2003 Subaru Impreza Owner's Manual - Page 62

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags J 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. Front seatbelt pretensioners CAUTION D Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemicals and particularly battery acid. D Never attempt to make modifications or changes that will prevent the seatbelt from operating properly. The driver's and front passenger's seatbelts 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 oper- CONTINUED - 1-27