Rain SUBARU LEGACY 2004 4.G User Guide

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
y
There is a possibility that people with delicate
skin may suffer slight burns even at low tem-
peratures if he/she uses the seat heater for a
long period of time. When using the heater, al-
ways be sure to warn the persons concerned. y 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 heater
to overheat.
NOTE y Use of the seat heater for a long period of time
while the engine is not running can cause battery
discharge. y When cleaning the seat, do not use benzine,
paint thinner, or any similar materials.
Rear seats
Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the
occupant sits well back and upright in the seat.
Do not put cushions or any other materials be-
tween occupants and seatbacks or seat cush-
ions. 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.
UB0302

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seatbelts „
Seatbelt safety tips
yAll persons in the vehicle should fasten their
seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move.
Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury be-
comes greater in the event of a sudden stop or
accident.y All belts should fit snugly in order to provide
full restraint. Loose fitting belts are not as ef-
fective in preventing or reducing injury.y Each seatbelt is designed to support only
one person. Never use a single belt for two or
more persons – even children. Otherwise, in an
accident, serious injury or death could result. y Replace all seatbelt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware worn by occu-
pants of a vehicle that has been in a serious ac-
cident. The entire assembly should be replaced
even if damage is not obvious.y 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, espe- cially if they are 12 years of age and under and
are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment 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 re-
straint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-
propriate for the child’s height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding 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 rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precautions con-
cerning the child restraint system, see the
“Child restraint systems” section in this chap-
ter.

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
TInfants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is suitable for your ve-
hicle. See information on “Child restraint systems” inthis chapter. T 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 po-
sitions 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, move the child closer to the belt buckle to help
provide a good shoulder belt fit. Care must be taken to
securely place the lap belt as low as possible on the
hips and not on the child’s waist. If the shoulder portion
of the belt cannot be properly positioned, a child re-
straint system should be used. Never place the shoul-
der belt under the child’s arm or behind the child’sback. T
Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the seatbelts.
They should consult their doctor for specific recom-
mendations. The lap belt should be worn securely and
as low as possible over the hips, not over the waist. „ Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
The driver’s seatbelt has an Emergency Locking Re- tractor (ELR).
The emergency locking retractor allows normal body
movement but the retractor locks automatically during
a sudden stop, impact or if you pull the belt very quick-
ly out of the retractor.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retrac- tor (A/ELR)
Each passenger’s seatbelt has an Automatic/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (A/ELR). The Automatic/
Emergency Locking Retractor normally functions as
an Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/ELR
has an additional locking mode “Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR) mode” intended to secure a child re-
straint system. When the seatbelt is once drawn out
completely and is then retracted even slightly, the re-
tractor locks the seatbelt in that position and the seat-
belt cannot be extended. As the belt is rewinding,
clicks will be heard which indicate the retractor func-
tions as ALR. When the seatbelt is retracted fully, ALR
mode is released.
When securing a child restraint system on the passen-
gers’ seats, the seatbelt must be changed over to the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is removed, make
sure that the retractor is restored to the Emergency
Locking Retractor (ELR) function by allowing the seat-
belt to retract fully.
For instructions on how to convert the retractor to the
ALR mode and restore it to the ELR mode, see the
“Child restraint systems” section in this chapter. „
Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt warning de-
vice at the driver’s seat.
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 the “ON” position
to remind the driver to wear the seatbelt. If the driver’s
seatbelt is not fastened, a warning chime sounds at
the same time. „ Fastening the seatbelt
yNever use a belt that is twisted or reversed. In
an accident, this can increase the risk or sever-
ity of injury.y 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 of
across the weaker abdomen.y 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 seatbacks
should be always used in the upright position
while the vehicle is running. If the front seat-

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Fastening the seatbelt with the webbing twisted
can increase the risk or severity of injury in an
accident. When fastening the belt after it is
pulled out from the retractor, especially when
inserting the connector’s tongue plate into the
mating buckle (on right-hand side), always
check that the webbing is not twisted.
Be sure to fasten both tongue plates to the re-
spective buckles. If the seatbelt is used only as
a shoulder belt (with the connector’s tongue
plate not fastened to the connector’s buckle on
the right-hand side), it cannot properly restrain
the wearer in position in an accident, possibly
resulting in serious injury or death.
UB1030BAUB1031BA

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver’s and front passenger’s seatbelts have a
seatbelt pretensioner. The seatbelt pretensioners are
designed to be activated in the event of an accident in-
volving a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as a SRS frontal
airbag sensor. If the sensor detects a certain predeter-
mined amount of force during a frontal collision, the
front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by the retractor
to take up the slack so that the belt more effectively re-
strains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated, an operat-
ing noise will be heard and a small amount of smoke
will be released. These occurrences are normal and
not harmful. This smoke does not indicate a fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been activated,
the seatbelt retractor remains locked. Consequently,
the seatbelt can not be pulled out and retracted and
therefore must be replaced.
NOTE y
Seatbelt pretensioners are not designed to acti-
vate in minor frontal impacts, in side or rear im-
pacts or in roll-over accidents. y The driver’s seat and passenger’s seat preten-
sioners and frontal airbag operate simultaneous- ly. y Pretensioners are designed to function on a
one-time-only basis. In the event that a preten-
sioner is activated, both the driver’s and front pas-
senger’s seatbelt retractor assemblies must be re-
placed and only by an authorized SUBARU dealer.
When replacing seatbelt retractor assemblies, use
only genuine SUBARU parts. y If either front seatbelt does not retract or cannot
be pulled out due to a malfunction or activation of
the pretensioner, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is damaged in an ac-
cident to the extent that the seatbelt pretensioner
does not operate, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. „Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if you want to in-
stall any accessory parts to your vehicle.
Do not perform any of the following modifica-
tions. Such modifications can interfere with
proper operation of the seatbelt pertensioners. y Attachment of any equipment (bush bar,
winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
SUBARU genuine accessory parts to the front
end. y Modification of the suspension system or
front end structure. y Installation of a tire of different size and con-
struction from the tires specified on the tire
placard attached to the door jamb.
Child restraint systems
Infants and small children should always be placed in
an infant or child restraint system in the rear seat while
riding in the vehicle. You should use an infant or child
restraint system that meets Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards or Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards, is compatible with your vehicle and is ap-
propriate for the child’s age and size. All child restraint
systems are designed to be secured in vehicle seats
by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt
(except those covered under the section in this manu-al, entitled “Installation of child restraint systems by
use of lower and tether anchorages (LATCH)”).
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Children could be endangered in an accident if their
child restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle.
When installing the child restraint system, carefully fol-
low the manufacturer’s instructions.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating positions
than in the front seating positions.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces require that in-
fants and small children be restrained in an approved
child restraint system at all times while the vehicle is moving.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her
lap while the vehicle is moving. The passenger
cannot protect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be caught between
the passenger and objects inside the vehicle.
Additionally, holding a child in your lap or arms
in the front seat exposes that child to another
serious danger. Since the SRS airbag deploys
with considerable speed and force, the child
could be injured or even killed.
HS1069BA
HS1070BA

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
Children should be properly restrained at all
times. Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on any seat. Unrestrained children will be
thrown forward during sudden stop or in an ac-
cident and can be injured seriously.
Additionally, children standing up or kneeling
on or in front of the front seat are exposed an-
other serious danger. Since the SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed and force, the
child could be injured or even killed.
„ Where to place a child restraint system
The following are SUBARU’s recommendations on
where to place a child restraint system in your vehicle. A: Front passenger’s seat
You should not install a child restraint system due to
the hazard to children posed by the passenger’s air-
bag.
B: Rear seat, window-side seating positions
Recommended positions for all types of child restraintsystems.
In these positions, Automatic/Emergency Locking Re-
tractor (A/ELR) seatbelts and lower anchor bars are
provided for installing a child restraint system.
C: Rear seat, center seating position
Installing a child restraint system is not recommended,
although the A/ELR seatbelt is provided in this posi-UB1118AA

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
tion.
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 re-
straint system that has a bottom base that fits snugly
against the contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
y
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, espe-
cially if they are 12 years of age and under and
are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater.
For that reason, be sure to secure ALL types of
child restraint devices (including forward fac-
ing child seats) in the REAR seats at all times.
You should choose a restraint device which is
appropriate for the child’s age, height and
weight. According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions.
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A
PASSENGER’S SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT IN-
STALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFETY
SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER’S SEAT.
DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S
HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
HG1043BA