2017 SUBARU FORESTER control

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
pretensioner, contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible.
.If the front seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or surrounding area has been
damaged, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible.
. When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it has
seatbelt pretensioners by alerting the
buyer to the contents of this section.
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection,
the occupants should sit in an
upright position with their seat-
belts properly fastened. Refer to
“ Seatbelts ”F 1-16.
. Do not modify, remove or strike
the front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or surrounding area.
This could result in accidental
activation of the seatbelt preten-
sioners or could make the sys-
tem inoperative, possibly result-
ing in serious injury. Seatbelt
pretensioners have no user-ser-
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
sioners, consult your SUBARU
dealer. .
When discarding front seatbelt
retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire vehicle due to
collision damage or for other
reasons, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
& System monitors
A diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The
seatbelt pretensioners share the control
module with the SRS airbag system.
Therefore, if any malfunction occurs in a
seatbelt pretensioner, the SRS airbag
system warning light will illuminate. For
details, refer to “SRS airbag system
monitors ”F 1-69.
& System servicing
WARNING
. When discarding a seatbelt re-
tractor assembly or scrapping
the entire vehicle damaged by a
collision, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
. 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 elec-
trical 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 sensors and SRS airbag control
modules are located in the following
locations.
.
Front sub sensors: on both the
right and left side at the front of
the vehicle
. Front door impact sensors: on
both front doors
. Satellite safing sensor: under the
rear center seat
. Side airbag sensors: on both
center pillars
. Curtain airbag sensors: on both
rear wheel houses
. SRS airbag control module (in-
cluding the impact sensors): un-
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
*SRS airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental re-
straint system. This name is used be-
cause the airbag system supplements the
vehicle’s seatbelts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a supple-
mental restraint system in addition to a
lap/shoulder belt at each front seating
position and each rear window-side seat-
ing positions. The supplemental restraint
system (SRS) consists of seven airbags.
The configurations are as follows.
. Driver ’s and front passenger ’s frontal
airbags
. Driver ’s and front passenger ’s side
airbags
. Curtain airbags (for driver, front pas-
senger, and window-side rear passen-
gers)
. Knee airbag for driver
These SRS airbags are designed only
as a supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt.
The system also controls front seatbelt
pretensioners. For operation instructions
and precautions concerning the seatbelt
pretensioner, refer to “Front seatbelt pre-
tensioners ”F 1-25.
& General precautions regard-
ing SRS airbag system
WARNING
. To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the
driver and all passengers must
always wear seatbelts when in
the vehicle. The SRS airbag is
designed only to be a supple-
ment to the primary protection
provided by the seatbelt. It does
not eliminate the need to fasten
seatbelts. In combination with
the seatbelts, it offers the best
combined protection in case of a
serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the
vehicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the seatbelt system,
refer to “Seatbelts ”F 1-16.
. The SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag are designed only
to be a supplement to the primary
protection provided by the seat-
belt. They do not eliminate the
need to fasten seatbelts. It is also
important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuries that can
result when an occupant is not
seated in a proper upright posi-
tion.
WARNING
.
The SRS airbags deploy with
considerable speed and force.
Occupants who are out of proper
position when the SRS airbag
deploys could suffer very serious
injuries. Because the SRS airbag
needs enough space for deploy-
ment, the driver should always
sit upright and well back in the
seat as far from the steering
wheel as practical while still
maintaining full vehicle control
1-42

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)
1-50

!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)
–CONTINUED –1-57

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
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 characteristic
of item(s) or person 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 is
not impaired. The time required from
detecting 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.
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 as follows.
. to deploy in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontal
collision
. to function on a one-time-only basis
The driver ’s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag are not
designed as follows.
. to deploy in most lesser frontal im-
pacts
*1
. to deploy in most side or rear impacts
or in most roll-over accidents*2
*1: Because the necessary protection can be
achieved by the seatbelt alone.
*2: Because deployment of only the driver ’s
SRS frontal airbag or both the driver ’s and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags would not
protect the occupant in those situations.
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 vehicle
itself.
!Example of accident in which the
driver ’s/driver ’s and front pas-
senger ’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
1-58

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
between the occupant and the side
window and supplements the seatbelt by
reducing the impact on the occupant’s
head.
In a rollover, SRS curtain airbags on both
sides of the vehicle deploy between the
occupant and the side window and sup-
plement the seatbelt by reducing the
impact to the occupant ’s head.
In an offset frontal collision, SRS side
airbags and SRS curtain airbags on both
sides of the vehicle deploy between the
occupant and the side window and sup-
plement the seatbelt by reducing the
impact to the occupant ’s head and chest.
! 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.
An impact sensor, which senses impact
force, is located in each of the following
locations.
. In the left and right front doors
. In the left and right center pillars
. In the left and right rear wheel houses
. Under the rear center seat
. On both the right and left sides at the
front of the vehicle (front sub sensors)
Rollover sensor and frontal impact sensor
are located inside the airbag control
module which is located under the center
of the instrument panel.
If the impact sensor that is located under
the rear center seat and one of the center
pillar impact sensors or front door impact
sensors both sense an impact force above
a predetermined level in a side 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 the impact sensor that is located under
the rear center seat and one of the rear
wheel house impact sensors together
sense an impact force above a predeter-
mined level in a side collision, the control
module causes only the SRS curtain
airbag on the impacted side to inflate.
Even if a frontal collision occurs, both right
and left SRS side airbags and SRS curtain
airbags will deploy when the front sensor
and the control unit determine that the
impact results from an offset frontal colli-
sion.
The SRS side airbags and SRS curtain
airbags are designed to deploy when the
driver
’s SRS frontal airbag deploys or the
driver ’s and passenger ’s SRS frontal air-
bags deploy in a frontal collision, and also
when the system determines that the
collision is an offset frontal collision. The
SRS side airbags and SRS curtain air-
bags are basically designed not to deploy
in a frontal collision when the SRS frontal
airbags do not deploy or the system
determines that the collision is other than
an offset frontal collision.
If the rollover sensor detects rollover of the
vehicle, the control module inflates the
SRS curtain airbags on both sides. At this
time, the driver ’s and front passenger ’s
seatbelt pretensioners also operate at the
1-62

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
SRS airbag system warning light (type B)
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 will show
normal system operation by illuminating
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
– Left-hand side
. Airbag control module (including im-
pact sensor and rollover sensor)
. Frontal airbag module –
Driver ’s side
– Front passenger ’s side
. Knee airbag module (driver ’s side)
. Side airbag sensor
– Center pillar right-hand side
– Center pillar left-hand side
. Front door impact sensor
– Right-hand side
– Left-hand side
. Side airbag module
– Driver ’s side
– Front passenger ’s side
. Curtain airbag sensor
– Rear wheel house right-hand side
– Rear wheel house left-hand side
. Curtain airbag module
– Right-hand side
– Left-hand side
. Satellite safing sensor (under the rear
center seat)
. Seatbelt pretensioner
– Driver ’s side
– Front passenger ’s side
. Lap belt pretensioner
– Front passenger ’s side
. Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system 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.
.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
Immediately take your vehicle 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.
1-70

&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, consult your
nearest SUBARU dealer. Tamper-
ing with or disconnecting the
system ’s wiring could result in
accidental inflation of the SRS
airbag or could make the system
inoperative, which may result in
serious injury.
CAUTION
If you need service or repair in areas
indicated in the following list, have
the work performed by an author-
ized SUBARU dealer. The SRS air-
bag control module, impact sensors
and airbag modules are stored in
these areas. .
Under the center of the instru-
ment panel
. On both the right and left sides at
the front of the vehicle
. Steering wheel and column and
nearby areas
. Bottom of the steering column
and nearby areas
. Top of the dashboard on front
passenger ’s side and nearby
areas
. Each front seat and nearby area
. Inside each center pillar
. Inside each front door
. In each roof side (from the front
pillar to a point behind the rear
quarter glass)
. Between the rear seat cushion
and rear wheel house on each
side
. Under the rear center seat
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 SUBARU
parts.
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 of the steering wheel, the
cover over the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag, or either roof side (from
the front pillar to a point behind the rear
quarter glass) is scratched, cracked, or
otherwise damaged.
. The center pillar, front door, rear
wheel house or rear sub frame, or an
area near these parts, was involved in
an accident in which the SRS side
airbag and SRS curtain airbag did not
deploy.
. The fabric or leather of either front
seatback is cut, frayed, or otherwise
damaged.
. The rear part of the vehicle was
involved in an accident in which no
SRS airbag was deployed.
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
–CONTINUED –1-71