2006 SUBARU OUTBACK Owners Manual

1-40 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it is
equipped with SRS airbags by alerting
him or her to the applicable section in
this owner’s manual.y Put children aged 12 and under in
the rear seat properly restrained
at all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed
and force and can injure or even
kill children, especially if they are
12 years of age and under and are
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from de-
ployment is greater. 100082
Consequently, we strongly rec-
ommend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have ou tgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device or
in a seatbelt, whichever is appro-
priate for the child’s age, height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (i ncluding forward
facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating po-
sitions.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint sys-
tem, see the “Child restraint sys-
tems” section in this chapter.
y 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. y Never allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger’s
seat, or never hold a child on your
lap or in your arms. The SRS air-
bag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill
the child.
y When the SRS ai rbag deploys,
some smoke will be released. This
smoke could cause breathing
problems for people with a history
of asthma or other breathing trou-
ble. If you or your passengers
have breathing problems after
SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air
promptly.
y A deploying SRS airbag releases
hot gas. Occupants could get
burned if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-41
– CONTINUED –T Components
Sedan 12
34
56 18 19 24
23
8
11
1314 16
15 21
22
9
7 10
12
20
17 1006691) Airbag control module (including impact
sensors)
2) Frontal airbag module (driver’s side)
3) Frontal airbag module (front passen-
ger’s side)
4) Front sub sensor (left-hand side)
5) Front sub sensor (right-hand side)
6) Side airbag module (driver’s side)
7) Side airbag module (front passenger’s
side)
8) Side airbag sensor (center pillar left-
hand side)
9) Side airbag sensor (center pillar right-
hand side)
10) Airbag wiring (yellow)
11) Seatbelt pretensioner (driver’s side)
12) Seatbelt pretensioner (front passenger’s
side)
13) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house
right-hand side)
14) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house
left-hand side)
15) Curtain airbag module (right side)
16) Curtain airbag module (left side)
17) Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger’s side)
18) Seatbelt buckle switch (driver’s side)
19) Driver’s seat position sensor
20) Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
21) Front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor
22) Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module
23) Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicator
24) SRS airbag system warning light

1-42 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Station wagon 12
34
5
136 18
19 24
23
8
11
14
1516
21
22
9
7 10
12
20
17 1007001) Airbag control module (including impact
sensors)
2) Frontal airbag module (driver’s side)
3) Frontal airbag module (front passen-
ger’s side)
4) Front sub sensor (left-hand side)
5) Front sub sensor (right-hand side)
6) Side airbag module (driver’s side)
7) Side airbag module (front passenger’s
side)
8) Side airbag sensor (center pillar left-
hand side)
9) Side airbag sensor (center pillar right-
hand side)
10) Airbag wiring (yellow)
11) Seatbelt pretensioner (driver’s side)
12) Seatbelt pretensioner (front passenger’s
side)
13) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house
right-hand side)
14) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house
left-hand side)
15) Curtain airbag module (right side)
16) Curtain airbag module (left side)
17) Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger’s side)
18) Seatbelt buckle switch (driver’s side)
19) Driver’s seat position sensor
20) Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
21) Front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor
22) Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module
23) Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicator
24) SRS airbag system warning light

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
– CONTINUED –„ Subaru advanced frontal air-
bag systemYour vehicle is equipped with a Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system that com-
plies with the new advanced frontal airbag
requirements in the amended Federal Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No.
208.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem automatically determines the deploy-
ment force of the driver’s SRS frontal air-
bag at the time of deployment as well as
whether or not to activate the front pas-
senger’s SRS frontal airbag and, if activat-
ed, the deployment force of the SRS fron-
tal airbag at the time of deployment.
Your vehicle has warning labels on the
driver’s and front passenger’s sun visors
beginning with the phrase “EVEN WITH
ADVANCED AIR BAGS” and a tag at-
tached to the glove box lid beginning with
the phrase “Even with Advanced Air
Bags”. Make sure th at you carefully read
the instructions on the warning labels and
tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The subaru
advanced frontal airbag system is a sup-
plemental restraint system and must be
used in combination with a seatbelt. All
occupants should wear a seatbelt or be
seated in an appropriate child restraint
system. The driver’s SRS frontal airbag is stowed
in the center portion of the steering wheel.
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
is stowed near the top of the dashboard
under an “SRS AIRBAG” mark.
In a moderate to seve re frontal collision,
the driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags deploy and supplement the
seatbelts by reducing the impact on the
driver’s and front passenger’s head and
chest.
100261NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SAFETY 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 the front passenger’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child. 100126

1-44 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Never hold a child on your lap or in
your arms. The SRS airbag deploys
with considerable force and can in-
jure or even kill the child. 100125
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper position
when the SRS airbag deploys could
suffer very serious injuries. Be-
cause the SRS airbag needs enough
space for deployment, the driver
should always sit upright and well
back in the seat as far from the
steering wheel as practical while
still maintaining full vehicle control
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as possi-
ble and sit upright and well back in
the seat. 100155
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries that
can result when the SRS airbag con-
tacts an occupant not in proper po-
sition such as one thrown toward
the front of the vehicle during pre-
accident braking.
Do not put any objects over the
steering wheel pad and dashboard.
If the SRS fronta l airbag deploys,
those objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause
injury. 100274

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
– CONTINUED –T Driver’s SRS frontal airbag
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag uses a
dual stage inflator. The inflator operates in
different ways depending on the severity
of impact, backward-forward adjustment
of the driver’s seat position and whether or
not he/she is wearing the seatbelt.
The backward-forward adjustment of the
driver’s seat position is monitored by the
driver’s seat position sensor under the driver’s seat.
Whether or not the driver is wearing the
seatbelt is monitored by the seatbelt buck-
le switch.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may cause the seatbelt buckle
switch and/or the seat position sensor to
malfunction, preventing the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or causing the system to
fail.
y Do not place articles/metal objects or in-
stall any accessory other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the driver’s
seat. Do not allow the rear seat occupant
to kick the driver’s seat or push up its bot-
tom surface with his/her feet.
y Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle or under the driver’s seat.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or the
driver’s seat position sensor have failed,
the SRS airbag system warning light will il-
luminate. Although the driver’s SRS fron-
tal airbag can deploy regardless of the
backward-forward adjustment of the driv-
er’s seat position even when the warning
light is on, have th e system inspected by
your SUBARU dealer immediately if the
SRS airbag system warning light comes
on. NOTE The driver’s SRS si de airbag, SRS cur-
tain airbag and seatbelt pretensioner
are not controlled by the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system.
T Front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator op-
erates in different ways depending on the
severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the passenger’s occupant detection sys-
tem weight sensor under the seat.
The system has another sensor that mon-
itors the tension of the front passenger
seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system deter-
mines whether the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag should or should not be in-
flated.
The occupant detecti on system may not
inflate the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or cause the system to
fail.Do not attach accessories to the
windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear vi ew mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants. 100275

1-46 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
y Do not apply any strong impact to the
front passenger’s seat such as by kicking.
y Do not spill liquid on the front passen-
ger’s seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it off im-
mediately.
y Do not disassemble the front passen-
ger’s seat.
y Do not install any accessory (such as
an audio amplifier) other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the front pas-
senger’s seat.
y Do not place anything (shoes, umbrella,
etc.) under the front passenger’s seat.
y The front passenger’s seat must not be
used with the head restraint removed.
y Do not leave any article including a child
restraint system on the front passenger’s
seat or the seatbelt tongue and buckle en-
gaged when you leave your vehicle.
y Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle and the seatbelt retractor.
y Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-forward position and seatback not
being locked into place securely. If any of
them are not locked securely, adjust them
again. For adjusting procedure, refer to
the “Manual seat” in the front seats sec-
tion in Chapter 1 in this owner’s manual.
(Models equipped with manual seats only)
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or front
passenger’s occupant detection system
have failed, the SRS airbag system warn- ing light will illumi nate. Have the system
inspected by your SUBARU dealer imme-
diately if the SRS airbag system warning
light comes on.
If your vehicle has sustained impact, this
may affect the proper function of the
Subaru advanced frontal airbag system.
Have your vehicle inspected at your
SUBARU dealer.
NOTE The front passenger’s SRS side airbag,
SRS curtain airbag and seatbelt preten-
sioner are not controlled by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system.
T Passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
or : Front passenger’s frontal air- bag ON indicator
or : Front passenger’s frontal air-
bag OFF indicator
The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag.
The indicators are located between the
map lights.
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, both the ON and OFF indi-
cators illuminate for 6 seconds during
which time the system is checked. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. After that, one of
the indicators illuminates depending on
the status of the fr ont passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag determined by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system monitor-
ing.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain extinguished.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator will remain extinguished
while the OFF indicator will illuminate.
If both the ON and OFF indicators remain
lit or extinguished simultaneously, the sys-
tem is faulty. Contact your SUBARU deal-
er immediately for an inspection. 100663

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-47
– CONTINUED –T Conditions in which front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not acti-
vated
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the fol-
lowing conditions are met regarding the
front passenger’s seat:
y The seat is empty.
y The seat is equipped with a rearward
facing child restrain t system a nd an infant
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
y The seat is equipped with a forward fac-
ing child restraint syst em and a small child
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
y The seat is equipped with a booster
seat and a small child is in the booster
seat. (See WARNING that follows.)
y The seat is relieved of the occupant
load for a time exceeding the predeter-
mined monitoring time period.
y The seat is occupied by a child who has
outgrown a child restraint system (See
WARNING that follows .) or by a small
adult.
y The front passenger’s occupant detec-
tion system is faulty. When the front passenger’s seat is occu-
pied by a child, observe the following pre-
cautions. Failure to do so may increase
the load on the front passenger’s seat, ac-
tivating the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even though that seat is occupied
by a child.
y Do not place any article on the seat oth-
er than the child occupant and a child re-
straint system. y Do not place more than one child on the
seat.
y Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.
y Do not store a heavy load in the seat-
back pocket.
y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front
passenger’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback.
V If the front passen ger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator illuminates and the
OFF indicator extinguishes even
when an infant or a small child is in
a child restraint system (including
booster seat)
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion if the front passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator illuminates and the OFF indi-
cator extinguishes even when an infant or
a small child is in a child restraint system
(including booster seat). Remove the child
restraint system from the seat. By refer-
ring to the child restraint manufacturer’s
recommendations as well as the child re-
straint system installation procedures in
the “Child restraint systems” section in this
chapter, correctly inst all the child restraint
system. Turn the igniti on switch to the
“ON” position and make sure that the front
passenger’s frontal airbag ON indicatorNEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
PASSENGER’S SEAT EVEN IF THE
FRONT PASSENGER’S SRS FRON-
TAL AIRBAG IS DEACTIVATED. Be
sure to install it in the REAR seat in
a correct manner. Also, it is strongly
recommended that any forward fac-
ing child seat or booster seat be in-
stalled in the REAR seat, and that
even children who have outgrown a
child restraint system be also seat-
ed in the REAR seat. This is because
children sitting in the front passen-
ger’s seat may be killed or severely
injured should the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag deploy. REAR
seats are the safest place for chil-
dren.