warning SUBARU OUTBACK 2000 3.G Owner's Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-17
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Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) function
When sec uring a c hild restraint system on the p asse ng ers’ seats, the
seatb elt must b e c hang ed over to the Automatic Loc k ing Retrac tor (ALR)
mod e.
When the c hild restraint system is removed , make su re that the retrac tor
op erates as an Emerg enc y Loc king Retrac tor (ELR).
For instruc tions on how to c onvert the retrac tor to the ALR mod e and re-
store it to the ELR mod e, see the “Child restraint systems ” sec tion in this
c hap ter. Seatbelt warning light and chime
Your vehic le is eq uip p ed with a seatb elt warning d e vic e at the d river’s
seat.
This d evic e c auses the seatb elt warning lig ht on th e instrument p anel to
lig ht up for ab out six sec ond s when the ig nition sw itc h is turned to the
“ ON ” p osition to remind the d river to wear the seatb elt . If the d river’s
seatb elt is not fastened , a warning c hime sound s at the same 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. Never place the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the
back. If an accident occurs, this can increase the risk or severity
of injury. Keep the lap belt as low as possible on your hips. In a colli-
sion, this spreads the force of the lap belt over stronger hipbones instead of across the weaker abdomen. Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding un-der the seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacks should be al-ways used in the upright position while the vehicle is running. Ifthe front seatbacks are not used in the upright position in a colli-
sion, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt slid-

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Front and rear seatbelts (except rear center seatbelt on station wagon)
OM-H0044OM-H0043
1. Ad just the seat p osition:
Driver’ s seat: Ad just the seatb ac k to the up rig ht p osition. Move the
seatb ac k as far from the steering wheel as p rac tic a l while still main-
taining full vehic le c ontrol.Front passenger ’s seat: Ad just the seatb ac k to the up rig ht p osition.
Move the seat as far b ac k as p ossib le.
2. Sit well b ac k in the seat.
3. Pic k up the tong ue p late and p ull the b elt out sl owly. Do not let it
g et twisted . If the b elt stop s b efore reac hing the b uc kle, return the
b elt slig htly and p ull it out more slowly. If the b elt still c annot b e un-
loc ked , let the b elt retrac t slig htly after g iving a strong p ull on it, then
p ull it out slowly ag ain.
4. Insert the tong ue p late into the b uc kle until you hear a c lic k.
5. To make the lap p art tig ht, p ull up on the should er b elt. And p lac e
the lap b elt as low as p ossib le on your hip s, not o n your waist.
Rear center seatbelt on station wagon
WARNING
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 out from the retractor, especially when inserting thesmaller tongue plate into the mating buckle (smaller one on right-

1-22
Adjusting the front seat shoulder belt anchor height
WARNING
When wearing the front seatbelts, make sure the shoulder portion of the webbing does not pass over your neck. If it does, adjustthe seatbelt anchor to a lower position. Placing the shoulder beltover the neck may result in neck injury during sudden braking orin a collision.
HB1029BB
The should er b elt anc hor heig ht should b e ad justed to the p osition b est
suited for you. To lower the anc hor heig ht, p ush th e release b utton and
slid e the anc hor d own. To raise the anc hor heig ht, slid e the anc hor up .
Pull d own on the anc hor to make sure that it is loc ked in p lac e.
Always ad just the anc hor heig ht so that the should e r b elt p asses over
the mid d le of the should er without touc hing the nec k.

1-26
Front seatbelt pretensioners
WARNING
To obtain maximum protection, occupants should sit in an up-
right position with their seatbelts properly fastened. Refer to
“Seatbelts” section in this chapter.
Do not modify, remove or strike the front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or surrounding area. This could result in accidental ac-tivation of the seatbelt pretensioners or could make the system
inoperative, possibly resulting in serious injury. Seatbelt preten-sioners have no user-serviceable parts. For required servicing of
front seatbelt retractors equipped with seatbelt pretensioners,
see your nearest SUBARU dealer. When discarding front seatbelt retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire car due to collision damage or for other reasons,
consult your SUBARU dealer.
HB0373
Seatbelt retractor assembly (Pretensioner)
The d river
’s and front p asseng er ’s seatb elts have a seatb elt p reten-
sioner. The seatb elt p retensioners are d esig ned to b e ac tivated in the
event of an ac c id ent involving a mod erate to severe frontal c ollision.
The p retensioner sensor also serves as a SRS fronta l airb ag sensor. If
the sensor d etec ts a c ertain p red etermined amount o f forc e d uring a
frontal c ollision, the front seatb elt is q uic kly d r awn b ac k in b y the re-
trac tor to take up the slac k so that the b elt more effec tively restrains

1-28
System monitors
HB4010EC
A d iag nostic system c ontinually monitors the read in ess of the seatb elt
p retensioner while the vehic le is b eing d riven. The seatb elt p reten-
sioners share the c ontrol mod ule with the airb ag sy stem. Therefore, if
any malfunc tion oc c urs in a seatb elt p retensioner, the SRS airb ag sys-
tem warning lig ht will illuminate. The SRS airb ag s ystem warning lig ht
will show normal system op eration b y lig hting for a b out 6 sec ond s
when the ig nition key is turned to the “ON ” p osition.
The following c omp onents are monitored b y the ind ic ator:
Front sub sensor (Rig ht hand sid e)
Front sub sensor (Left hand sid e)
Airb ag c ontrol mod ule (inc lud ing imp ac t sensors)
Seatb elt p retensioner (Driver ’s sid e)
Seatb elt p retensioner (Passeng er ’s sid e)
All related wiring
In the event of a malfunc tion ind ic ated b y any of f ollowing , the vehic le
should b e taken p romp tly to your nearest SUBARU d ea ler to have the
system c hec ked . Unless c hec ked and rep aired , the se atb elt p reten-
sioners and airb ag s will not func tion reliab ly: Flashing or flic kering of the ind ic ator lig ht.
No illumination of the warning lig ht when the ig nit ion switc h is
first turned to the “ON ” p osition.
Continuous illumination of the warning lig ht.
Illumination of the warning lig ht while d riving .

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-29
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System servicing
WARNING
When discarding a seatbelt retractor assembly or scrapping
the entire car damaged by a collision, consult your SUBARU deal-
er. Tampering with or disconnecting the system ’s wiring could re-
sult in accidental activation of the seatbelt pretensioner and/orairbag or could make the system inoperative, which may result in
serious injury. The wiring harnesses of the seatbelt pretensionerand SRS airbag systems are covered with yellow insulation andthe connectors of the system are yellow for easy identification.Do not use electrical test equipment on any circuit related to theseatbelt pretensioner and airbag systems. For required servicing
of the seatbelt pretensioner, see your nearest SUBARU dealer.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located in both front fenders and theairbag control module including the impact sensors is locatedunder the center console. If you need service or repair in those
areas or near the front seatbelt retractors, we recommend thatyou have an authorized SUBARU dealer perform the work.
NOTE If the front part of the vehicle is damaged in an accident to the extent that the seatbelt pretensioner does not operate, contactyour SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. Precautions against vehicle modification CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following modifications. Such modifi- cations can interfere with proper operation of the seatbelt perten-sioners.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-31
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Child restraint systems
WARNING
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 collision, because the child will be caught between the
passenger and objects inside the vehicle. Additionally, holding achild in your lap or arms in the front seat exposes that child to
another serious danger. Since the SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force, the child could be injured or evenkilled. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerablespeed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater. For that reason, be sure to secure 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 isappropriate for the child ’s age, height and weight. According to
accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained inthe rear seating positions than in the front seating positions. SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER ’S
SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD
SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SE-
RIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’ S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
Children should be properly restrained in the rear seat at all
times. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front
passenger’ s seat. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill the child.

1-32
HB0306
HB0308HB0307
Never install rearward facing child seat in the front passenger
’s seat.
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger ’s
seat or any other seat
Never hold a child on your lap or inyour arms in the front passenger
’s
seat or any other seat.
OM-H2406
Secure child restraint devices in the REAR seats at all times.
WARNING
Child restraint systems and seatbelts can become hot in a ve-
hicle that has been closed up in sunny weather; they could burn a small child. Check the child restraint system before you place achild in it. Do not leave an unsecured child restraint system in your vehi-
cle. Unsecured child restraint systems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden stop, turn or accident; it can strikeand injure vehicle occupants as well as result in serious injuriesor death to the child.
Infants and small c hild ren should always b e p lac ed in an infant or c hild
restraint system in the rear seat while rid ing in t he vehic le. You should
use an infant or c hild restraint system that meets Fed eral Motor Vehic le

1-38the c arg o area. Avoid p lac ing the head rest in the p
asseng er c omp art-
ment to p revent it from b eing thrown around in the p asseng er
c omp artment in a sud d en stop or a sharp turn.
2. Fasten the top strap hook of the c hild restraint to the ap p rop riate
anc hor b rac ket.
3. Tig hten the top strap sec urely.
Built-in child restraint (if equipped)
Refer to the d iag ram b elow to b ec ome familiar with the p arts of this b uilt-
in c hild restraint.
HBS046BB
1 Lap -should er b elt
2 Chest c lip
3 Release b utton
4 Crotc h b elt
5 Warning lab el
6 Child restraint c ushion 7
Belt b uc kle
8 Tong ue p lates
9 Maximum should er heig ht
ind ic ator lab el
Q Removab le p ad

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags1-39
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The c hild restraint is d esig ned for use only b y c hi
ld ren who weig h b e-
tween 9.05 kg (20 lb .) and 18.09 kg (40 lb .), whose heig ht is 110 c m
(44.3 in.) or less, who are c ap ab le of sitting up ri g ht alone and whose
should er heig ht is b elow the should er b elt slot.
The c hild should also b e at least one year old . It is imp ortant to use a
rear-fac ing c hild restraint until the c hild is ab ou t a year old . A rear-fac ing
restraint g ives the c hild ’s head , nec k and b od y the sup p ort they would
need in a c ollision. See the “Child restraint systems ” sec tion in this
manual.
WARNING
Do not use the built-in child restraint for infants who require a rear-facing child restraint. In an accident, serious crippling injuryor death could result if the built-in restraint is used for the infant.
If the c hild exc eed s the maximum weig ht and heig ht c ap ac ities of the
b uilt-in c hild restraint (maximum weig ht of 18.09 k g (40 lb .) and maxi-
mum heig ht of 110 c m (44.3 in.)), d o not use the b u ilt-in c hild restraint.
The c hild should use either the vehic le ’s seatb elts or an ap p roved after-
market b ooster seat, if nec essary.
The b uilt-in c hild restraint system c onforms to Fed eral Motor Vehic le
Safety Stand ard No. 213 and Canad a Motor Vehic le Sa fety Stand ard No.
213.4.
Ac c ord ing to ac c id ent statistic s, c hild ren are safe r when p rop erly re-
strained in the rear seating p osition than in the f ront seating p osition.
Child ren ag ed 12 and und er should not sit in the fr ont seat of a c ar
eq uip p ed with a p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag .
WARNING
Make sure the child is securely restrained with the built-in
child restraint. Failure to follow the manufacturer ’s instructions on the use of
this child restraint system can result in your child striking the ve-
hicle’ s interior during a sudden stop or crash.