2017 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
1) Airbag control module (including impactsensor and rollover sensor)
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-hand side)
16) Curtain airbag module (left-hand side)
17) Seatbelt buckle switch (front passenger ’s
side)
18) Knee airbag module (driver ’s side)
19) Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system 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)
24) Front door impact sensor (left-hand side)
25) Front door impact sensor (right-hand side)
26) Lap belt pretensioner (front passenger ’s
side)
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&SUBARU advanced frontal
airbag 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
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 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 restraint system.
For the locations of the SRS airbags, refer
to
“Components ”F 1-49.
In a moderate to severe frontal collision,
the following components deploy.
. SRS frontal airbag for driver
. SRS frontal airbag for front passenger
. SRS knee airbag for driver
. SRS side airbag*
1
.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, chest and knees.
! 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 occupant detection system sensor is
installed under the seat upholstery and
monitors the physique and posture of the
front passenger. Using this information,
the occupant detection system determines
whether the front passenger
’s SRS frontal
airbag should be deployed or not.
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. In this
case, although the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag does not operate, the front
passenger ’s seatbelt pretensioner oper-
ates with the driver ’s seatbelt preten-
sioner. For details about the seatbelt
pretensioner, refer to “Front seatbelt pre-
tensioners ”F 1-25.
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 ’s seat
such as by kicking.
. Do not let rear passengers rest
their feet between the front seat-
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)
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 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.
. 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 put sharp object(s) on the
seat or pierce the seat uphols-
tery.
. 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
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 use the front
passenger ’s seat while driving the vehicle
to your SUBARU dealer.
! Passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
Refer to “Front passenger ’s frontal airbag
ON and OFF indicators ”F 3-16.
! Occupant detection system
The occupant detection system sensor is
installed under the seat upholstery and
monitors the physique and posture of the
front passenger. Using this information, the occupant detection system determines
whether the front passenger
’s SRS frontal
airbag should be deployed or not.
If the front passenger ’s seat cushion is
wet, this may adversely affect the ability of
the system to determine deployment. If
the seat cushion is wet, the front passen-
ger should stop sitting on the front
passenger ’s seat. Wipe off liquid from
the seat immediately, let the seat dry
naturally and then check that the front
passenger ’s frontal airbag ON and OFF
indicators

work properly.
ON /: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
indicator
/: Front passenger ’s frontal airbag OFF
indicator
If the front passenger ’s frontal airbag ON
1-52

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.
Also, if luggage or electronic devices are
placed on the front passenger ’s seat, this
may adversely affect the ability of the
system to determine deployment. This
may prevent the front passenger ’s frontal
airbag ON and OFF indicators from work-
ing properly. Check that the indicators
work properly.
When the OFF indicator turns off and the
ON indicator illuminates, the front passen-
ger ’s frontal airbag may deploy during a
collision. Remove luggage and electronic
devices from the front passenger ’s seat.
CAUTION
Electrical devices, such as cell
phones, laptops, portable music
players, or electronic games, espe-
cially when connected to the acces-
sory power outlet and placed on the
front passenger ’s seat or used by
the person sitting in the front pas-
senger ’s seat, may affect the opera-
tion of the occupant detection sys-
tem. If either of the following situa- tions occurs when using an electro-
nic device in the vehicle, at first try
to relocate that device to avoid it
creating any interference.
.
The SRS airbag system warning
light illuminates.
. The front passenger ’s frontal air-
bag ON and OFF indicators oper-
ate erratically.
If the device continues to cause
interference, the use of that device
in the vehicle should be discontin-
ued.
! 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 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 FORWARD OR
REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT
IN THE FRONT PASSENGER ’S SEAT
EVEN IF THE FRONT PASSEN-
GER ’S SRS FRONTAL AIRBAG IS
DEACTIVATED. Be sure to install it
in the REAR seat in a correct
manner. Also, it is strongly recom-
mended that any forward facing
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
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.
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 interfere with
the proper operation of the occu-
pant detection system, activating
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 front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even though that seat is
occupied by the infant in the child
restraint system.
. Do not place any article (includ-
ing electronic devices) 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.
! 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 ”
F 1-29, 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 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 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 action.
. Ensure that no article is placed on
the seat other than the occupant.
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 certain items (e.g. jug of water)
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are placed on the seat.!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. Make sure that the front passenger
does not use a blanket, seat cushion, seat
cover, seat heater or massager, etc.
3. If wearing excessive layers of clothing,
the front passenger should remove any
unnecessary items before sitting in the
front passenger ’s seat, or should sit in a rear seat.
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
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. 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 96921-6225
671-633-2698

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

Subaru Canada, Inc.
Consumer Support Department
560 Suffolk 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.
1-56

!Operation
A) Driver ’s side
B) Passenger ’s side
1) SRS AIRBAGs deploy as soon as a collision occurs.
2) After deployment, SRS AIRBAGs start to deflate immediately so that the driver ’s vision is not
obstructed.
The SRS airbags 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 characteristic of item
(s) or person on the front passenger ’s seat
monitored by the front passenger ’s occu-
pant detection system 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 following sensors 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 front sub sensors
. the impact sensors in the airbag control
module
On the driver ’s side, the SRS knee airbag
also inflates with the SRS frontal airbag.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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