Adjust the seat position under the
following conditions. .The parking brake is applied.
. The select lever is in the “P”posi-
tion.
2. While pressing the “SET”button, press
and hold the desired button “1”or “2”.
A chirp sounds once, and the seat position is registered.
!Registration of seat position with
each access key
1. Adjust the seat position under the
following conditions. .The parking brake is applied.
. The ignition switch is in the “LOCK”/
“OFF ”position.
. The select lever is in the “P ” posi-
tion.
2. While holding the access key and
pressing the “SET”button, press the “”
button of the access key.
A chirp sounds once, and the seat position
is registered. !
Retrieval of seat position regis-
tered with button “1 ” or “2 ”
WARNING
Be sure to press the correct button
to retrieve your registered seat
position. If the seat position is not
optimum for you, it may adversely
affect your driving and may reduce
the effectiveness of the seatbelt.
That could result in an accident
involving serious injury or death.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”
position.
2. While the select lever is in the “P ”
position and the parking brake is applied,
press button “1”or “2”.
1-6

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seats
&Head restraint adjustment
WARNING
. Never drive the vehicle with the
head restraints removed because
they are designed to reduce the
risk of serious neck injury in the
event that the vehicle is struck
from the rear. Also, never install
the head restraints the opposite
way round. Doing so will prevent
the head restraints from func-
tioning as intended. Therefore,
when you remove the head re-
straints, you must reinstall all
head restraints correctly to pro-
tect vehicle occupants.
. All occupants, including the dri-
ver, should not operate a vehicle
or sit in a vehicle ’s seat until the
head restraints are placed in their
proper positions in order to mini-
mize the risk of neck injury in the
event of a crash.
Both the driver ’s seat and front passen-
ger ’s seat are equipped with head re-
straints. Both head restraints are adjusta-
ble in the following ways. !
Head restraint height adjustment
1) Head restraint
2) Release button
To raise:
Pull the head restraint up.
To lower:
Push the head restraint down while
pressing the release button on the top of
the seatback.
To remove:
While pressing the release button, pull out
the head restraint.
To install:
Install the head restraint into the holes that
are located on the top of the seatback until
the head restraint locks. Press and hold
the release button to lower the head
restraint.
Each head restraint should be adjusted so
that the center of the head restraint is
closest to the top of the occupant ’s ears.
NOTE
When the head restraint cannot be
pulled out or installed due to insuffi-
cient clearance between the head re-
straint and the roof, tilt the seat and
then perform the installation and re-
moval tasks.
1-8

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
reclined seatback. Refer to“Car-
go area cover ”F 6-14.
Pull the strap and adjust the seatback to
the desired position.
Then release the strap and make sure the
seatback is securely locked into place.
Seatbelts
& Seatbelt safety tips
WARNING
. All persons in the vehicle should
fasten their seatbelts BEFORE
the vehicle starts to move. Other-
wise, the possibility of serious
injury becomes greater in the
event of a sudden stop or acci-
dent.
. All belts should fit snugly in order
to provide full restraint. Loose
fitting belts are not as effective in
preventing or reducing injury.
. Each seatbelt is designed to
support only one person. Never
use a single belt for two or more
persons –even children. Other-
wise, in an accident, serious
injury or death could result.
. Replace all seatbelt assemblies
including retractors and attach-
ing hardware worn by occupants
of a vehicle that has been in a
serious accident. The entire as-
sembly should be replaced even
if damage is not obvious.
. Place children in the rear seat properly restrained at all times.
The SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force
and can injure or even kill chil-
dren, especially if they are not
restrained or improperly re-
strained. 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 re-
straint 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 height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A FORWARD
OR REARWARD FACING CHILD
SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT.
DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS IN-
JURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD
BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD
TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIR-
BAG.
1-16

buckle, return the belt slightly and pull
it out more slowly.
.If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving it
a strong pull, then pull it out slowly
again.
4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist. !
Adjusting the front seat shoulder
belt anchor height
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for the
driver/front passenger. Always adjust the
anchor height so that the shoulder belt
passes over the middle of the shoulder
without touching the neck.
To raise:
Slide the anchor up.
To lower:
Pull the release knob and slide the anchor
down.
Pull down on the anchor to make sure that
it is locked in place.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
–CONTINUED –1-19

A: Front passenger’s seat
You should not install a child restraint
system (including a booster seat) due to
the hazard to children posed by the
passenger ’s airbag.
B: Rear seat, window-side seating
positions
Recommended positions for all types of
child restraint systems.
In these positions, the following equip-
ment is provided for installing a child
restraint system.
. Automatic Locking Retractor/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) seat-
belts
. Lower anchorages (bars)
. Upper anchorages (tether anchorages)
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 restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
C: Rear seat, center seating position
The ALR/ELR seatbelt and an upper
anchorage (tether anchorage) are pro-
vided in this position. 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 restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
When you install a child restraint system in
the rear seat
’s center seating position,
raise the center head restraint.
Lower anchorages (bars) for window-side
seating positions may be used for a seat
in the center seating position if a child
restraint system manufacturer ’s instruc-
tions permit and specify using anchors as
far apart as those in this vehicle.
If a child restraint system is not correctly
fixed in place (for example, if a child
restraint system can be moved more than
1 inch (2.5 cm) from side to side), you
should install the child restraint system in
a rear seat, window-side seating position.
WARNING
. Even with advanced airbags, chil-
dren can be seriously injured by
the airbag. Place children in the
rear seat properly restrained at
all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even
kill children, especially if they are
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from
deployment is greater.
For that reason, be sure to se-
cure 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 is appro-
priate for the child
’s age, height
and weight. According to acci-
dent statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the
front seating positions.
. Do not use lower anchorages
(bars) for a seat in the center
seating position unless a child
restraint system manufacturer ’s
instructions permit and specify
using anchors spaced as far
apart as those in this vehicle.
. Do not connect two or more
lower hooks onto the same an-
chorage (bar).
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
–CONTINUED –1-31

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Child restraint systems
WARNING
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS
EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER’S
SRS AIRBAG, NEVER INSTALL A
FORWARD OR REARWARD FACING
CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN THE
FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT.
DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY
OR DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLA-
CING THE CHILD’ SHEADTOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
& 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
restraint system should meet all applic-
able requirements of Federal Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standards for the United States
or of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards for Canada. It can be identified by
looking for the label on the child restraint
system or the manufacturer ’s statement of
compliance in the document attached to
the system.
Also it is important for you to make sure
that the child restraint system is compa-
tible with the vehicle in which it will be
used.
& Installing child restraint sys-
tems with ALR/ELR seatbelt
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
1-32