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Subaru Impreza WRX (2014 year). Manual - part 3

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seat heater

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

HI – Rapid heating

LO – Normal heating

OFF – Off

Left-hand side

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 is
activated.
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 or
death.

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.

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats

Armrest (if equipped)

To lower the armrest, pull the top edge of
the armrest down.

WARNING

To avoid serious injury, passengers
must never be allowed to sit on the
center armrest while the vehicle is in
motion.

Head restraint adjustment

Both the rear window side seats and the
rear center seat are equipped with head
restraints.

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

Head restraint

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.

When not used (lowest position)

When used (click position)

Head restraint

Release button

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.

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 or
death.

. 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

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Rear seats

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 securely
locked.

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)” F2-23.
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 seatback
down.
To return the seatback to its original
position, raise the seatback until it locks
into place and make sure that it is securely
locked.

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 more
persons – 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 THE
CHILD’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” F1-21.

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” F1-21.
!

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-

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts

tions only) and then if necessary 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
restraint system should be used. Never
place the shoulder belt under the child’s
arm or behind the child’s back.
!

Expectant mothers

Expectant mothers also need to use the
seatbelts. They should consult their doctor
for specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips, not over the waist.

Emergency Locking Retrac-
tor (ELR)

The driver’s seatbelt has an Emergency
Locking Retractor (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 quickly
out of the retractor.

Automatic/Emergency Lock-
ing Retractor (A/ELR)

Each passenger’s seatbelt has an Auto-
matic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/
ELR). The Automatic/Emergency Locking
Retractor normally functions as an Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/
ELR has an additional locking mode
“Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode” intended to secure a child restraint
system. When the seatbelt is once drawn
out completely and is then retracted even
slightly, the retractor locks the seatbelt in
that position and the seatbelt cannot be
extended. As the belt is rewinding, clicks
will be heard which indicate the retractor
functions as an ALR. When the seatbelt is
retracted fully, the ALR mode is released.

When securing a child restraint system on
the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt,
the seatbelt must be changed over to the

Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.

When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the seatbelt
retracts fully and the retractor returned to
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
mode.
For instructions on how to convert the
retractor to the ALR mode and restore it to
the ELR mode, refer to “Installing child
restraint systems with A/ELR seatbelt”
F1-24.

Seatbelt warning light
and chime

Refer to “Seatbelt warning light and
chime” F3-13.

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.

. 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 hip bones
instead of across the weaker
abdomen.

. 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.

. 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 or
death.

WARNING

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.

CAUTION

Metallic parts of the seatbelt can
become very hot in a vehicle that
has been closed up in sunny weath-
er; they could burn an occupant. Do
not touch such hot parts until they
cool.

Front seatbelts

1. Adjust the seat position according to
the following procedure.
Driver’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the
upright position. Move the seat as far from
the steering wheel as practical while still
maintaining full vehicle control.
Front passenger’s seat: Adjust the seat-
back to the upright position. Move the seat
as far back as possible.
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 reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving it a
strong pull, then pull it out slowly again.

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4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.

5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist.

Adjusting the front seat shoulder
belt anchor height

The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for the
driver/front passenger. Always adjust the
anchor height so that the shoulder belt
passes over the middle of the shoulder
without touching the neck.

To raise:
Slide the anchor up.
To lower:
Pull the release knob and slide the anchor
down.

Pull down on the anchor to make sure that
it is locked in place.

WARNING

When wearing the seatbelts, make
sure the shoulder portion of the
webbing does not pass over your
neck. If it does, adjust the seatbelt
anchor to a lower position. Placing
the shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sudden
braking or in a collision.

Unfastening the seatbelt

Push the button on the buckle.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid
catching the belt webbing in the door.

Rear seatbelts (except rear center
seatbelt on 5-door models)

1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the
belt out slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If
the belt stops before reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving a
strong pull on it, then pull it out slowly
again.

3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.

4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
5. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist.

Unfastening the seatbelt

Push the button on the buckle.

Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid
catching the belt webbing in the door.

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Rear center seatbelt on 5-door
models

Center seatbelt tongue plate

Connector (tongue)

Connector (buckle)

Center seatbelt buckle

WARNING

Fastening the seatbelt with the web-
bing twisted can increase the risk or
severity of injury in an accident.
When fastening the belt after it is
pulled out from the retractor, espe-
cially when inserting the connec-
tor’s tongue plate into the mating
buckle (on right-hand side), always
check that the webbing is not
twisted.

WARNING

Be sure to fasten both tongue plates
to the respective buckles. If the
seatbelt is used only as a shoulder
belt (with the connector’s tongue
plate not fastened to the connec-
tor’s buckle on the right-hand side),
it cannot properly restrain the wear-
er in position in an accident, possi-
bly resulting in serious injury or
death.

The rear center seatbelt is stowed in the
seatbelt holder on the right side of the
cargo area.

1. Remove the tongue plate from the belt
holder and pull out the seatbelt slowly.

2. After drawing out the seatbelt, pass it
through the belt guide as follows: First
insert one edge of the belt into the open
gap in the belt guide; then slide the rest of
the belt in, so that the whole belt fits
inside.

3. After confirming that the webbing is not
twisted, insert the connector (tongue)
attached at the webbing end into the
buckle on the right-hand side until a click
is heard.

If the belt stops before reaching the
buckle, return the belt slightly and pull it
out more slowly. If the belt still cannot be
unlocked, let the belt retract slightly after
giving it a strong pull, then pull it out slowly
again.

4. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate
into the center seatbelt buckle marked
“CENTER” on the left-hand side until it
clicks.

5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts

6. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist.

Unfastening the seatbelt

Push the release button of the center
seatbelt buckle (on the left-hand side) to
unfasten the seatbelt.

NOTE

When the seatback is folded down for
greater cargo area, it is necessary to
disconnect the connector.

1. Insert a key or other hard pointed
object into the slot in the connector
(buckle) on the right-hand side and push
it in, and the connector (tongue) plate will
disconnect from the buckle.

2. Allow the retractor to roll up the belt.
You should hold the webbing end and
guide it back into the retractor while it is
rolling up. Insert the connector (tongue)
into the belt holder.

CAUTION

. Do not allow the retractor to roll

up the seatbelt too quickly.
Otherwise, the metal tongue
plates may hit against the trim,
resulting in damaged trim.

. Have the seatbelt fully rolled up

so that the tongue plates are
neatly stored. A hanging tongue
plate can swing and hit against
the trim during driving, causing
damage to the trim.

Seatbelt maintenance

To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously
affect their strength.

Inspect the seatbelts and attachments
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found.

CAUTION

. Keep the belts free of polishes,

oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid.

. Never attempt to make modifica-

tions or changes that will prevent
the seatbelt from operating prop-
erly.

Front seatbelt pretensioners

The driver’s and front passenger’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontal
collision.

The pretensioner sensor also serves as
the frontal SRS airbag sensor. If the
sensor detects a certain predetermined
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 restrains the front
seat occupant.

When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners

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 side or rear impacts or in
roll-over accidents.
. The driver’s seat and passenger’s
seat pretensioners and frontal SRS
airbag operate simultaneously.
. 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 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 the
buyer to the contents of this section.

WARNING

. To obtain maximum protection,

the occupants should sit in an
upright position with their seat-
belts properly fastened. Refer to
“Seatbelts” F1-11.

. 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-
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
s i o n e r s , s e e y o u r n e a r e s t
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 SRS 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” F1-55.

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
SRS airbag or could make the

system inoperative, which may
result in serious injury. Do not
use electrical test equipment on
any circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and SRS airbag
systems. For required servicing
of the seatbelt pretensioner, con-
sult your nearest SUBARU deal-
er.

CAUTION

The front sub sensors are located
on both the right and left sides at the
front of the vehicle, and the SRS
airbag control module including the
impact sensors is located under the
center console. If you need service
or repair in those areas or near the
front seatbelt retractors, have the
work performed by your authorized
SUBARU dealer.

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 driver’s
door pillar or specified for indivi-
dual vehicle models in this Own-
er’s Manual.

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 com-
patible with your vehicle and is appro-
priate 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 described in “Installation of
child restraint systems by use of lower and
tether anchorages (LATCH)” F1-29).
Children could be endangered in an
accident if their child restraints are not

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