2012 SUBARU FORESTER sensor

22
Function settings
A SUBARU dealer can change the settings of the functions shown in the following table to meet your personal requirements. Contact
the nearest SUBARU dealer for details. If your vehicle is equipped with the genuine SUBARU DVD navigation system, the settings for
some of these functions can be changed using the navigation monitor. For details, please refer to the Owner’s Manual supplement for
the navigation system.
Item Function Possible settings Default setting
Alarm system Alarm system Operation/Non-operation Operation
Monitoring start delay time (after closure of doors) 0 second/30 seconds 30 seconds
Impact sensor operation (only models with
shock sensors [dealer option]) Operation/Non-operation Non-operation
Passive arming Operation/Non-operation Non-operation
Dome light/map lights illumination ON/OFF OFF
Remote keyless entry system Hazard warning flasher Operation/Non-operation Operation
Audible signal Operation/Non-operation Operation
Key lock-in prevention Key lock-in prevention Operation/Non-operation Operation
Remote engine start system
(dealer option) Horn chirp confirmation ON/OFF ON
Defogger and deicer system for
models with the automatic cli-
mate control system Rear window defogger, outside mirror de-
fogger and windshield wiper deicer
Operation for 15 minutes/
Continuous operationOperation for 15 minutes
Map light/Dome light Operation of map light/dome light OFF delay timer OFF/Short/Normal/Long Long
Battery drainage prevention function Battery drainage prevention function* Operation/Non-operation Operation
Seatbelt warning Sounds a chime while driving Operation/Non-operation Operation
*: The setting can only be changed at a SUBARU dealer.

1-20Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
CAUTION
. Do not allow the retractor to roll
up the seatbelt too quickly.
Otherwise, the metal tongue
plates may hit and damage thetrim.
. Make sure that the seatbelt is
fully rolled up so that the tongue
plates are neatly stored. A hang-
ing tongue plate can swing and
hit and damage the trim whiledriving.
& Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap
and lukewarm water. Never bleach or dye
the belts because this could seriously
affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found.
CAUTION
. Keep the belts free of polishes,
oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid. .
Never attempt to make modifica-
tions or changes that will prevent
the seatbelt from operating prop-
erly. Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver
’s and front passenger ’s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners for the driver ’s seat
and front passenger ’s seat operate at the
same time as the frontal, and side SRS
airbags. If the vehicle rolls over, they
operate simultaneously with the curtainairbag.
The front and side airbag sensors and the
rollover sensor are used as the preten-
sioner sensors. If a sensor detects a
certain predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, a side impact
collision or a rollover collision, the front
seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by the
retractor to take up the slack so that the
belt more effectively restrains the front

1-22Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
.Tampering with or disconnecting
the system ’s wiring could result
in accidental activation of the
seatbelt pretensioner and/or
SRS airbag or could make the
system inoperative, which may
result in serious injury. Do not
use electrical test equipment on
any circuit related to the seatbelt
pretensioner and SRS airbag
systems. For required servicing
of the seatbelt pretensioner, con-
sult your nearest SUBARU deal-
er.
CAUTION
The front sub sensors are located
on both the right and left sides at the
front of the vehicle, 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, have the
work performed by your authorized
SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
If the front part of the vehicle was
damaged in an accident, contact your SUBARU dealer as soon as possible
even if the seatbelt pretensioner did
not operate in that accident.
& Precautions against vehicle modification
Always consult your SUBARU dealer if
you want to install any accessory parts to
your vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not perform any of the following
modifications. Such modifications
can interfere with proper operation
of the seatbelt pretensioners. . 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-er ’s Manual. Child restraint systems
Infants and small children should always
be placed in an infant or child restraint
system in the rear seat while riding in the
vehicle. You should use an infant or child
restraint system that meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards or Canada
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, is com-
patible with your vehicle and is appro-
priate for the child
’s age and size. All child
restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or
the lap belt portion of a lap/shoulder belt
(except those described in “Installation of
child restraint systems by use of lower and
tether anchorages (LATCH) ”F 1-29).
Children could be endangered in an
accident if their child restraints are not

!Components
1) Airbag control module (including impact
and rollover sensors)
2) Frontal airbag module (driver ’s side)
3) Frontal airbag module (front passenger ’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
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 passenger ’s
side)
18) Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
19) Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight sensor
20) Front passenger ’s occupant detection
control module
21) Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicator
22) SRS airbag system warning light
23) Satellite safing sensor (under the rear center seat)
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-37
– CONTINUED –

1-40Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
WARNING
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.
! 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.
Have the system inspected by your
SUBARU dealer immediately if the SRS
airbag system warning light illuminates. NOTE
The driver
’s SRS side airbag, SRS
curtain airbag and seatbelt preten-
sioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-tem. ! Front passenger ’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator
operates 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
monitors the tension of the front passen-
ger seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system determines
whether the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag should or should not be inflated.
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
advanced frontal airbag system from
functioning correctly or cause the system
to fail. .
Do not apply any strong impact to the
front passenger ’s seat such as by kicking.
. Do not spill liquid on the front passen-
ger ’s seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it off
immediately. . Do not remove or disassemble the front
passenger ’s seat.
. Do not install any accessory (such as
an audio amplifier) other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the front pas-senger ’s seat.
. Do not place anything (shoes, umbrel-
la, etc.) under the front passenger ’s seat.
. The front passenger ’s seat must not be
used with the head restraint removed. . Do not leave any article including a
child restraint system on the front passen- ger ’s seat or the seatbelt tongue and
buckle engaged when you leave yourvehicle. . Do not place a magnet near the
seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt retractor.. 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 the adjustment procedure of
the manual seats, refer to “Manual seat ”
F 1-3.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or frontpassenger ’s occupant detection system

The SRS airbag can function only when
the ignition switch is in the“ON ”position.
The SUBARU advanced frontal airbag
system is designed to determine the
activation or deactivation condition of the
front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
depending on the total load on the frontpassenger ’s seat monitored by the front
passenger ’s occupant detection system
weight sensor. For this reason, only thedriver ’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 and the impact
sensors in the airbag control module
detect a predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, 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 simulta-
neously, depending on the severity of
impact, 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 passen-ger ’s SRS frontal airbag. After deploy- ment, the SRS airbag immediately starts
to deflate so that the driver
’s vision is not
obstructed. The time required from detect-
ing impact to the deflation of the SRS
airbag after deployment is shorter than the
blink of an eye.
Both when only the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys and the driver ’s and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags deploy,
the driver ’s and front passenger ’s seatbelt
pretensioners operate at the same time.
Although it is highly unlikely that the SRS
airbag would activate in a non-accident
situation, should it occur, the SRS airbag
will deflate quickly, not obscuring vision
and will not interfere with the driver ’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle.
When the SRS airbag deploys, a sudden,
fairly loud inflation noise will be heard and
some smoke will be released. These
occurrences are a normal result of the
deployment. This smoke does not indicate
a fire in the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system
components around the steering
wheel and dashboard with bare
hands right after deployment. Doing
so can cause burns because the components can be very hot as a
result of deployment.
The driver ’s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag are de-
signed to deploy in the event of an
accident involving a moderate to severe
frontal collision. They are basically not
designed to deploy in lesser frontal im-
pacts because the necessary protection
can be achieved by the seatbelt alone.
Also, they are basically not designed to
deploy in side or rear impacts or in roll-
over accidents because deployment of
only the driver ’s SRS frontal airbag or both
driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbags would not help the occupant in
those situations. The driver ’s and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags are de-
signed to function on a one-time-onlybasis.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the
level of force experienced in the passen-
ger compartment during a collision. That
level differs from one type of collision to
another, and it may have no bearing on
the visible damage done to the vehicleitself. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
– CONTINUED –

A hands-free microphone or
other accessory in such a loca-
tion could be propelled through
the cabin with great force by the
curtain airbag, or it could prevent
correct deployment of the curtain
airbag. In either case, the result
could be serious injuries.
. Never hang or place coat hangers
or other hard or pointed objects
near the side windows. If such
items are present when the SRS
curtain airbags deploy, they
could be thrown through the
passenger compartment and
cause serious injuries. They
could also prevent proper opera-
tion of the SRS curtain airbags.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
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag can function only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON ”position.
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 deploys independently
of the driver
’s and front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbags in the steering wheel and
instrument panel.
An impact sensor, which senses impact
force, is located in each of the left and
right center pillars and rear wheel houses.
Another impact sensor, which also senses
impact force, is located under the rear
center seat. In addition, a rollover sensor
is located inside the airbag control mod-ule.
If one of the center pillar impact sensors
and the impact sensor that is located
under the rear center seat together sense
an impact force above a predetermined
level in a side impact collision, the control
module causes both the SRS side airbag
and curtain airbag on the impacted side to
inflate regardless of whether the rear
wheel house impact sensor on the same
side senses an impact.
If one of the rear wheel house impact
sensors and the impact sensor that is
located under the rear center seat to-
gether sense an impact force above a
predetermined level in a side impact
collision, the control module causes only Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-51
– CONTINUED –

1-52Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
the SRS curtain airbag on the impacted
side to inflate.
If the rollover sensor detects rollover of the
vehicle, the control module inflates the
curtain airbags.
After the deployment, the SRS side airbag
immediately starts to deflate. 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 airbags remain
inflated for a while following deployment
then slowly deflates.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbags deploy even when no one occu-
pies the seat on the side on which an
impact is applied.
When the SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbags deploy, a sudden, fairly
loud inflation noise will be heard and some
smoke will be released. These occur-
rences are a normal result of the deploy-
ment. This smoke does not indicate a fire
in the vehicle.
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.
After deployment, do not touch any
part of the SRS curtain airbag
system (from the front pillar to the
part of the roof side over the rear
seat). Doing so can cause burns
because the components can be
very hot as a result of deployment.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbags are designed to deploy in the
event of an accident involving a moderate
to severe side impact collision. Also, in the
case of a rollover, the SRS curtain airbags
deploy. They are basically not designed to
deploy in a lesser side impact. Also, they
are basically not designed to deploy in
frontal or rear impacts because SRS side
airbag and SRS curtain airbag deploy-
ment would not help the occupant in thosesituations.
Each SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbags are designed to function on a one-
time-only basis.
SRS side airbag and SRS curtain airbag
deployment depend on the level of force
experienced in the passenger compart-
ment 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. Also, the SRS curtain airbags
deploy depending on the vehicle
’s position
and inclination at the time of the rollover. ! 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 and SRS
curtain airbag.