warning SUBARU IMPREZA 2002 2.G User Guide

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-4
Reclining the seatback
OM-H0032
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 released.
When operating the reclining lever to return the seat-back, hold it lightly so that it may be raised back
gradually.
WARNING
To prevent the passenger from sliding under the seatbelt in the event of a collision, alwaysput the seatback in the upright position whilethe vehicle is in motion. Also, do not place
objects such as cushions between the pas- senger and the seatback. If you do so, the riskof sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen will increase,and both can result in serious internal injuryor death.
HS0247

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-5
– CONTINUED –
Seat cushion height adjustment
(driver’ s seat)
The height of the seat can be adjusted by moving the seat cushion adjustment lever up and down.
HG1003BB
1) When the lever is pushed down, the seat is lowered.
2) When the lever is pulled up, the seat
rises.
Head restraint adjustment
To raise the head restraint, pull it up.
HB1016BA
To lower it, push the head restraint down while
pressing the release button on the top of the seat- back.
The head restraint should be adjusted so that the
center of the head restraint is closest to the top ofthe occupant ’s ears.
WARNING
Never drive the vehicle with the head re-
straints removed because they are designedto reduce the risk of serious neck injury in the
event that the vehicle is struck from the rear.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-7
– CONTINUED –
Do not put anything on the seat which insu-
lates against heat, such as a blanket, cushion, or similar items. This may cause the seat heat-er to overheat.
NOTE Use of the seat heater for a long period of time
while the engine is not running can cause battery discharge. When cleaning the seat, do not use benzine,
paint thinner, or any similar materials. Rear seats
WARNING
Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. Do not put cushions or any other materi-
als between occupants and seatbacks or seat
cushions. If you do so, the risk of slidingunder 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.
HG1005BA

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-8
WARNING
Never allow passengers to ride on the
folded rear seatback or in the cargo area. Do- ing so may result in serious injury or death. Never stack luggage or other cargo higher
than the top of the seatback because it couldtumble forward and injure passengers in theevent of a sudden stop or accident.
HG1006BA
Armrest (if equipped)
HG1008BA
To lower the armrest, pull on the top edge of the
armrest.
WARNING
To avoid the possibility of serious injury, pas- sengers must never be allowed to sit on thecenter armrest while the vehicle is in motion.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-9
– CONTINUED –
Loading long objects
HG1029BA
Folding down the armrest and opening the seatback
panel affords a loading space for long objects.
To open the seatback panel, pull the release tab.
WARNING
Secure long objects properly to prevent
them from shooting forward and causing seri-
ous injury during a sudden stop or sharp cor-
nering. Tie long objects down with a rope orsomething equivalent. Avoid loading objects longer than 6.6 ft (2
m) and heavier than 55 lb (25 kg). Such objects can interfere with the driver ’s proper operation of the car, possibly causing an acci-
dent and serious injury.
HG1009BA

Folding down the rear seat – Wagon
WARNING
After returning the rear seat to its original
position, be certain to place all of the seat- belts and the tab attached to the seat cushion
above the seat cushion. And make certain thatthe shoulder belts are fully visible. Never permit anyone to ride in the cargo
area.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-11
– CONTINUED –
Seatbelts Seatbelt safety tips
WARNING
All persons in the vehicle should fasten
their seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to
move. Otherwise, the possibility of serious in- jury becomes greater in the event of a sudden stop or accident. All belts should fit snugly in order to pro-
vide 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 ormore persons — even children. Otherwise, in
an accident, serious injury or death could re-sult. Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by oc- cupants of a vehicle that has been in a serious
accident. The entire assembly should be re-
placed even if damage is not obvious. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRSairbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, es- pecially if they are 12 years of age and under and 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 (in- cluding those in child seats and those that
have outgrown child restraint devices) sit inthe 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 restraint devices
(including 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 rearseating positions than in the front seating
positions. For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint system, see the “ Child restraint systems ” section in this chap-
ter.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-13
– CONTINUED –
When securing a child restraint system on the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt, the seatbelt mustbe changed over to the Automatic Locking Retractor(ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is removed, make
sure that the seatbelt retracts fully and the retractor
returned to the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) mode.
For instructions on how to convert the retractor to
the ALR mode and restore it to the ELR mode, seethe “Child restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt warningdevice at the driver ’s seat, as required by current
safety standards.
This device causes the seatbelt warning light on the
instrument panel to light up for about six seconds
when the ignition switch is turned to “ON” to remind
the driver to wear the seatbelt. If the driver ’s seatbelt
is not fastened, a warning chime sounds at thesame time.
Fastening the seatbelt
WARNING
Never use a belt that is twisted or reversed.
In an accident, this can increase the risk or
severity of injury. Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your
hips. In a collision, this spreads the force of the lap belt over stronger hip bones instead ofacross the weaker abdomen. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when
the occupant sits well back and upright in the
seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the
seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacksshould be always used in the upright position
while the vehicle is running. If the front seat-
backs are not used in the upright position in a
collision, the risk of sliding under the lap belt
and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdo- men will increase, and both can result in seri-ous 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

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-16
WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does notpass over your neck. If it does, adjust the
seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder belt over the neck may result in
neck injury during sudden braking or in a col-lision.
n Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
HB0303
Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
retracted properly to avoid catching the belt web- bing in the door.
Rear seatbelts (except rear center seatbelt on
Wagon)
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the belt out
slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If the belt stops be-
fore reaching the 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 a
strong pull on it, then pull it out slowly again.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle until youhear a click.
OM-H0043
4. 1) To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-17
– CONTINUED –
2) Place the lap belt as low as possible on your hips, not on your waist.
OM-H0044
nAdjusting the rear seat shoulder belt anchor height (window-side seating positions only)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be adjusted
to the position best suited for you. To adjust the an-
chor height, push the release button and slide the
anchor up or down. Pull down on the anchor to
make sure that it is locked in place.
HS1020BA
Always adjust the anchor height so that the shoulder belt passes over the middle of the shoulder without
touching the neck.
WARNING
When wearing the seatbelts, make sure the
shoulder portion of the webbing does notpass over your neck. If it does, adjust the
seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placingthe shoulder belt over the neck may result in
neck injury during sudden braking or in a col- lision.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-18
nUnfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
HB0303
Before closing the door, make sure that the belts are
retracted properly to avoid catching the belt web-
bing in the door.
Rear center seatbelt on Wagon
WARNING
Fastening the seatbelt with the webbing twisted can increase the risk or severity ofinjury in an accident. When fastening the belt
after it is pulled out from the retractor, espe-
cially when inserting the connector ’s tongue plate into the mating buckle (on right-handside), always check that the webbing is nottwisted.
HB1030BA
WARNING
Be sure to fasten both tongue plates to the
respective buckles. If the seatbelt is used onlyas a shoulder belt (with the connector
’s
tongue plate not fastened to the connector ’s
buckle on the right-hand side), it cannot prop-erly restrain the wearer in position in an acci- dent, possibly resulting in serious injury or death.