Page 76 of 364
WARNING
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.
WARNING
Never allow a child to kneel on the 
front passenger ’s seat facing the
side window or to wrap his/her arms
around the front seat seatback. In the event of an accident, the force of
the SRS side airbag deployment
could injure the child seriously
because his/her head or arms or
other parts of the body are too close
to the SRS side airbag. Since your
vehicle is also equipped with apassenger
’s SRS frontal airbag,
children aged 12 and under should
be placed in the rear seat anyway
and should be properly restrained at
all times.WARNING
Do not attach accessories to the 
door trim or near either SRS side
airbags and do not place objects
near the SRS side airbags. In the Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-51
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        Page 77 of 364

1-52Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
event of the SRS side airbag deploy- 
ment, they could be propelled dan-
gerously toward the vehicle ’s occu-
pants and cause injuries.
WARNING
Do not put any kind of cover or 
clothes or other objects over either
front seatback and do not attach
labels or stickers to the front seat
surface on or near the SRS side
airbag. They could prevent proper
deployment of the SRS side airbag,
reducing protection available to the
front seat ’s occupant. !
Operation
1) SRS side airbag deploys as soon as a
collision occurs.
2) SRS side airbag protects the front passenger ’s head and chest.
3) After deployment, SRS side airbag starts to deflate immediately. The SRS side airbag can function only 
when the ignition switch is in the
“ON ”
position. 
The driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS
side airbags deploy independently of each 
other since each has its own impact 
sensor. Also, the SRS side airbag deploys
independently of the frontal airbags in the
steering wheel and instrument panel. 
An impact sensor is incorporated into 
each of the vehicle ’s center pillars. If
either sensor detects a certain predeter-
mined amount of force during a side
impact collision, the control module sends
a signal to the side airbag module on the
impacted side of the vehicle, instructing it
to inflate the SRS side airbag. Then the
side airbag module produces gas, which
instantly inflates the SRS side airbag.
After deployment, the SRS side airbag
will deflate in a few seconds. 
The SRS side airbag deploys even when 
no one occupies the seat on the side on
which an impact is applied. 
When the SRS side 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 in the vehicle.   
     
        
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CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS side airbag 
system components around the
front seat seatback with bare hands
right after deployment. Doing so can
cause burns because the compo-
nents can be very hot as a result ofdeployment.
The SRS side airbag is designed to
deploy in the event of an accident invol-
ving a moderate to severe side impact
collision. It is basically not designed to
deploy in a lesser side impact. Also, it is
basically not designed 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 basis. 
SRS side airbag deployment depends on 
the level of force experienced in the
passenger compartment during a side
impact collision. That level differs from
one type of collision to another, and it may
have no bearing on the visible damage
done to the vehicle itself. !
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 airbag. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-53
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        Page 79 of 364
1-54Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
! Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS side airbag is unlikely to 
deploy.
1) The vehicle is involved in an oblique
side-on impact.
2) The vehicle is involved in a side-on impact in an area outside the vicinity of 
the passenger compartment.
3) The vehicle strikes a telephone pole or similar object.
4) The vehicle is involved in a side-on impact from a motorcycle.
5) The vehicle rolls onto its side or roof.
There are many types of collisions which 
might not necessarily require SRS side
airbag deployment. In the event of acci-
dents like those illustrated, the SRS side
airbag may not deploy depending on the
level of accident forces involved.  
     
        
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!Examples of the types of accidents 
in which the SRS side airbag will
basically not deploy.
1) The vehicle is involved in a frontal
collision with another vehicle (moving or stationary).
2) The vehicle is struck from behind. 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.
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 firstimpact. 
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. &
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 “AIR-
BAG ”will show normal system operation
by lighting for approximately 6 seconds
when the ignition switch 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 im-
pact sensors). Frontal airbag module (Driver ’s side)
. Frontal airbag module (Front passen-Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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1-56Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
ger’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). Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver ’s side)
. Seatbelt pretensioner (Front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Seatbelt buckle switch (Driver ’s side)
. Seatbelt buckle switch (Front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Driver ’s seat position sensor
. Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension
sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
control module. Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator. All related wiring
WARNING
If the warning light exhibits any of 
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt
pretensioners and/or SRS airbag system. Immediately take your vehi-
cle to your nearest SUBARU dealer
to have the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbag will not operate properly in
the event of a collision, which may
increase the risk of injury. .
Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing 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 mod-
ule or scrapping the entire vehi- 
cle damaged by a collision, con-
sult 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 nearest
SUBARU dealer. Tampering with
or disconnecting the system
’s
wiring could result in accidental
inflation of the SRS airbag or
could make the system inopera-
tive, which may result in serious
injury. The wiring harnesses of
the SRS airbag system are cov-
ered with yellow insulation and
system connectors are yellow for
easy identification.
CAUTION
If you need service or repair in areas 
listed in the following, 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 
     
        
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.Inside each center pillar
In the event that the SRS airbag is 
deployed, replacement of the system
should be performed only by an author-
ized SUBARU dealer. When the compo-
nents of the SRS airbag system are
replaced, use only genuine SUBARUparts. 
To ensure their long-term reliability, the 
SRS airbags must be inspected by a
SUBARU dealer ten years after the date
of manufacture, which is shown on the
certification plate attached to the driver ’s
doorjamb. NOTE 
In the following cases, contact your 
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. . The front part of the vehicle was
involved in an accident in which only 
the driver ’s SRS frontal airbag or both
driver ’s and front passenger ’sSRS
frontal airbags did not deploy.. The pad section of the steering
wheel or front passenger ’s frontal air-
bag cover is scratched, cracked, or
otherwise damaged. 
In addition, if your vehicle is equipped 
with SRS side airbags, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible in the following cases. .
Either center pillar or a nearby area
of the vehicle was involved in an 
accident in which the SRS side airbag
did not deploy.. The fabric or leather of either front
seatback is cut, frayed, or otherwisedamaged.
& Precautions against vehicle modification
WARNING
. To avoid accidental activation of
the system or rendering the sys- 
tem inoperative, which may re-
sult in serious injury, no modifi-
cations should be made to any
components or wiring of the SRS
airbag system. 
This includes following modifica- tions: . 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
. Installation of additional elec-
trical/electronic equipment 
such as a mobile two-way
radioonorneartheSRS
airbag system components
and/or wiring is not advisable.
This could interfere with prop-
er operation of the SRS airbagsystem.CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following 
modifications. 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 genu-
ine SUBARU accessory parts to
the front end.
. Modification of the suspension
system or front end structure.
. Installation of a tire of different
size and construction from the
tires specified on the vehicle
placard attached to the driver ’s
door pillar or specified for indivi-
dual vehicle models in this Own-
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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        Page 83 of 364
1-58Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
er’s Manual.
. Attachment of any equipment
(side steps or side sill protectors, 
etc.) other than genuine SUBARU
accessory parts to the side body.
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts on
your vehicle.