2000 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

2-26*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stand s for sup p lemental restraint system
. This name is used
b ec ause the airb ag system sup p lements the vehic le ’s seatb elts.
Vehicle with driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS air-
bags and lap/shoulder restraint
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
seatbelt. It does not do away with the need to fasten seatbelts. In
combination with the seatbelts, it offers the best combinedprotection in case of a serious accident.Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury ordeath in a crash even when the car has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions concerning the seatbelt system,see the “Seatbelts” sections in this chapter.
Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the SRS airbag. Be-
cause the SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed – faster
than the blink of an eye – and force to protect in high speed colli-
sions, the force of an airbag can injure an occupant whose bodyis too close to SRS airbag. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuriesthat can result when the SRS airbag contacts an occupant not inproper position such as one thrown forward during pre-accidentbraking.Even when properly positioned, there remains a possibility thatan occupant may suffer minor injury such as abrasions andbruises to the face or arms because of the SRS airbag deploy-ment force.

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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 car and cause injury. 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 air-bag needs enough space for deployment, the driver should al-ways sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steeringwheel as practical while still maintaining full vehicle control and
the front passenger should move the seat as far back as possibleand sit upright and well back in the seat.
HS0233
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far from the steering wheel as practical.HB0290
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far back as possible.
WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-properly 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 (in-cluding those in child seats and those that have outgrown child
restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at alltimes in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-

2-28propriate for the child
’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (including forward facing child seats) in the REAR seats at all times.According to accident statistics, children are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seatingpositions.For instructions and precautions concerning the child restraint
system, see the “Child restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TOTHE CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front pas-
senger’ s seat, or never hold a child on your lap or in your arms.
The SRS airbag deploys with considerable force and can injure oreven kill the child.
HB0306
HB0291
Put children in the REAR seat prop- erly restrained at all times.
Never install rearward facing child seat in the front passenger
’s seat.

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HB0307
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger ’s
seat
HB0308
Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms.
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dash-
board. If the SRS airbag deploys, those objects could interfere
with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the vehi-
cle and cause injury. Do not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-
wide mirror over the rear view mirror. If the SRS airbag deploys,those objects could become projectiles that could seriously in-jure vehicle occupants.
HS0245
HS0244
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dashboardDo not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror.

2-30CAUTION
When the SRS airbag deploys, some smoke will be released.
This smoke could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. If you or your pas-
sengers have breathing problems after SRS airbag deploys, get
fresh air promptly. A deploying SRS airbag releases hot gas. Occupants could get
burnt if they come into direct contact with the hot gas.
The sup p lemental restraint system (SRS) c onsists of two airb ag s (d river’s
and front p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag s).
These SRS airbags are designed only as a supplement to the prima-ry protection provided by the seatbelt.
The d river ’s SRS airb ag is stowed in the c enter p ortion of the steering
wheel. The p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag is stowed near the top of the d ash-
b oard und er an “SRS AIRBAG ” mark.
In a mod erate to severe frontal c ollision, the d riv er’s and front p assen-
g er ’s SRS airb ag s d ep loy and sup p lement the seatb elts b y red uc ing the
imp ac t on the d river ’s and front p asseng er ’s head and c hest.
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to explain to the buyer that
it is equipped with SRS airbags by alerting him to the applicablesection in this owner ’s manual.

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Components
HG0287
Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
SRS airbag module
(Driver’
s side)
Front sub sensor (Right hand side)
SRS airbag module
(Passenger’s side)
SRS airbag control module (including impact sensors)
SRS airbag operation
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system components around the steering wheel and dashboard with bare hands right after deploy-ment. Doing so can cause burns because the components can bevery hot as a result of deployment.

2-32OM-H0384
Passenger’
s side
SRS airbags deploy as soon as a collision occurs. After deployment, SRS airbags start to deflate immedi- ately so that the
driver’ s vision is not
obstructed.
Driver’ s side
The SRS airb ag c an func tion only when the ig nition switc h is in the
“ ON ” p osition.
If the front sub sensors insid e the b oth front fend ers and the imp ac t
sensors in the airb ag c ontrol mod ule d etec t a c erta in p red etermined
amount of forc e d uring a frontal c ollision, the c on trol mod ule send s
sig nals to the airb ag mod ules instruc ting them to i nflate the SRS air-
b ag s. Then b oth airb ag mod ules p rod uc e g as, whic h i nstantly inflates
d river ’s and p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag s. After the d ep loyment, the SRS
airb ag s immed iately start to d eflate so that the d r iver’s vision is not
ob struc ted . The time req uired from d etec ting imp ac t to the d eflating
SRS airb ag after d ep loyment is shorter than the b li nk of eye.
The front p asseng er ’s SRS airb ag d ep loys tog ether with d river ’s SRS
airb ag even when no one oc c up ies the front p asseng e r’s seat.
Althoug h it is hig hly unlikely that the SRS airb ag would ac tivate in a
non-ac c id ent situation, should it oc c ur, the SRS ai rb ag will d eflate
q uic kly, not ob sc uring vision and will not interfer e with the d river’s
ab ility to maintain c ontrol of the vehic le.
When the SRS airb ag d ep loys, a sud d en, fairly loud inflation noise will
b e heard and some smoke will b e released . These oc c urrenc es are

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normal result of the d ep loyment. This smoke d oes no
t ind ic ate a fire in
the vehic le.
The SRS airb ag is d esig ned to d ep loy in the event o f an ac c id ent in-
volving a mod erate to severe frontal c ollision. It is b asic ally not d e-
sig ned to d ep loy in lesser frontal imp ac ts b ec ause the nec essary
p rotec tion c an b e ac hieved b y the seatb elt alone. A lso, it is b asic ally
not d esig ned to d ep loy in sid e or rear imp ac ts or i n roll-over ac c i-
d ents b ec ause d ep loyment of the SRS airb ag would no t help the oc -
c up ant in those situations.
The SRS airb ag is d esig ned to func tion on a one-tim e-only b asis.
SRS airb ag d ep loyment d ep end s on the level of forc e exp erienc ed in
the p asseng er c omp artment d uring a c ollision. That level d iffers from
one typ e of c ollision to another, and it may have n o b earing on the
visib le d amag e d one to the vehic le itself. n Examples of accident in which the SRS airbag will most likely
deploy.
A head -on c ollision ag ainst a thic k c onc rete wall a t a vehic le sp eed of
12 to 19 mp h (20 to 30 km/h) ac tivates the SRS airb ag . The SRS air-
b ag will also b e ac tivated when the vehic le is exp o sed to a frontal im-
p ac t similar in fashion and mag nitud e to the ab ove- mentioned c olli-
sion.
HG2000BA