SUBARU IMPREZA WRX 2012 4.G Owner's Guide

1-2Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats
WARNING
. Never adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid loss of vehicle con-
trol and personal injury.
. Before adjusting the seat, make
sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers and cargo are
clear of the adjusting mechan-ism.
. After adjusting the seat, push it
slightly to make sure it is se-
curely locked. If the seat is not
securely locked, it may move or
the seatbelt may not operate
properly.
. Do not put objects under the front
seats. They may interfere with
front seat locking and cause anaccident.
. Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint 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 seatbacks should be
always used in the upright posi-
tion while the vehicle is running.
If the front seatbacks 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 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 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.
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 chil-
dren 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 re-
strained at all times in a child

restraint device or in a seatbelt,
whichever is appropriate for thechild’s age, height and weight. Se-
cure ALL types of child restraint
devices (including forward facing
child seat) in the REAR seats at alltimes.
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.
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 1-21. &
Forward and backward ad- justment
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, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-3
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1-4Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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. &
Seat cushion height adjust-
ment (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 cushion adjustment lever
up and down. &
Head restraint adjustment (if equipped)1) Head restraint
2) Release button
Both the driver ’s seat and the front
passenger ’s seat are equipped with head
restraints.
The head restraint should be adjusted so
that the center of the head restraint is
closest to the top of the occupant ’s ears.
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.
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. Therefore, when
you remove the head restraints,
you must reinstall all head re-
straints to protect vehicle occu-pants.
. 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. &
Active head restraint (if equipped)
The front seats of your vehicle are
equipped with active head restraints. They
automatically tilt forward slightly in the
event the vehicle is struck from the rear,
decreasing the amount of rearward head
movement and thus reducing the risk of
whiplash. For maximum effectiveness, the
head restraint should be adjusted so that
the center of the head restraint is closest
to the top of the occupant ’s ears.
CAUTION
. Each active head restraint is
effective only when its height is
properly adjusted and driver/pas-
senger sits in the correct posi- tion on the seat.
. If your vehicle is involved in a
rear-end collision, have an
authorized SUBARU dealer in-
spect the active head restraints.
. The active head restraints may
not operate in the event the
vehicle experiences only a slight
impact in the rear.
. The active head restraints may be
damaged if they are pushed hard
from behind or subjected to
shock. As a result, they may not
function if the vehicle suffers a
rear impact. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-5

1-6Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seat heater (if equipped)
The seat heater is equipped in the front seats.
The seat heater operates when the igni-
tion switch is either in the “Acc ”or “ON ”
position.
CAUTION
. There is a possibility that people
with delicate skin may suffer
slight burns even at low tempera-
tures if they use the seat heater
for a long period of time. When
using the heater, always be sure
to warn the persons concerned.
. Do not put anything on the seat
which insulates against heat,
such as a blanket, cushion, or
similar items. This may cause the
seat heater to overheat.
NOTE
Use of the seat heater for a long period
of time while the engine is not running
can cause battery discharge. &
Type A seat heater
1) HI–Rapid heating
2) LO–Normal heating
3) OFF –Off
A) Left-hand side
B) Right-hand side To turn on the seat heater, push the
“LO ”
or “HI ”position on the switch, as desired,
depending on the temperature.
Selecting the “HI ”position will cause the
seat to heat up quicker.
To turn off the seat heater, lightly press the
opposite side of the current position.
The indicator located on the switch illumi-
nates when the seat heater is in operation.
When the vehicle ’s interior is warmed
enough or before you leave the vehicle,
be sure to turn the switch off.
& Type B seat heater
Each seat heater has four levels of
adjustment. To use the heater in the
right-hand seat, turn the “R ” adjustment
dial forward until the “
”mark reaches the

desired position. To activate the heater in
the left-hand seat, turn the“L ” adjustment
dial forward until the “
”mark reaches the
desired position. Each heater warms the
seat most quickly with the “
”mark on the
adjustment dial in the furthest-forward
position. An indicator light next to the
adjustment dial for each seat heater
illuminates when that seat heater isactivated.
When the vehicle ’s interior is warmed
enough or before you leave the vehicle,
always turn the adjustment dial to the
most rearward position so that the “
”
mark reaches to the “OFF ”position. Rear seats
WARNING
Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits well
back and upright in the seat. 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 ordeath.
WARNING
Never stack luggage or other cargo
higher than the top of the seatback
because it could tumble forward and
injure passengers in the event of a
sudden stop or accident. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-7
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1-8Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Armrest (if equipped)
To lower the armrest, pull on the top edge
of the armrest.
WARNING
To avoid serious injury, passengers
must never be allowed to sit on the
center armrest while the vehicle is inmotion. &
Head restraint adjustment
Both the rear window side seats and the
rear center seat are equipped with headrestraints.
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. Therefore, when
you remove the head restraints,
you must reinstall all head re-
straints to protect vehicle occu-pants.
. 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. !
Rear windows side seating position
1) Head restraint
2) Release button
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. ! Rear center seating position
CAUTION
The head restraint is not intended to
be used at the lowest position.
Before sitting on the seat, raise the
head restraint to the click position.

1) When not used (lowest position)
2) When used (click position)
1) Head restraint
2) Release buttonTo 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.
When the rear-center seating position is
occupied, raise the head restraint to an
appropriate position depending on your
sitting height. When the rear center seat-
ing position is not occupied, lower the
head restraint to improve rearward visibi-
lity. &
Folding down the rear seat- back
WARNING
. After returning the rear seatback
to its original position, be certain
to place all of the seatbelts and
the tab attached to the seat
cushion above the seat cushion. And make certain that the
shoulder belts are fully visible.
. Never allow passengers to ride
on the folded rear seatback or in
the cargo area or trunk. Doing so
may result in serious injury ordeath.
. Secure all objects and especially
long items properly to prevent
them from being thrown around
inside the vehicle and causing
serious injury during a sudden
stop, a sudden steering maneu-
ver or a rapid acceleration.
! 4-door models
1. Lower the head restraints.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-9
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1-10Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
release strap and then fold the seatback down.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that it is securelylocked.
You can keep the seatbacks locked when
you leave your vehicle and valet key at a
parking facility.
1. Pull the lock release strap behind the
seatback out from its holder.
2. Raise the seatback until it locks into
place with the lock release strap hanging
in the trunk. Make sure that the seatback
is securely locked. In this case, perform the following steps to
fold the seatback down again.
1. Open the trunk lid. Refer to
“Trunk lid
(4-door) ”F 2-23.
2. Access the lock release strap from the
trunk, and fold the seatback forward while
pulling the strap down. ! 5-door models
1. Lower the head restraints.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the
release knob and then fold the seatbackdown.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that it is securelylocked.

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 morepersons –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.
. 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 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 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. 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 1-21.
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 deploy. ! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to “Child
restraint systems ”F 1-21.
! Children
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
seating positions. Never allow a child to
stand up or kneel on the seat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses
the face or neck, adjust the shoulder belt
anchor height (window-side seating posi- Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-11
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