
1-74
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.

1-75
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
!Operation
A) Driver’s side
B) Passenger’s side
The SRS airbag can function only when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag system is de-
signed to determine activation or deactivation condi-
tion of the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag de-
pending on the total load on the front passenger’s seat
monitored by the front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor. For this reason, only the driv-
er’s SRS frontal airbag may deploy in the event of a
collision, but this does not mean failure of the system.
If the front sub sensors inside both front fenders and
the impact sensors in the airbag control module detect
a predetermined amount of force during a frontal colli-
sion, the control module sends signals to the airbag
module(s) (only driver’s module or both driver’s and
front passenger’s modules) instructing the module(s)
to inflate the SRS frontal airbag(s). The driver’s and
front passenger’s SRS frontal airbags use dual stage
inflators. The two inflators of each airbag are triggered
either sequentially or simultaneously, depending on
the severity of impact, backward-forward adjustment
of the driver’s seat position and fastening/unfastening
of the seatbelt in the case of the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag and depending on the severity of impact and
the total load on the seat in the case of the front pas-
senger’s SRS frontal airbag. After the deployment, the
SRS airbag immediately start to deflate so that the
driver’s vision is not obstructed. The time required
A
B
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1-85
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
!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
UB1543CB

1-89
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
– CONTINUED –
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
UB7507JA

1-90
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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 "
Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and OFF indi-
cator" All related wiring
If the warning light exhibits any of the following
conditions, there may be a malfunction in the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle to your
nearest SUBARU dealer to have the system
checked. Unless checked and properly re-
paired, the seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will operate improperly (e.g. SRS air-
bags may inflate in a very minor collision or not
inflate in a severe collision), which may in-
crease the risk of injury. "Flashing or flickering of the indicator light
" No illumination of the warning light when the
ignition switch is first turned to the “ON” posi- tion " Continuous illumination of the warning light
"Illumination of the warning light while driving

2-2
Keys and doors
Keys and doorsKeys
Vehicle with immobilizer system
A) Master key
B) Submaster key
C) Valet key
D) Key number plate
E) Security ID plate Vehicle without immobilizer system
A) Master key
B) Submaster key
C) Valet key
D) Key number plate
Three types of keys are provided for your vehicle.
Master key, submaster key and valet key.
The master key and submaster key fit all locks on your vehicle. " Ignition switch
" Driver’s door
" Glove box
" Trunk lid release lever
D E
C
B
A
UB2227BB
AB C
D
UB2228BB

2-3
Keys and doors
– CONTINUED –
The valet key fits only the ignition switch and door
locks. You can keep the trunk and glove box locked
when you leave your vehicle and valet key at a parking facility.
NOTE
If the key is attached to a keyholder or to a large
bunch of other keys, centrifugal force may act on
it as the vehicle moves, resulting in unwanted
turning of the ignition switch. Also, if a large key-
holder is attached to the key, your knees or hands
may accidentally touch it in a way that turns the ig-
nition switch. !
Key number
A) Key number plate
B) Security ID plate
The key number is stamped on the metal plate at-
tached to the key set. Write down the key number and
keep it in another safe place, not in the vehicle. This
number is needed to make a replacement key if you
lose your key or lock it inside the vehicle.
For information on making replacement keys for vehi-
cle with immobilizer system, refer to the “Immobilizer
(if equipped)” in this chapter.
A B
UB2534BB

2-4
Keys and doors
Immobilizer (if equipped)
The immobilizer system is designed to prevent an un-
authorized person from starting the engine. Only keys
registered with your vehicle’s immobilizer system can
be used to operate your vehicle. Even if an unregis-
tered key fits into the ignition switch and can be turned
to the “START” position, the engine will automatically
stop after several seconds.
Each immobilizer key contains a transponder in which
the key’s ID code is stored. When a key is inserted into
the ignition switch and turned to the “ON” position, the
transponder transmits the key’s ID code to the immo-
bilizer system’s receiver. If the transmitted ID code
matches the ID code registered in the immobilizer sys-
tem, the system allows the engine to be started. Since
the ID code is transmitted and acted upon almost in-
stantly, the immobilizer system does not impede nor-
mal starting of the engine.
If the engine fails to start, pull out the key once before
trying again. (Refer to the “Ignition switch” section [chapter 3].)
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules and with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Oper-
ation is subject to the following two conditions: (1)
This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
NOTE
To protect your vehicle from theft, please pay
close attention to the following security precau- tions: "
Never leave your vehicle unattended with its
keys inside. " Before leaving your vehicle, close all windows
and lock the doors and rear gate. " Do not leave spare keys or any record of your
key number in the vehicle.
Do not get the key wet. If the key gets wet, wipeit dry with a cloth immediately.