2016 SUBARU LEGACY Owners Manual

1) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house
left-hand side)
2) Curtain airbag module (left-hand side)
3) Front door impact sensor (left-hand side)
4) Seatcushionairbagmodule(driver’s
side)
5) Curtain airbag module (right-hand side)
6) Seat cushion airbag module (front pas-
senger’s side)
7) Side airbag sensor (center pillar left-hand
side)
8) Seatbelt pretensioner (left-hand side)
9) Side airbag module (left-hand side)
10) Seatbelt buckle switch (left-hand side)
11) Seatbelt buckle switch (right-hand side)
12) Curtain airbag sensor (rear wheel house
right-hand side)
13) Side airbag module (right-hand side)
14) Seatbelt pretensioner (right-hand side)
15) Side airbag sensor (center pillar right-
hand side)
16) Front passenger’s occupant detection
system sensor and control module
17) Front door impact sensor (right-hand
side)
18) Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor&SUBARU advanced frontal
airbag system, SRS seat
cushion airbag, SRS side
airbag and SRS curtain air-
bag
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 front
passenger’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 and
tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The SUBARU
advanced frontal airbag system is asupplemental 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.
Your vehicle is equipped with a SUBARU
SRS curtain airbag system that complies
with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) No. 226.
For the locations of the SRS airbags, refer
to“Components”F1-48.
In a moderate to severe frontal collision,
the following components deploy.
.SRS frontal airbag for driver
.SRS frontal airbag for front passenger
.SRS seat cushion airbags
.SRS curtain airbag*
1
*1: When an offset frontal collision that is severe
enough to deploy the front airbag occurs.
These components supplement the seat-
belts by reducing the impact to the
occupant’s head and chest.
Inamoderatetoseveresideimpact
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 to the occupant’s chest and
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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 to the occupant’s
head.
NOTE
The SRS side airbag and seatbelt
pretensioner are not controlled by the
SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem.
!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 passenger’s occupant detection sys-tem sensor located under the seat.
The system has another sensor that
monitors the tension of the front passen-
ger’s seatbelt. Using the total seat load
and seatbelt tension data from the sen-
sors, the occupant detection system de-
termines 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.
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 let rear passengers rest
their feet between the front seat-
back and seat cushion.
.Do not spill liquid on the front
passenger’s seat. If liquid is
spilled, wipe it off immediately.
.Do not remove or disassemblethe 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.
.Do not use the front passenger’s
seat with the head restraint re-
moved.
.Do not leave any articles 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“Manual seat”F1-4
(models equipped with manual
seats only).
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or front
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passenger’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. Do not let anyone use
the front passenger’s seat while you are
driving the vehicle to your SUBARU deal-
er.
!Passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
Refer to“Front passenger’s frontal airbag
ON and OFF indicators”F3-14.
!Occupant detection system
The occupant detection system sensor is
installed under the seat and monitors the
total load on the front passenger’s seat.
The system has another sensor that
monitors the tension of the front passen-
ger’s seatbelt. Using the total seat load
and seatbelt tension data from the sen-
sors, the occupant detection system de-
termines whether the following airbags
should be deployed or not.
.Front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
.Front passenger’s SRS seat cushionairbag
ON /: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
indicator
/: Front passenger’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator
If the front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators do not work properly
even when the front passenger’s seat is
dry, do not allow anyone to sit on the front
passenger’s seat and have the occupant
detection system checked by your
SUBARU dealer.
!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 thefront passenger’s seat:
.The seat is empty.
.The seat is equipped with an appro-
priate child restraint system and an infant
is restrained in it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
.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 front
passenger’s seat may be killed or
severely injured should the front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag de-
ploy. REAR seats are the safest
place for children.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
CAUTION
When the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an infant in an appro-
priate child restraint system, ob-
serve 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 an infant.
.Do not place any article on the
seat other than the infant in the
child restraint system.
.Do not place more than one
infant in the child restraint sys-
tem.
.Do not install any accessory
such as a table or TV onto the
seatback.
.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
airbag ON indicator illuminates
and the OFF indicator turns off
even when an infant or a small
child is in a child restraint sys-
tem (including booster seat)
1. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK”/
“OFF”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”
F1-27, 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 bymoving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
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 an
inspection.
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
system may or may not activate the
front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
depending on the occupant’s seating
posture. Children should always wear a
seatbelt when sitting in the seat irre-
spective of whether the airbag is
deactivated or activated. If the front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag is acti-
vated (the ON indicator remains illumi-
nated 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-
1-54

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 is 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 front
passenger’s seat, deactivating thefront passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult. This may
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”/
“OFF”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”/
“OFF”position.
2. Ensure that there is no article, book,
shoe, or other object 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. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
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.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
!How to contact the vehicle manu-
facturer concerning modifications
for persons with disabilities that
may affect the advanced airbag
system
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, seatbelts, front bumper, front side
frame, instrument panel, combination me-
ter, steering wheel, steering column, tire,
suspension or floor panel can affect the
operation of the SUBARU advanced air-
bag system. If you have any questions,
you may contact the following SUBARU
distributors:
of Columbia>
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Dealer Services Department
P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783)

Subaru Hawaii
2850 Pukoloa Street, Suite 202,
Honolulu, HI 96819-4467
808-839-2273
Shen’s Corporation dba Prestige Automo-
bile
491, East Marine Corps Drive, Route 1
Dededo, Guam 96921-6255
671-633-2698

Trebol Motors
P.O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00910
787-793-2828

Subaru Canada, Inc.
Consumer Support Department
560 Suffork Court, Mississauga, Ontario
L5R 4J7
1-800-894-4212
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 of
deployment.
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.
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!SUBARU advanced frontal airbag
operation
1) Driver’s side
2) Passenger’s side
The SUBARU advanced frontal airbag
system is designed to determine theactivation or deactivation condition of the
front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
depending on the total load on the front
passenger’s seat monitored by the front
passenger’s occupant detection system
weight sensor. For this reason, only the
driver’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 inside both front
fenders and the impact sensors in the
airbag control module detect a predeter-
mined 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 passen-
ger’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 simultaneously, 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
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag.
After deployment, the SRS airbag imme-
diately starts to deflate so that the driver’s
vision is not obstructed and the driver’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle isnot impaired. The time required from
detecting impact to the deflation of the
SRS airbag after deployment is shorter
than the blink of an eye.
The driver’s and front passenger’s seat-
belt pretensioners operate at the same
time in both of the following cases.
.When only the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys
.When driver’s and front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbags deploy
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 not designed to
deploy in most lesser frontal impacts
because the necessary protection can be
achieved by the seatbelt alone. Also, they
are not designed to deploy in most side or
rear impacts or in most rollover accidents
because deployment of these airbags
would not help the occupant in those
situations. The driver’s and front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbags are designed to
function on a one-time-only basis.
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
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
the visible damage done to the vehicle
itself.
!Examples of accident in which
the driver’s/driver’s and front
passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag(s) will most likely deploy
A head-on collision against a thick con-
crete wall at a vehicle speed of 12 to 19
mph (20 to 30 km/h) or higher activates
only the driver’s SRS frontal airbag or both
driver’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbags. The airbag(s) will also be acti-
vated when the vehicle is exposed to a
frontal impact similar in fashion and
magnitude to the collision described
above.!Examples of the types of acci-
dents in which it is possible that
the driver’s/driver’s and front
passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag(s) will deploy
Only the driver’s SRS frontal airbag orboth driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags may be activated when the
vehicle sustains a hard impact in the
undercarriage area from the road surface
(such as when the vehicle plunges into a
deep ditch, is severely impacted or
knocked hard against an obstacle on the
road such as a curb).
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