
1-40Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
CAUTION
. When the SRS airbag deploys,
some smoke will be released. 
This smoke could cause breath-
ing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. If you or your
passengers have breathing pro-
blems after SRS airbag deploys,
get fresh air promptly.
. A deploying SRS airbag releases
hot gas. Occupants could get
burned if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.
NOTE 
When you sell your vehicle, we urge 
you to explain to the buyer that it is
equipped with SRS airbags by alerting
the buyer to the applicable section in
this Owner ’s Manual. 

&Components
1) SRS frontal airbag 
2) SRS side airbag 
3) SRS curtain airbag The SRS airbags are stowed in the 
following locations. Driver
’s SRS frontal airbag: in the center
portion of the steering wheel 
Front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag:
near the top of the dashboard under an “ SRS AIRBAG ”mark
SRS side airbag: in the door side of each
front seat seatback which bears an “SRS
AIRBAG ”label
SRS curtain airbag: in the roof side
(between the front pillar and a point over
the rear seat) An “SRS AIRBAG ”mark is located at the
top of each center pillar. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-41
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1-42Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1) Airbag control module (including impact
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)  

&SUBARU advanced frontal 
airbag system, SRS side air- 
bag and SRS curtain airbag
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
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
No. 208. 
The SUBARU advanced frontal airbag 
system automatically determines the de-
ployment force of the driver ’s SRS frontal
airbag at the time of deployment as well as
whether or not to activate the frontpassenger ’s SRS frontal airbag and, if
activated, the deployment force of the
SRS frontal airbag at the time of deploy-ment. 
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
attached 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 andtag. 
Always wear your seatbelt. The SUBARU 
advanced frontal airbag system is a
supplemental restraint system and must
be used in combination with a seatbelt. All occupants should wear a seatbelt or be
seated in an appropriate child restraintsystem. 
For the locations of the driver
’sSRS
frontal airbag, front passenger ’sSRS
frontal airbag, SRS side airbag and SRS 
curtain airbag, refer to “Components ”F 1-
41. 
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 thedriver ’s and front passenger ’s head and
chest. 
In a moderate to severe side impact 
collision, the SRS side airbag on the
impacted side of the vehicle deploys
between the occupant and the door panel
and supplements the seatbelt by reducing
the impact on the occupant ’s chest and
waist. 
In a moderate to severe side impact 
collision, the SRS curtain airbag on the
impacted side of the vehicle deploys
between the occupant and the side
window and supplements the seatbelt by
reducing the impact on the occupant ’s
head.
NOTE 
The SRS side airbag, SRS curtain air- 
bag and seatbelt pretensioner are not controlled by the SUBARU advanced
frontal airbag system. !
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. ! 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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
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1-44Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
CAUTION
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 ’sseat
such as by kicking.
. Do not spill liquid on the front
passenger ’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 acces-
sory under the front passenger ’s
seat.
. Do not place anything (shoes,
umbrella, etc.) under the front passenger ’s seat.
. The front passenger ’s seat must
not be used with the head re- 
straint removed.
. 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 ve-hicle.
. Do not place a magnet near the
seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt
retractor.
. Do not use front seats with their
backward-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 “Front seats ”F 1-2.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or frontpassenger ’s occupant detection system
have failed, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. Have the
system inspected by your SUBARU deal-
er immediately if the SRS airbag system
warning light illuminates. 
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. ! Passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
Refer to “Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON and OFF indicators ”F 3-14. !
Conditions in which front passen- ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not
activated
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the 
following conditions are met regarding the 
front passenger ’s seat:
. The seat is empty.
. The seat is equipped with a rearward
facing child restraint system and an infant
is restrained with it. (See WARNING thatfollows.) . The seat is equipped with a forward
facing child restraint system and a small 
child is restrained with it. (See WARNING
that follows.) . The seat is equipped with a booster
seat and a small child is in the booster 
seat. (See WARNING that follows.) . The seat is relieved of the occupant
load for a time exceeding the predeter- 
mined monitoring time period. . The seat is occupied by a child who
has outgrown a child restraint system 
(See WARNING that follows.) or by a
small adult. . The front passenger ’s occupant detec-
tion system is malfunctioning. 

WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA- 
CING 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 fa-
cing child seat or booster seat be
installed in the REAR seat, and that
even children who have outgrown a
child restraint system be also
seated in the REAR seat. This is
because children sitting in the frontpassenger ’s seat may be killed or
severely injured should the frontpassenger ’s SRS frontal airbag de-
ploy. REAR seats are the safest
place for children.
CAUTION
When the front passenger ’s seat is
occupied by a child, observe the 
following precautions. Failure to do
so may increase the load on the
front passenger ’s seat, activating
the front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbag even though that seat is
occupied by a child. .
Do not place any article on the
seat other than the child occu-
pant and a child restraint system.
. Do not place more than one child
on the seat.
. Do not install any accessory
such as a table or TV onto theseatback.
. Do not store a heavy load in the
seatback pocket.
. Do not allow the rear seat occu-
pant to place his/her hands or
legs on the front passenger ’s
seatback, or allow him/her to pull
the seatback.
! If the front passenger ’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator illuminates and the
OFF indicator turns off even when
an infant or a small child is in a child
restraint system (including boosterseat)
1. Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position. 
2. Remove the child restraint system 
from the seat. 
3. By referring to the child restraint manufacturer ’s recommendations as well
as the child restraint system installation
procedures in “Child restraint systems ”F
1-21, correctly install the child restraint
system. 
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position and make sure that the front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON indicator
turns off and the OFF indicator illuminates. 
If still the ON indicator remains illuminated 
while the OFF indicator turns off, take the
following actions. . Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than the child restraint system 
and the child occupant. . Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket. . Ensure that the backward-forward po-
sition and seatback of front passenger ’s
seat are locked into place securely by 
moving the seat back and forth. 
If the ON indicator still remains illuminated 
while the OFF indicator turns off after
taking relevant corrective actions de-
scribed above, relocate the child restraint
system to the rear seat and immediately
contact your SUBARU dealer for aninspection. NOTE 
When a child who has outgrown a child 
restraint system or a small adult is
seated in the front passenger ’s seat,
the SUBARU advanced frontal airbag Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
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1-46Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
system may or may not activate the 
front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
depending on the occupant ’s seating
posture. If the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag is activated (the ON
indicator remains i lluminated while
the OFF indicator turns off), take the
following actions. . Ensure that no article is placed on
the seat other than the occupant. . Ensure that there is no article left in
the seatback pocket. 
If the ON indicator still remains illumi- 
nated while the OFF indicator turns off
despite the fact that the actions noted
above have been taken, seat the child/ 
small adult in the rear seat and im- 
mediately contact your SUBARU dealer
for an inspection. Even if the system
has passed the dealer inspection, it is
recommended that on subsequent trips
the child/small adult always take the
rear seat. 
Children who have outgrown a child 
restraint system should always wear the
seatbelt irrespective of whether the airbag
is deactivated or activated. !
Conditions in which front passen-ger’s SRS frontal airbag is activated
The front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
will be activated for deployment upon
impact when any of the following condi- 
tions are met regarding the front passen- ger ’s seat.
. When the seat is occupied by an adult.
. When a heavy article is placed on the
seat.
CAUTION
When the front passenger ’s seat is
occupied by an adult, observe the 
following precautions. Failure to do
so may lessen the load on the frontpassenger ’s seat, deactivating the
front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult. This could
result in personal injury. . Do not allow the rear seat occu-
pant to lift the front passenger ’s
seat cushion using his/her feet.
. Do not place any article under the
front passenger ’s seat, or
squeeze any article from behind 
and under the seat. This may lift
the seat cushion.
. Do not squeeze any article be- tween the front passenger
’s seat
and side trim/pillar, door or cen-
ter console box. This may lift the
seat cushion.
! If the passenger ’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator illuminates and the ON
indicator turns off even when the
front passenger ’s seat is occupied
by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incor-
rectly sitting in the front passenger ’s seat.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position. 
2. Ask the front passenger to set the 
seatback to the upright position, sit up
straight in the center of the seat cushion,
correctly fasten the seatbelt, position his/
her legs out forward, and adjust the seat to
the rearmost position. 
3. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position. 
If the OFF indicator remains illuminated 
while the ON indicator remains off, take
the following actions. 
1. Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position.
2. Ensure that there are no articles, 
books, shoes, or other objects trapped
under the seat, at the rear of the seat, or
on the side of the seat. 

3. 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. 
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position and wait 6 seconds to allow the 
system to complete self-checking. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators turn
off for 2 seconds. Now, the ON indicator
should illuminate while the OFF indicator
remains off. 
If the OFF indicator still remains illumi- 
nated while the ON indicator remains off, 
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your SUBARU
dealer for an inspection. ! How to contact the vehicle manu- 
facturer concerning modifications 
for persons with disabilities that
may affect the advanced airbag
system (U.S. only)
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, rear seat, seatbelts, front bumper,
front side frame, radiator panel, 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) 
Servco Subaru Inc., dba Subaru Hawaii
2850 Pukoloa Street, Suite 202, Honolulu, 
HI 96819 808-839-2273 
’s Corporation dba Prestige Automo-
bile
491, East Marine Drive, Route 1 Dededo, Guam 671-633-2698 
Trebol Motors
P.O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910 787-793-2828 
There are currently no SUBARU distribu- 
tors in any other U.S. territories. If you are
in such an area, please contact the
SUBARU distributor or dealer from which
you bought your vehicle. &
System operation
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system 
components 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 airbags can function only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON ”position.
When the SRS airbag(s) deploy(s), 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. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-47
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