Subaru Forester: Child safety

Subaru Forester / Subaru Forester Owner's Manual / Safety precautions when driving / Child safety

- Never hold a child on your lap or

- Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms 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.

- While riding in the vehicle, infants and small children should always be placed in the REAR seat in an infant or child restraint system which is appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight. 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.

- Put children aged 12 and under in the REAR seat properly restrained at all times in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt.

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.

- 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.

- Always turn the child safety locks to the “LOCK” position when children sit on the rear seat.

Serious injury could result if a child accidentally opens the door and falls out. Refer to “Child safety locks”.

- Always lock the passenger’s windows using the lock switch when children are riding in the vehicle.

Failure to follow this procedure could result in injury to a child operating the power window. Refer to “Windows”.

- Never leave unattended children in the vehicle. They could accidentally injure themselves or others through inadvertent operation of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sunny days, temperature in a closed vehicle could quickly become high enough to cause severe or possibly fatal injuries to them.

For instructions and precautions, carefully read the following sections.

- For the seatbelt system, refer to “Seatbelts”.

- For the child restraint system, refer to “Child restraint systems”.

- For the SRS airbag system, refer to “*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)”.

Seatbelt and SRS airbag

- All persons in the vehicle should fasten their seatbelts BEFORE the vehicle starts to move. Otherwise, the possibility of serious injury becomes greater in the event of a sudden stop o ...

Engine exhaust gas (carbon monoxide)

- Never inhale engine exhaust gas. Engine exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas which is dangerous, or even lethal, if inhaled. - Always properly maintain the ...