2003 SUBARU LEGACY belt

1-52When 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 fire inthe vehicle.
The SRS frontal airbag is designed to deploy in the event of an acci-
dent involving a moderate to severe frontal collision. It is basically not
designed to deploy in lesser frontal impacts because the necessary
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 acci-
dents because deployment of the SRS frontal airbag would not helpthe occupant in those situations. The SRS airbag is designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the level of force experienced in
the passenger compartment during a collision. That level differs from
one type of collision to another, and it may have no bearing on thevisible damage done to the vehicle itself. n
Examples of accident in which the SRS frontal airbag will most
likely deploy.
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 air-
bag. 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.
HB1055BA

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n
Examples of the types of accidents in which it is possible that
the SRS frontal airbag will 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 vehicle plunges into a deep ditch, is severely bumped or
knocked hard against an obstacle on the road such as a curb).
HB1057BA
HB1056BA
n Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS frontal
airbag is unlikely to deploy.
There are many types of collisions which might not necessarily require
SRS frontal airbag deployment. If the vehicle strikes an object, suchas a telephone 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 in-volved.
HB0311
HB1042BB
HB1041AB The vehicle sustains an oblique offset frontal impact.

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SRS side airbag (if equipped)
WARNING
The SRS side airbag is designed as only a supplement to the
primary protection provided by the seatbelt. It does not do away with the need to fasten seatbelts. It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries that can result when an occupant isnot seated in a proper upright position. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to either front door. The
SRS side airbag is stored in both front seat seatbacks next to the
door, and it provides protection by deploying rapidly (faster thanthe blink of an eye) in the event of a side impact collision. Howev-
er, the force of SRS side airbag deployment may cause injuries ifyour head or other body parts are too close to the SRS side air-bag. Do not rest your arm on either front door or its internal trim. It
could be injured in the event of SRS side airbag deployment. Never allow a child to kneel on the front passenger ’s seat fac-
ing the side window or to wrap his/her arms around the front seat
seatback. In the event of an accident, the force of SRS side airbag
deployment could seriously injure or even kill the child becausehis/her head or arms or other body parts are close to the side air-bag. Since your vehicle is also equipped with a passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag, children aged 12 and under should be placed inthe rear seat anyway and should be properly restrained at alltimes.

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HS0353
Do not put any kind of cover over either seatback.Do not attach accessories to the door trim or near either side airbag and do not place objects near either side air- bag.
HB0366
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, the SRS side airbag on the
impacted side of the vehicle deploys between the occupant and the
door panel and supplements the seatbelt by reducing the impact on the
occupant’ s chest.
Operation
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS side airbag system components around thefront seatback with bare hands right after deployment. Doing socan cause burns because the components can be very hot as aresult of deployment.

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When the SRS side airbag deploys, a sudden, fairly loud inflation
noise will be heard and some smoke will be released. These occur-
rences are normal result of the deployment. This smoke does not indi-
cate a fire in the vehicle. The SRS side airbag is designed to deploy in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe side impact collision. It is basically notdesigned to deploy in lesser side impact. Also, it is basically not de-
signed to deploy in frontal or rear impacts because SRS side airbag
deployment would not help the occupant in those situations.Each SRS side airbag is designed to function on a one-time-only ba-sis.
SRS side airbag deployment depends on the level of force experi-
enced in the passenger compartment during a side impact collision.
That level differs from one type of collision to another, and it may haveno bearing on the visible damage done to the vehicle itself. n
Example of the type of accident in which the SRS side airbag
will most likely deploy.
A severe side impact near the front seat activates the SRS side air-bag.
HB0313

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n
Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS side air-
bag will basically not deploy.
The SRS side airbag is basically not designed to deploy if the vehicle
is involved in a frontal collision or is struck from behind. Examples of
such accidents are illustrated below.
HB1043BB
HB1046AB
In an accident where the vehicle is struck from the side more than
once, the SRS side airbag deploys only once.Example: In the case of a double side impact collision, first with one
vehicle and immediately followed by another from the same direction,
once the SRS side airbag is activated on the first impact, it will not be
activated on the second.
HB1071BB

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SRS airbag system monitors
HB4010EC
A diagnostic system continually monitors the readiness of the SRS air-
bag system (including front seatbelt pretensioners) while the vehicle is
being driven. The SRS airbag system warning light “AIRBAG” will show
normal system operation by lighting for about 6 seconds when the igni-
tion key is turned to the “ON” position.
The following components are monitored by the indicator: Front sub sensor (Right hand side)
Front sub sensor (Left hand side)
Airbag control module (including impact sensors)
Frontal airbag module (Driver ’s side)
Frontal airbag module (Passenger ’s side)
Side airbag sensor (Driver ’s side — if equipped)
Side airbag sensor (Passenger ’s side — if equipped)
Side airbag module (Driver ’s side — if equipped)
Side airbag module (Passenger ’s side — if equipped)
Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver ’s side)
Seatbelt pretensioner (Passenger ’s side)
All related wiring
In the event of a malfunction indicated by any of following, the vehicle
should be taken promptly to your nearest SUBARU dealer to have the
system checked. Unless checked and repaired, the SRS airbags will not
function reliably:

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Flashing or flickering of the indicator light.
No illumination of the warning light when the ignition switch is first
turned to the “ON” position.
Continuous illumination of the warning light.
Illumination of the warning light while driving.
SRS airbag system servicing
WARNING
When discarding an airbag module or scrapping the entire car
damaged by a collision, consult your SUBARU dealer. The SRS airbag has no user-serviceable parts. Do not use
electrical test equipment on any circuit related to the SRS airbag
system. For required servicing of the SRS airbag, see your near-
est SUBARU dealer. Tampering with or disconnecting the sys-
tem’ s wiring could result in accidental inflation of the SRS airbag
or could make the system inoperative, which may result in seri-
ous injury. The wiring harnesses of the SRS airbag system arecovered with yellow insulation and system connectors are yellowfor easy identification.
CAUTION
If you need service or repair in areas listed below, we recommend
that you have an authorized SUBARU dealer perform the work. The
SRS airbag control module, impact sensors and airbag modules
are stored in these areas.
Under the center console
Inside each front fender
Steering wheel and column and nearby areas
Top of the dashboard on front passenger ’s side and nearby
areas Each front seat and nearby area (only for vehicles with SRS
side airbags) Inside each center pillar