SUBARU FORESTER 2001 SF / 1.G Service Manual

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seatbelt. It does not do away with the need to fasten seatbelts. In
combination with the seatbelts, it offers the best combinedprotection in case of a serious accident.Not wearing a seatbelt increases the chance of severe injury ordeath in a crash even when the car has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions concerning the seatbelt system,see the
“Seatbelts” sections in this chapter.
Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to the SRS airbag. Be-
cause the SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed – faster
than the blink of an eye – and force to protect in high speed colli-
sions, the force of an airbag can injure an occupant whose bodyis too close to SRS airbag. It is also important to wear your seatbelt to help avoid injuriesthat can result when the SRS airbag contacts an occupant not inproper position such as one thrown forward during pre-accidentbraking.Even when properly positioned, there remains a possibility thatan occupant may suffer minor injury such as abrasions andbruises to the face or arms because of the SRS airbag deploy-ment force. 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 air-bag needs enough space for deployment, the driver should al-ways sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steeringwheel 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. 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 objects could interfere with its proper operation and could
be propelled inside the car and cause injury. Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly re-
strained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerablespeed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially ifthey are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or im-

1-30properly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater.
For that reason, we strongly recommend that ALL children (in-cluding those in child seats and those that have outgrown child
restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly restrained at alltimes in a child restraint device or in a seatbelt, whichever is ap-propriate for the child
’s age, height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child restraint devices (including forwardfacing child seats) in the REAR seats at all times.According to accident statistics, children are safer when properlyrestrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seatingpositions.For instructions and precautions concerning the child restraint
system, see the “Child restraint systems ” section in this chapter.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TOTHE 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 pas-
senger’ s seat, or never hold a child on your lap or in your arms.
The SRS airbag deploys with considerable force and can injure oreven kill the child.
HB0291
Put children in the REAR seat prop- erly restrained at all times.

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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 or your pas-
sengers have breathing problems after 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.
The sup p lemental restraint system (SRS) c onsists of two airb ag s (d river’s
and front p asseng er ’s frontal airb ag s) or four airb ag s (d river ’s and front
p asseng er ’s frontal airb ag s and d river ’s and front p asseng er ’s side air-
b ag s).These SRS airbags are designed only as a supplement to the prima-ry protection provided by the seatbelt. NOTE When you sell your vehicle, we urge you to explain to the buyer that
it is equipped with SRS airbags by alerting him to the applicablesection in this owner ’s manual.

1-32
Components
1 Airb ag c ontrol mod ule
(inc lud ing imp ac t sensors)
2 Airb ag mod ule (d river ’s sid e)
3 Airb ag mod ule
(p asseng er ’s sid e)
4 Front sub sensor
(left hand sid e)
5 Front sub sensor
(rig ht hand sid e) 6
Sid e airb ag mod ule
(d river ’s sid e — if eq uip p ed )
7 Sid e airb ag mod ule
(p asseng er ’s sid e — if
eq uip p ed )
8 Sid e airb ag sensor
(d river ’s sid e)
9 Sid e airb ag sensor
(p asseng er ’s sid e)
Q Airb ag wiring (yellow) HS1027DB

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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. Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front pas-
senger’ s seat, or never hold a child on your lap or in your arms.
The SRS airbag deploys with considerable force and can injure oreven kill the child. 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. Because the SRS air-bag needs enough space for deployment, the driver should al-ways sit upright and well back in the seat as far from the steeringwheel 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 injuriesthat can result when the SRS airbag contacts an occupant not inproper position such as one thrown toward the front of the carduring pre-accident braking.
HS0042 HS0228
Never allow a child to stand up, or to kneel on the front passenger’s seat
or any other seat.Never install rearward facing child seat in the front passenger ’s seat.

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HS0229HS0233
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far from the steering wheel as practical.
HS0234
Never hold a child on your lap or in your arms in the front passenger’s
seat or any other seat.
Adjust the seatback to upright position. Sit well back and upright.
Move the seat as far back as possible.
WARNING
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dash-
board. If the SRS frontal airbag deploys, those objects could in-
terfere with its proper operation and could be propelled inside the
vehicle and cause injury. Do not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-
wide mirror over the rear view mirror. If the SRS airbag deploys,those objects could become projectiles that could seriously in-jure vehicle occupants.

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HS0245
HS0244
Do not put any objects over the steering wheel pad and dashboardDo not attach accessories to the windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror.
The d river ’s SRS frontal airb ag is stowed in the c enter p ortio n of the
steering wheel. The p asseng er ’s SRS frontal airb ag is stowed near the
top of the d ashb oard und er an “SRS AIRBAG ” mark.
In a mod erate to severe frontal c ollision, the d riv er’s and front p assen-
g er ’s SRS frontal airb ag s d ep loy and sup p lement the sea tb elts b y red uc -
ing the imp ac t on the d river ’s and front p asseng er ’s head and c hest.
Operation
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS airbag system components around the steering wheel and dashboard with bare hands right after deploy-ment. Doing so can cause burns because the components can bevery hot as a result of deployment.

1-36HS2001BB
The SRS airb ag c an func tion only when the ig nition
switc h is in the
“ ON ” p osition.
If the front sub sensors insid e the b oth front fend ers and the imp ac t
sensors in the airb ag c ontrol mod ule d etec t a c erta in p red etermined
amount of forc e d uring a frontal c ollision, the c on trol mod ule send s
sig nals to the frontal airb ag mod ules instruc ting t hem to inflate the
SRS frontal airb ag s. Then b oth airb ag mod ules p rod u c e g as, whic h
instantly inflates d river ’s and p asseng er ’s SRS frontal airb ag s. After
the d ep loyment, the SRS airb ag s immed iately start t o d eflate so that
the d river ’s vision is not ob struc ted . The time req uired from d etec ting
imp ac t to the d eflating SRS airb ag after d ep loyment is shorter than
the b link of an eye.
The front p asseng er ’s SRS frontal airb ag d ep loys tog ether with d riv-
er ’s SRS frontal airb ag even when no one oc c up ies the front p assen-
g er ’s seat.
Althoug h it is hig hly unlikely that the SRS airb ag would ac tivate in a
non-ac c id ent situation, should it oc c ur, the SRS ai rb ag will d eflate
q uic kly, not ob sc uring vision and will not interfer e with the d river’s
ab ility to maintain c ontrol of the vehic le.
When the SRS airb ag d ep loys, a sud d en, fairly loud inflation noise will

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b e heard and some smoke will b e released . These oc c
urrenc es are
normal result of the d ep loyment. This smoke d oes no t ind ic ate a fire in
the vehic le.
The SRS frontal airb ag is d esig ned to d ep loy in the event of an ac c i-
d ent involving a mod erate to severe frontal c ollisi on. It is b asic ally not
d esig ned to d ep loy in lesser frontal imp ac ts b ec aus e the nec essary
p rotec tion c an b e ac hieved b y the seatb elt alone. A lso, it is b asic ally
not d esig ned to d ep loy in sid e or rear imp ac ts or i n roll-over ac c i-
d ents b ec ause d ep loyment of the SRS frontal airb ag would not help
the oc c up ant in those situations. The SRS airb ag is d esig ned to func -
tion on a one-time-only b asis.
SRS airb ag d ep loyment d ep end s on the level of forc e exp erienc ed in
the p asseng er c omp artment d uring a c ollision. That level d iffers from
one typ e of c ollision to another, and it may have n o b earing on the
visib le d amag e d one to the vehic le itself. n Examples of accident in which the SRS frontal airbag will most
likely deploy.
A head -on c ollision ag ainst a thic k c onc rete wall a t a vehic le sp eed of
12 to 19 mp h (20 to 30 km/h) ac tivates the SRS fron tal airb ag . The
SRS frontal airb ag will also b e ac tivated when the vehic le is exp osed
to a frontal imp ac t similar in fashion and mag nitud e to the ab ove-men-
tioned c ollision.
HS1016BA

1-38n
Examples of the types of accidents in which it is possible that
the SRS frontal airbag will deploy.
The SRS frontal airb ag may b e ac tivated when the ve hic le sustains a
hard imp ac t in the und erc arriag e area from the road surfac e (suc h as
when the vehic le p lung es into a d eep d itc h, is seve rely b ump ed or
knoc ked hard ag ainst an ob stac le on the road suc h a s a c urb ).
HS1015BA
HS1014BA
n Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS frontal
airbag is unlikely to deploy.
There are many typ es of c ollisions whic h mig ht not nec essarily req uire
SRS frontal airb ag d ep loyment. If the vehic le strik es an ob jec t, suc h
as a telep hone p ole or sig n p ole, or if it slid es u nd er a truc k’s load
b ed , or if it sustains an ob liq ue offset frontal im p ac t, the SRS frontal
airb ag may not d ep loy d ep end ing on the level of ac c id ent forc es in-
volved .