SUBARU IMPREZA 2002 2.G Repair Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-38
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
*SRS: This stands for supplemental restraint system. This name is used because the airbag system sup- plements the vehicle’s seatbelts.
Vehicle with driver ’s and front pas-
senger’ s SRS airbags and lap/shoul-
der restraints
The supplemental restraint system (SRS) consists oftwo airbags (driver ’s and front passenger ’s frontal
airbags) or four airbags (driver ’s and front passen-
ger’ s frontal airbags and driver ’s and front passen-
ger’ s side airbags).
These SRS airbags are designed only as a sup-plement to the primary protection provided bythe seatbelt.
WARNING
To obtain maximum protection in the event
of an accident, the driver and all passengers in the vehicle should always wear seatbeltswhen the vehicle is moving. The SRS airbag is
designed only as a supplement to the primary protection provided by the seatbelt. It does
not do away with the need to fasten seatbelts.
In combination with the seatbelts, it offers thebest combined protection in case of a seriousaccident.Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury or death in a crash even when the car has the SRS airbag. For instructions and precautions concerningthe seatbelt system, see the
“Seatbelts” sec-
tions in this chapter. Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the
SRS airbag. Because the SRS airbag deployswith considerable speed – faster than the
blink of an eye – and force to protect in high
speed collisions, the force of an airbag can in-jure an occupant whose body is too close toSRS airbag. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to
help avoid injuries that can result when theSRS airbag contacts an occupant not in prop-er position such as one thrown forward during
pre-accident braking.Even when properly positioned, there remains
a possibility that an occupant may suffer mi- nor injury such as abrasions and bruises to
the face or arms because of the SRS airbag

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-39
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deployment force. The SRS airbags deploy with considerable
speed and force. Occupants who are out ofproper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Becausethe SRS airbag needs enough space for de- ployment, the driver should always sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steer-ing wheel as practical while still maintainingfull vehicle control and the front passengershould move the seat as far back as possibleand sit upright and well back in the seat. Do not place any objects over or near the
SRS airbag cover or between you and the SRS airbag. If the SRS airbag deploys, those ob-jects could interfere with its proper operationand could be propelled inside the car and
cause injury.
HG1002BA
WARNING
Put children aged 12 and under in the rear
seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed andforce and can injure or even kill children, es-
pecially if they are 12 years of age and underand are not restrained or improperly re- strained. Because children are lighter and
weaker than adults, their risk of being injured
from deployment is greater. For that reason, we strongly recommend thatALL children (including those in child seats
and those that have outgrown child restraint
devices) sit in the REAR seat properly re-

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-40
strained at all times in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is appropriate forthe child’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices
(including forward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rearseating positions than in the front seatingpositions.For instructions and precautions concerningthe child restraint system, see the “Child re-
straint systems ” section in this chapter.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel
on the front passenger ’s seat, or never hold a
child on your lap or in your arms. The SRS air- bag deploys with considerable force and caninjure or even kill the child.CAUTION
When the SRS airbag deploys, some smoke
will be released. This smoke could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. If you oryour passengers have breathing problems af-
ter SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air promptly. A deploying SRS airbag releases hot gas.
Occupants could get burnt if they come into direct contact with the hot gas.
NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to ex- plain to the buyer that it is equipped with SRS
airbags by alerting him to the applicable sectionin this owner ’s manual.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-41
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HG1034BB
1) Airbag control module
(including impact sensors)
2) Airbag module (driver ’s side)
3) Airbag module (passenger ’s
side)
4) Front sub sensor (left hand side)
5) Front sub sensor (right hand
side)
6) Side airbag module
(driver’ s side — if equipped)
7) Side airbag module (passenger’ s side — if
equipped)
8) Side airbag sensor (driver ’s
side)
9) Side airbag sensor (passenger’ s side)
10) Airbag wiring (yellow)
11) Seatbelt pretensioner (driver ’s
side)
12) Seatbelt pretensioner
(passenger’ s side)

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-42
SRS frontal airbag
WARNING
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING
CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT SEAT. DOING SO
RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD ’S HEAD TOO
CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
HS0042
WARNING
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger ’s seat, or never hold a
child on your lap or in your arms. The SRS air-bag deploys with considerable force and can injure or even kill the child.
HG1014BA

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
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HG1013BA
WARNING
The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force. Occupants who are out of proper position when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries. Becausethe SRS airbag needs enough space for de-ployment, the driver should always sit uprightand well back in the seat as far from the steer-ing wheel as practical while still maintaining full vehicle control and the front passenger should move the seat as far back as possibleand sit upright and well back in the seat. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to
help avoid injuries that can result when the SRS airbag contacts an occupant not in prop-er position such as one thrown toward thefront of the car during pre-accident braking.HG1001BA
The driver
’s SRS frontal airbag is stowed in the cen-
ter portion of the steering wheel. The passenger ’s
SRS frontal airbag is stowed near the top of the
dashboard under an “SRS AIRBAG ” mark.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-44
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dashboard. If the SRS frontal
airbag deploys, those objects could interferewith its proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause injury.
HS0244
WARNING
Do not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-wide mirror over the rear view
mirror. If the SRS airbag deploys, those ob-jects could become projectiles that could seri- ously injure vehicle occupants.
HS0245
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 im- pact on the driver ’s and front passenger ’s head and
chest.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
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Operation
The SRS airbag can function only when the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
If the front sub sensors inside the both front fenders
and the impact sensors in the airbag control module
detect a certain predetermined amount of force dur-
ing a frontal collision, the control module sends sig-
nals to the frontal airbag modules instructing them to
inflate the SRS frontal airbags. Then both airbag
modules produce gas, which instantly inflates driv-er’ s and passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags. After the
deployment, the SRS airbags immediately start to
deflate so that the driver ’s vision is not obstructed.
The time required from detecting impact to the de-
flating SRS airbag after deployment is shorter thanthe blink of an eye. The front passenger
’s SRS frontal airbag deploys to-
gether with driver ’s SRS frontal airbag even when no
one occupies the front passenger ’s seat.
Although it is highly unlikely that the SRS airbagwould activate in a non-accident situation, should it
occur, the SRS airbag will deflate quickly, not ob-
scuring vision and will not interfere with the driver ’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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HS2001BB

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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When the SRS airbag deploys, a sudden, fairly loud
inflation noise will be heard and some smoke will be
released. These occurrences are normal result of
the deployment. This smoke does not indicate a firein the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system compo-
nents around the steering wheel and dash-board with bare hands right after deployment.
Doing so can cause burns because the com-ponents can be very hot as a result of deploy- ment.
The SRS frontal airbag is designed to deploy in the
event of an accident involving a moderate to severe
frontal collision. It is basically not designed to
deploy in lesser frontal impacts because the neces-
sary protection can be achieved by the seatbelt
alone. Also, it is basically not designed to deploy in
side or rear impacts or in roll-over accidents be-
cause deployment of the SRS frontal airbag wouldnot help the occupant in those situations. The SRS
airbag is designed to function on a one-time-only basis.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the level of force experienced in the passenger compartment
during a collision. That level differs from one type of
collision to another, and it may have no bearing onthe visible damage done to the vehicle itself.
n When will the SRS frontal airbag most likelydeploy?
HG1017BA
A head-on collision against a thick concrete wall at a
vehicle speed of 12 to 19 mph (20 to 30 km/h) acti-
vates the SRS frontal airbag. The SRS frontal airbag
will also be activated when the vehicle is exposed to
a frontal impact similar in fashion and magnitude tothe above-mentioned collision.