2007 SUBARU FORESTER warning

1-22 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„System monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The seat-
belt pretensioners share the control mod-
ule with the SRS airbag system. There-
fore, if any malfunction occurs in a seat-
belt pretensioner, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. The SRS air-
bag system warning light will show normal
system operation by lighting for approxi-
mately 6 seconds when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.
The following components are monitored
by the indicator: y Front sub sensor (Right-hand side)
y Front sub sensor (Left-hand side)
y Airbag control module (including impact sensors) y
Frontal airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Frontal airbag module (Front passen-
ger’s side)y Side airbag sensor (Center pillar right-
hand side) y Side airbag sensor (Center pillar left-
hand side)y Side airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Side airbag module (Front passenger’s
side)y Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt pretensioner (Front passen-
ger’s side) y Seatbelt buckle switch (Driver’s side)
y Seatbelt buckle switch (Front passen-
ger’s side) y Driver’s seat position sensor
y Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor (if equipped)y Front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor y Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module y Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator y All related wiringy Do not modify, remove or strike
the front seatbelt retractor assem-
blies or surrounding area. This
could result in accidental activa-
tion of the seatbelt pretensioners
or could make the system inoper-
ative, possibly resulting in seri-
ous injury. Seatbelt pretensioners
have no user-serviceable parts.
For required servicing of front
seatbelt retractors equipped with
seatbelt pretensioners, see your
nearest SUBARU dealer.
yWhen discarding front seatbelt re-
tractor assemblies or scrapping
the entire vehicle due to collision
damage or for other reasons, con-
sult your SUBARU dealer.100606

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-23
– CONTINUED –
„System servicing
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle is dam-
aged in an accident to the extent that
the seatbelt pretensioner does not op-
erate, contact your SUBARU dealer as
soon as possible. „ Precautions against vehicle
modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt pre-
tensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle
to your nearest SUBARU dealer to
have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbags will not operate properly in
the event of a collision, which may
increase the risk of injury.
y Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
yNo illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON” position
yContinuous illumination of the
warning light
yIllumination of the warning light
while driving
y When discarding a seatbelt retrac-
tor assembly or scrapping the en-
tire vehicle damaged by a colli-
sion, consult your SUBARU deal-
er.
yTampering with or disconnecting
the system’s wiring could result in
accidental activation of the seat-
belt pretensioner and/or SRS air-
bag or could make the system in-
operative, which may result in se-
rious injury. The wiring harnesses
of the seatbelt pretensioner and
SRS airbag systems are covered
with yellow insulation and the
connectors of the system are yel-
low for easy identification. Do not
use electrical test equipment on
any circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and SRS airbag sys-
tems. For required servicing of
the seatbelt pretensioner, see
your nearest SUBARU dealer.
The front sub sensors are located
near the bottom of the radiator and
the side airbag sensor is located in-
side each center pillar and the SRS
airbag control module including the
impact sensors is located under the
center console. If you need service
or repair in those areas or near the
front seatbelt retractors, we recom-
mend that you have an authorized
SUBARU dealer perform the work.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-39
–
CONTINUED –
1
2
3
4
5
18 17
9
7
10
12
16
14
6
13
15 20
19
8
11
100800 1) 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) Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen- ger’s side)
14) Seatbelt buckle switch (driver’s side)
15) Driver’s seat position sensor
16) Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
17) Front passenger’s occupant detection system weight sensor
18) Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module
19) Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and OFF indicator
20) SRS airbag system warning light

1-40 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
„Subaru advanced frontal air-
bag system
Your 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 that 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 severe 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.
100608
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 the front passenger’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child.
100126

1-42 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
TDriver’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 the system inspected by
your SUBARU dealer immediately if the
SRS airbag system warning light comes on.
NOTE
The driver’s SRS side airbag and seat-
belt pretensioner are not controlled by
the Subaru advanced 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 occupant detection system’s weight
sensor located 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 detection 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 view mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants.
100157

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-43
– CONTINUED –
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 remove or disassemble the front
passenger’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) y If you use an optional seatbelt extender,
remove it after each use. (Refer to the
“Seatbelt extender” section in this chap- ter.)
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or front
passenger’s occupant detection system
have failed, the SRS airbag system warn-
ing light will illuminate. 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 Sub-
aru advanced frontal airbag system. Have
your vehicle inspected at your SUBARU
dealer.
NOTE
The front passenger’s SRS side airbag
and seatbelt pretensioner are not con-
trolled by the Subaru advanced frontal
airbag system. T
Passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
1) U.S.-spec. models
2) Canada-spec. models or :Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON indicator
or :Front passenger’s frontal airbag 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 next to the
clock in the central portion of the instru-
ment panel.
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-
12
12
100547

1-44 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
tinguish for 2 seconds. After this, one of
the indicators illuminates depending on
the status of the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag reached by the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system monitoring.
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.
With the ignition switch turned to the “ON”
position, if both the ON and OFF indica-
tors remain lit or extinguished simulta-
neously even after the system check peri-
od, the system is faulty. Contact your
SUBARU dealer immediately for an in-
spection. TConditions 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 restraint system and an infant
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that follows.) y
The seat is equipped with a forward fac-
ing child restraint system 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 period. y The seat is occupied by a child who has
outgrown a child restraint system (See
WARNING that follows.) or 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.
NEVER 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.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags 1-57
– CONTINUED –
V
Examples of the types of accidents
in which the SRS side airbag will ba-
sically not deploy.
1) The vehicle is involved in frontal collision with another vehicle (moving or station-
ary).
2) The vehicle is struck from behind. The SRS side airbag is basically not de-
signed to deploy if the vehicle is involved
in a frontal collision or is struck from be-
hind. Examples of such accidents are il-
lustrated.
1) First impact
2) Second impact
In an accident where the vehicle is struck
from the side more than once, the SRS
side airbag deploys only once on the first
impact.
Example: In the case of a double side im-
pact 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. „
SRS airbag system monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the SRS airbag system
(including front seatbelt pretensioners)
while the vehicle is being driven. The SRS
airbag system warning light “ ” will
show normal system operation by lighting
for approximately 6 seconds when the ig-
nition switch is turned to the “ON” position.
The following components are monitored
by the indicator: y Front sub sensor (Right-hand side)
y Front sub sensor (Left-hand side)
y Airbag control module (including impact
sensors) y Frontal airbag module (Driver’s side)
y Frontal airbag module (Front passen-
ger’s side)
1
2
100628
2 1
100629
100606