warning SUBARU TRIBECA 2012 1.G Owner's Guide

Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver’s and front passenger ’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners for the driver ’s seat
and front passenger ’s seat operate at the
same time as the frontal, and side SRS
airbags. If the vehicle rolls over, they
operate simultaneously with the curtainairbag.
The front and side airbag sensors and the
rollover sensor are used as the preten-
sioner sensors. If a sensor detects a
certain predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, a side impact
collision or a rollover collision of the
vehicle, the front seatbelt is quickly drawn
back in by the retractor to take up the
slack so that the belt more effectively restrains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating 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 . Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor frontal
impacts, in minor side impacts or rear impacts.. The seatbelt pretensioners for the
driver ’s seat and front passenger ’s
seat operate at the same time as the
frontal, and side SRS airbags. If the
vehicle rolls over, they operate simul-
taneously with the curtain airbag.. Pretensioners are designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis. In the
event that a pretensioner is activated,
both the driver ’s and front passenger ’s
seatbelt retractor assemblies must be
replaced and only by an authorized
SUBARU dealer. When replacing seat- belt retractor assemblies, use only
genuine SUBARU parts..
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.. If the front seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or surrounding area has been
damaged, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible.. When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it has
seatbelt pretensioners by alerting him
to the contents of this section.WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection,
occupants should sit in an up-
right position with their seatbelts
properly fastened. Refer to “Seat-
belts ”F 1-17.
. Do not modify, remove or strike
the front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or surrounding area.
This could result in accidental
activation of the seatbelt preten-
sioners or could make the sys-
tem inoperative, possibly result-
ing in serious injury. Seatbelt
pretensioners have no user-ser-
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-27
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1-28Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
sioners, see your nearest
SUBARU dealer.
. When discarding front seatbelt
retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire vehicle due to
collision damage or for other
reasons, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
& System monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The
seatbelt pretensioners share the control
module with the airbag system. Therefore,
if any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt
pretensioner, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. For details,
refer to “SRS airbag system monitors ”F 1-
71.
& System servicing
WARNING
. When discarding a seatbelt re-
tractor assembly or scrapping
the entire vehicle damaged by a collision, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
. Tampering with or disconnecting
the system ’s wiring could result
in accidental activation of the
seatbelt pretensioner and/or air-
bag or could make the system
inoperative, which may result in
serious injury. Do not use elec-
trical test equipment on any
circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and airbag sys-
tems. For required servicing of
the seatbelt pretensioner, see
your nearest SUBARU dealer.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located
on both sides of the radiator panel,
and the airbag control module in-
cluding the impact sensors is lo-
cated under the center console. If
you need service or repair in those
areas or near the front seatbelt
retractors, we recommend that you
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, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible. &
Precautions against vehicle modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners. . Attachment of any equipment
(bush bar, winches, snow plow,
skid plate, etc.) other than genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the door
pillar or specified for individual

1-30Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child
on his or her lap while the vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot pro-
tect the child from injury in a colli-
sion, because the child will be
caught between the passenger and
objects inside the vehicle. Addition-
ally, 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.WARNING
Children should be properly re-
strained 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 accident and can be injured
seriously.
Additionally, children standing up or
kneeling on or in front of the front
seat are exposed another 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 re-
straint system
The following are SUBARU ’s recommen-
dations on where to place a child restraint
system in your vehicle.
A: Front passenger ’s seat
You should not install a child restraint
system (including a booster seat) due to
the hazard to children posed by thepassenger ’s airbag.
B: Second-row outboard seats
Recommended positions for all types of
child restraint systems.
In these positions, Automatic/Emergency
Locking Retractor (A/ELR) seatbelts and
lower anchorages (bars) are provided for
installing a child restraint system.
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 restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the

contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
C: Second-row center seat
Installing a child restraint system is not
recommended, although the A/ELR seat-
belt and an upper anchorage (tether
anchorage) are provided in this position.
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 restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
D: Third-row seat
Installing a child restraint system is not
recommended, although the A/ELR seat-
belt and two upper anchorages (tether
anchorages) are provided in these posi-tions.
These seating positions are not equipped
with lower anchorages (bars) for installing
LATCH system-type child restraints. How-
ever, child restraint devices can be used in
these position using the A/ELR seatbelts
and upper anchorages (tether an-
chorages) provided.
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 restraint system that has a
bottom base that fits snugly against the
contours of the seat cushion and can be
securely retained using the seatbelt.
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.
Consequently, 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 de-
vice which is appropriate for thechild ’s age, height and weight. Ac-
cording to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-tions.
WARNING
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS
EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER ’S
SRS AIRBAG, DO NOT INSTALL A
REARWARD FACING CHILD
SAFETY SEAT IN THE FRONT PAS-SENGER ’S SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-31
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1-32Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&Choosing a child restraint system
Choose a child restraint system that is
appropriate for the child ’s age and size
(weight and height) in order to provide the
child with proper protection. The child
restraint system should meet all applic-
able requirements of Federal Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standards for United States or
Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
for Canada. It can be identified by looking
for the label on the child restraint system
or the manufacturer ’s statement of com-
pliance in the document attached to the
system. Also it is important for you to
make sure that the child restraint system
is compatible with the vehicle in which it
will be used. &
Installing child restraint sys-
tems with A/ELR seatbelt
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
! Installing a rearward facing childrestraint
1. Slide the seat or seat pair to its
rearmost position.
2. Adjust the seatback to the upright position.
3. Place the child restraint system in the
rear seating position.
4. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the child restraint system
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer.
5. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.

6. Take up the slack in the lap belt.
7. Pull out the seatbelt fully from the
retractor to change the retractor over from
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
to the Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode. Then, allow the belt to rewind into
the retractor. As the belt is rewinding,
clicks will be heard which indicate the
retractor functions as ALR.8. Push and pull the child restraint
system forward and from side to side to
check if it is firmly secured.
Sometimes a child restraint can be more
firmly secured by pushing it down into the
seat cushion and then tightening theseatbelt.
9. Pull at the shoulder portion of the belt
to confirm that it cannot be pulled out (ALR
properly functioning).10. To remove the child restraint system,
press the release button on the seatbelt
buckle and allow the belt to retract
completely. The belt will return to the
ELR mode.
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA-
CING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
PASSENGER ’SSEAT.DOINGSO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
TO THE CHILD BY PLACING THECHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE
SRS AIRBAG. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-33
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1-36Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
tether anchorages ”F 1-40.
12. To remove the child restraint system,
press the release button on the seatbelt
buckle and allow the belt to retract
completely. The belt will return to the
ELR mode. NOTE
When the child restraint system is no
longer in use, remove it and restore the
ELR function of the retractor. That
function is restored by allowing the
seatbelt to retract fully. &
Installing a booster seat
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in- creased.
1. Slide the seat or seat pair to its
rearmost position.
2. Place the booster seat in the rear
seating position and sit the child on it. The
child should sit well back on the boosterseat.
3. Run the lap and shoulder belt through
or around the booster seat and the child
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer.
4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click. Take care not to
twist the seatbelt.
Make sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the center of child
’s shoulder and
that the lap belt is positioned as low as
possible on the child ’s hips.

5. To remove the booster seat, press the
release button on the seatbelt buckle and
allow the belt to retract.
WARNING
. Never use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can
increase the risk or severity of
injury to the child.
. Never place the shoulder belt
under the child ’s arm or behind
the child ’s back. If an accident
occurs, this can increase the risk
or severity of injury to the child.
. The seatbelt should fit snugly in
order to provide full restraint.
Loose fitting belts are not as effective in preventing or redu-
cing injury.
. Place the lap belt as low as
possible on the child ’s hips. A
high-positioned lap belt will in-
crease the risk of sliding under
the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen, and
both can result in serious inter-
nal injury or death.
. Make sure the shoulder belt is
positioned across the center of
child ’s shoulder. Placing the
shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sud-
den braking or in a collision.
& Installation of child restraint
systems by use of lower and
tether anchorages (LATCH)
WARNING
. Child restraint systems and seat-
belts can become hot in a vehicle
that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small
child. Check the child restraint
system before you place a child
in it.
. Do not leave an unsecured child restraint system in your vehicle.
Unsecured child restraint sys-
tems can be thrown around in-
side of the vehicle in a sudden
stop, turn or accident; they can
strike and injure vehicle occu-
pants as well as result in serious
injuries or death to the child.
CAUTION
When you install a child restraint
system, follow the manufacturer ’s
instructions supplied with it. After
installing the child restraint system,
check to ensure that it is held
securely in position. If it is not held
tight and secure, the danger of your
child suffering personal injury in the
event of an accident may be in-creased.
Some types of child restraint systems can
be installed in a rear seating position of
your vehicle without use of the seatbelts.
Such child restraint systems are secured
to the dedicated anchorages provided on
the vehicle body.
The lower and tether anchorages are
sometimes referred to as the LATCH
system ( Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CH ildren).Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-37
– CONTINUED –

CAUTION
Prevent the top tether from touching
cargo in the cargo area. The top
tether may become slack if the
cargo changes shape or moves. *SRS airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental re-
straint system. This name is used be-
cause the airbag system supplements thevehicle
’s seatbelts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seatbelt(s) by the
driver and front passenger when any of
the SRS frontal, side and curtain airbags
deploy. The recorded information cannot
be transmitted to any central communica-
tions system or other external device. & Your vehicle ’s SRS config-
uration
The driver ’s seat, the front passenger ’s
seat, and the outboard seats of the rear/
second seating row of your vehicle are
each provided with, in addition to a lap/
shoulder belt, one or more airbags asfollows. . Frontal airbag (one each for driver ’s
seat and front passenger ’s seat)
. Side airbag (one each for driver ’s seat
and front passenger ’s seat)
. Curtain airbag (one each for the out-
board sides of cabin, extending from driver ’s and front passenger ’s seats to second seating row)
These SRS airbags are designed only
as a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt.
The system also controls front seatbelt
pretensioners. For operation instructions
and precautions concerning the seatbelt
pretensioner, refer to
“Front seatbelt pre-
tensioners ”F 1-27.
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers in the
vehicle should always wear seat-
belts when the vehicle is moving.
The SRS airbag is designed only
as a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. It does not do away with the
need to fasten seatbelts. In com-
bination with the seatbelts, it
offers the best combined protec-
tion in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the seatbelt system,
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
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1-46Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
refer to “Seatbelts ”F 1-17.
. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the SRS airbag. Because
the SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed –faster than
the blink of an eye –and force to
protect in high speed collisions,
the force of an airbag can injure
an occupant whose body is too
close to SRS airbag.
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries
that can result when the SRS
airbag contacts an occupant not
in proper position such as one
thrown forward during pre-acci-
dent braking.
Even when properly positioned,
there remains a possibility that
an occupant may suffer minor
injury such as abrasions and
bruises to the face or arms
because of the SRS airbag de-
ployment force.
. 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.
. Do not place any objects over or
near the SRS airbag cover or
between you and the SRS airbag.
If the SRS airbag deploys, those
objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be
propelled inside the vehicle and
cause injury.WARNING
. Put children aged 12 and under in
a rear seat properly restrained at
all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys 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.
Consequently, we strongly re-
commend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have outgrown child
restraint devices) sit in a REAR
seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device
or in a seatbelt, whichever is
appropriate for the child ’s age,
height and weight.
Always secure ALL types of child
restraint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in one of
the rear seating positions recom-
mended in this Owner ’s Manual.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly