belt SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 4.G Owner's Manual

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Station wagon
To lower the armrest, pull on the top edge of the arm- rest.
To avoid the possibility of serious injury, pas-
sengers must never be allowed to sit on the
center armrest while the vehicle is in motion. T
Loading long objects (Sedan)
Folding down the armrest and opening the seatback
panel affords a loading space for long objects.
To open the seatback panel, pull the panel down while
pressing the release tab down.y Secure long objects properly to prevent them
from shooting forward and causing serious in-
jury during a sudden stop or sharp cornering.
Tie long objects down with a rope or something
equivalent.y Avoid loading objects longer than 6.6 ft (2 m)
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and heavier than 55 lbs (25 kg). Such objects
can interfere with the driver’s proper operation
of the car, possibly causing an accident and se-
rious injury. „
Headrest adjustment – Rear center
seating position on Station wagon
To raise the headrest, pull it up. To lower it, push the
headrest down while pressing the release button on
the top of the seatback.
When the rear center seating position is occupied,
place the headrest in its highest position. When the
rear center seating position is not occupied, lower the
headrest to improve rearward visibility.
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„
Folding down the rear seat – Station wagon
yAfter returning the rear seat to its original po-
sition, 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. y Never allow passengers to ride on the folded
rear seatback, in the cargo area. Doing so may
result in serious injury or death. y Secure skis and other lengthy items properly
to prevent them from being thrown around in-
side the vehicle and causing serious injury dur-
ing a sudden stop, a sudden steering or a rapid
acceleration. T
Folding down the seatback
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1. Lower the headrests.
2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the release knob
and then fold the seatback down. TFolding down the seat cushion and seatback
1. Move the front seat forward.
2. Close the rear passengers’ cup holder and ashtray.
3. Remove the headrests (if so equipped).
Window-side seating positions: Pull the headrest
up while pressing the release button located on the
backside of the seatback. Center seating position:
Pull the headrest up while
pressing the release button located on the top of the
seatback.
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1) Seatbelt pocket
2) Buckles of rear center seatbelt
4. Store the seatbelts in the seatbelt pockets to pre-
vent them from falling below the cushion. 5. Raise the seat cushion by pulling up the tab.
Make certain that the rear passenger’s cup holder is
fully retracted before raising the seat cushion.
1
2
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6. Unlock the seatback by pulling the release knob
and fold the seatback down. Confirm that the pin locat-
ed at the bottom of the seat cushion is inserted into the
slot at the top of the seatback. 7. Install the headrests (if so equipped) onto the back-
side of the seatback (window-side positions only).
To return the rear seat to its original position, raise the
seatback and seat cushion until they lock into place
and make sure that they are securely locked.
Make sure that the rear seatbelts are not under the
seat cushion or seatback.
Place the headrests (if so equipped) back in their nor-
mal position.
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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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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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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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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 abdomen
will increase, and both can result in serious in-
ternal injury or death.yDo 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 or death.
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.
Metallic parts of the seatbelt can become very
hot in a vehicle that has been closed up in sun-
ny weather; they could burn an occupant. Do
not touch such hot parts until they cool.
T Front seatbelts
1. Adjust the seat position:
Driver’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the upright posi-
tion. Move the seatback as far from the steering wheel
as practical while still maintaining full vehicle control.
Front passenger’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the
upright position. Move the seat as far back as possi-
ble.
2. Sit well back in the seat.
3. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the belt out slowly.
Do not let it get twisted. If the belt stops before reach-
ing the buckle, return the belt slightly and pull it out
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