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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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your SUBARU dealer.
! System monitors
SRS airbag system warning light
A diagnostic system continually monitors the readi-
ness of the seatbelt pretensioner while the vehicle is
being driven. The seatbelt pretensioners share the
control module with the airbag system. Therefore, if
any malfunction occurs in a seatbelt pretensioner, the
SRS airbag system warning light will illuminate. The
SRS airbag system warning light will show normal sys-
tem operation by lighting for about 7 seconds when the ignition key is turned to the “ON” position.
The following components are monitored by the indi- cator: "
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 (Front passenger’s side)
" Side airbag sensor (Center pillar right hand side)
" Side airbag sensor (Center pillar left hand side)
" Side airbag module (Driver’s side)
" Side airbag module (Front passenger’s side)
" Side airbag sensor (Rear wheel house right hand
side) " Side airbag sensor (Rear wheel house left hand
side)" Curtain airbag module (Right side)
" Curtain airbag module (Left side)
" Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
" Seatbelt pretensioner (Front passenger’s side)
" Seatbelt buckle switch (Driver’s side)
" Seatbelt buckle switch (Front passenger’s side)
" Driver’s seat position sensor
" Front passenger’s occupant detection system
weight sensor" Front passenger’s occupant detection control mod-
ule
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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those areas or near the front seatbelt retrac-
tors, we recommend that you have an autho-
rized SUBARU dealer perform the work.
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is damaged in an ac-
cident to the extent that the seatbelt pretensioner
does not operate, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. !Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if you want to in-
stall any accessory parts to your vehicle.
Do not perform any of the following modifica-
tions. Such modifications can interfere with
proper operation of the seatbelt pertensioners. " Attachment of any equipment (bush bar,
winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
genuine SUBARU accessory parts to the front
end." Modification of the suspension system or
front end structure. "
Installation of a tire of different size and con-
struction from the tires specified on the tire
placard attached to the door jamb.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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3. Fasten the top tether hook of the child restraint sys-
tem to the appropriate upper anchorage.
4. Tighten the top tether securely.
Always remove the head restraint when mount-
ing a child restraint system with a top tether.
Otherwise, it may happen that the top tether
cannot be fastened tightly. *SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint
System airbag) *SRS: This stands for supplemental restraint system.
This name is used because the airbag system supple- ments the vehicle’s seatbelts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and di-
agnostic module, which will record the use of the seat-
belt(s) by the driver and/or front passenger when any
of the SRS frontal, side and curtain airbags deploys. !
Vehicle with SRS airbags and lap/
shoulder restraints for driver, front
passenger, and window-side rear pas-
sengers
Your vehicle is equipped with a supplemental restraint
system in addition to a lap/shoulder belt at each front
seating position and each rear window-side seating
positions. The supplemental restraint system (SRS)
consists of six airbags.
The configurations are as follows: " Driver’s and front passenger’s frontal airbags
" Driver’s and front passenger’s side airbags
" Curtain airbags (for driver, front passenger, and
window-side rear passengers)
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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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 vehicle and cause
injury.
"Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS
airbag deploys with considerable speed and
force and can injure or even kill children, espe-
cially if they are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or improperly restrained. Be-
cause children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deploy-
ment is greater.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that
ALL children (including those in child seats and
those that have outgrown child restraint devic-
es) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at
all times in a child restraint device or in a seat-
belt, whichever is appropriate for the child’s
age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (in-
cluding forward facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seat-
ing positions than in the front seating posi-tions.
For instructions and precautions concerning
the child restraint system, see the “Child re-
straint systems” section in this chapter. "
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." Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on
HS1034BA
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
the side of the seat. "
Ensure that the backward-forward position and
seatback of front passenger’s seat are locked into
place securely by moving the seat back and forth.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)" Next, turn the ignition switch to the “ON” position
and let the system complete the self check. Now, the
ON indicator should illuminate while the OFF indicator
remains extinguished.
If the OFF indicator still illuminates while the ON indi-
cator remains extinguished, ask the occupant to move
to the rear seat and immediately contact your SUBA-
RU dealer for an inspection. ! Effect vehicle modifications made for persons
with disabilities may have on Subaru advanced
frontal airbag system operation (U.S. only)
Changing or moving any parts of the front seats, seat
belts, front bumper, front side frame, instrument panel,
combination meter, steering wheel, steering column,
tire, suspension or floor panel can affect the operation of the Subaru advanced airbag system. If you have
any questions, you may contact the following Subaru
distributors:
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Dealer Services Department P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)
Schuman Carriage Motors, Inc.
1234 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96814
808-592-4497
Triple J Enterprises, Inc.
P. O. Box 6066, Tamuning, Guam 96931
671-646-9126
Trebol Subaru of Puerto Rico, Inc.
P. O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910
787-793-2828
There are no Subaru distributors in any other U.S. ter-
ritories as of May 2004. If you are in such an area,
please contact the Subaru distributor or dealer from
which you bought your vehicle.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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!Operation
A) SRS curtain airbags operation
B) SRS side airbags operation
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag can func-
tion only when the ignition switch is in the “ON” posi-tion.
The driver’s and front passenger’s SRS side airbags
and SRS curtain airbags deploy independently of each
other since each has its own impact sensor. There-
fore, they may not both deploy in the same accident.
Also, the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag de-
ploys independently of the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbags in the steering wheel and in- strument panel.
An impact sensor is incorporated into each of the ve-
hicle’s center and rear pillars. If either sensor detects
a certain predetermined amount of force during a side
impact collision, the control module sends a signal to
the side airbag module and curtain airbag module on
the impacted side of the vehicle, instructing them to in-
flate the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag.
Then the side airbag module and curtain airbag mod-
ule produces gas, which instantly inflates the SRS
side airbag and SRS curtain airbag. After the deploy-
ment, the SRS side airbag immediately starts to de-
flate. The time required from detection of an impact to
deflation of an SRS side airbag after deployment is
shorter than the blink of an eye.
The SRS curtain airbag remains inflated for a while fol-
lowing deployment then slowly deflates.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag deploys
even when no one occupies the seat on the side on
which an impact is applied.
When the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag de-
ploys, 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 in the vehicle.
A
B
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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B) The vehicle is struck from behind.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag are basi-
cally not designed to deploy if the vehicle is involved in
a frontal collision or is struck from behind. Examples of
such accidents are illustrated.
A) First impact
B) Second impact
a) SRS curtain airbag
b) SRS side airbag
In an accident where the vehicle is struck from the side
more than once, the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag deploys only once on the first impact. Example: In the case of a double side impact collision,
first with one vehicle and immediately followed by an-
other from the same direction, once the SRS side air-
bag and SRS curtain airbag are activated on the first
impact, they will not be activated on the second. !
SRS airbag system monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors the readi-
ness of the SRS airbag system (including front seat-
belt pretensioners) while the vehicle is being driven.
The SRS airbag system warning light “AIRBAG” will
show normal system operation by lighting for about 6seconds when the ignition key is turned to the “ON”
A
a
b
B
UB1581BB
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
roof side (from the front pillar to a point over the
rear seat) is scratched, cracked, or otherwise dam-
aged. "
Either center pillar and rear wheel house or a
nearby area of the vehicle was involved in an acci-
dent in which the SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag did not deploy. " The fabric or leather of either front seatback is
cut, frayed, or otherwise damaged. ! Precautions against vehicle modifica- tion
"To avoid accidental activation of the system
or rendering the system inoperative, which may
result in serious injury, no modifications
should be made to any components or wiring of
the SRS airbag system.
This includes following modifications: "Installation of custom steering wheels
" Attachment of additional trim materials to
the dashboard " Installation of custom seats
" Replacement of seat fabric or leather
" Installation of additional fabric or leather on the front seat "
Attachment of a hands-free microphone or
any other accessory to a front pillar, a center
pillar, a rear pillar, the windshield, a side win-
dow, an assist grip, or any other cabin sur-
face that would be near a deploying SRS cur-
tain airbag.
" Installation of additional electrical/electronic
equipment such as a mobile two-way radio on
or near the SRS airbag system components
and/or wiring is not advisable. This could inter-
fere with proper operation of the SRS airbag
system.
Do not perform any of the following modifica-
tions. Such modifications can interfere with
proper operation of the SRS airbag system. " Attachment of any equipment (bush bar,
winches, snow plow, skid plate, etc.) other than
genuine SUBARU accessory parts. " Modification of the suspension system or
front end structure. " Installation of a tire of different size and con-
struction from the tires specified on the vehicle