2003 SUBARU IMPREZA Owners Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-48
WARNING
The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force. Occupants who are out ofproper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Becausethe SRS airbag needs enough space for de- ployment, the driver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steer-ing wheel as practical while still maintainingfull vehicle control and the front passengershould move the seat as far back as possibleand sit upright and well back in the seat.It is also important to wear your seatbelt to
help avoid injuries that can result when theSRS airbag contacts an occupant not in prop-er position such as one thrown toward thefront of the car during pre-accident braking.
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dashboard. If the SRS frontal
airbag deploys, those objects could interferewith its proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause injury.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-49
– CONTINUED –
WARNING
Do not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-wide mirror over the rear view
mirror. If the SRS airbag deploys, those ob-jects could become projectiles that could seri-ously injure vehicle occupants.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-50
Operation
A) Driver’ s side
B) Passenger’ s side
1) SRS AIRBAGs deploy as soon as a collision occurs. 2) After deployment, SRS AIRBAGs start to deflate
immediately so that the driver ’s vision is not
obstructed.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-51
– CONTINUED –
The SRS airbag can function only when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
If the front sub sensors inside the both front fenders
and the impact sensors in the airbag control module
detect a certain predetermined amount of force dur-
ing a frontal collision, the control module sends sig-
nals to the frontal airbag modules instructing them to
inflate the SRS frontal airbags. Then both airbag
modules produce gas, which instantly inflates driv-er’ s and passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags. After the
deployment, the SRS airbags immediately start to
deflate so that the driver ’s vision is not obstructed.
The time required from detecting impact to the
deflation of the SRS airbag after deployment is
shorter than the blink of an eye.
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag deploys to-
gether with driver ’s SRS frontal airbag even when no
one occupies the front passenger ’s seat.
Although it is highly unlikely that the SRS airbag would activate in a non-accident situation, should it
occur, the SRS airbag will deflate quickly, not ob-
scuring vision and will not interfere with the driver ’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle.
When the SRS airbag deploys, a sudden, fairly loud
inflation noise will be heard and some smoke will be released. These occurrences are normal result of
the deployment. This smoke does not indicate a firein the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system compo-
nents around the steering wheel and dash- board with bare hands right after deployment.
Doing so can cause burns because the com-ponents can be very hot as a result of deploy-ment.
The SRS frontal airbag is designed to deploy in the
event of an accident involving a moderate to severe
frontal collision. It is basically not designed to
deploy in lesser frontal impacts because the neces-
sary protection can be achieved by the seatbelt
alone. Also, it is basically not designed to deploy in
side or rear impacts or in roll-over accidents be-
cause deployment of the SRS frontal airbag wouldnot help the occupant in those situations. The SRS
airbag is designed to function on a one-time-onlybasis.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the level of
force experienced in the passenger compartment
during a collision. That level differs from one type of

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-52
collision to another, and it may have no bearing on the visible damage done to the vehicle itself.n When will the SRS frontal airbag most likelydeploy?
A head-on collision against a thick concrete wall at a
vehicle speed of 12 to 19 mph (20 to 30 km/h) or
higher activates the SRS frontal airbag. The SRS
frontal airbag will also be activated when the vehicle
is exposed to a frontal impact similar in fashion and
magnitude to the above-mentioned collision. n
At what other times might the SRS frontal air-bag deploy?
The SRS frontal airbag may be activated when the
vehicle sustains a hard impact in the undercarriage
area from the road surface (such as when the ve-

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-53
– CONTINUED –
hicle plunges into a deep ditch, is severely bumped
or knocked hard against an obstacle on the roadsuch as a curb). n
When is the SRS frontal airbag unlikely todeploy?
There are many types of collisions which might not
necessarily require SRS frontal airbag deployment.
If the vehicle strikes an object, such as a telephone

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-54
pole or sign pole, or if it slides under a truck’s load
bed, or if it sustains an oblique offset frontal impact,
the SRS frontal airbag may not deploy depending on
the level of accident forces involved. n
When will the SRS frontal airbag not deploy?
The SRS frontal airbag is basically not designed to
deploy if the vehicle is struck from side or from
behind, or if it rolls onto its side or roof, or if it is in-
volved in a low-speed frontal collision.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-55
– CONTINUED –
1) First impact 2) Second impact
In an accident where the vehicle is impacted more
than once, the SRS frontal airbag deploys only once. Example: In the case of a double collision, first with
another vehicle, then against a concrete wall in im-
mediate succession, once the SRS frontal airbag is
activated on the first impact, it will not be activatedon the second.
SRS side airbag (if equipped)
The SRS side airbag is stored in the door side of
each front seatback, which bears an “SRS AIRBAG ”
label.
In a moderate to severe side impact collision, theSRS side airbag on the impacted side of the vehicledeploys between the occupant and the door panel
and supplements the seatbelt by reducing the im- pact on the occupant ’s chest and head.
WARNING
The SRS side airbag is designed as only a
supplement to the primary protection pro- vided by the seatbelt. It does not do away withthe need to fasten seatbelts. It is also impor-tant to wear your seatbelt to help avoid inju-
ries that can result when an occupant is not
seated in a proper upright position.