ignition SUBARU FORESTER 2012 SH / 3.G Owners Manual

1-42Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
! If the front passenger ’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator illuminates and the
OFF indicator turns off even when
an infant or a small child is in a child
restraint system (including boosterseat)
Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position 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
system (including booster seat). Remove
the child restraint system from the seat. By
referring to the child restraint manufac-turer ’s recommendations as well as the
child restraint system installation proce-
dures in “Child restraint systems ”F 1-22,
correctly install the child restraint system.
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON ”
position and make sure that the frontpassenger ’s frontal airbag ON indicator
turns off and the OFF indicator illuminates.
If the ON indicator still 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 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 aninspection. 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. If the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag is activated (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 occupant. . Ensure that there is no article left in
the seatback pocket.
If the ON indicator still remains illumi-
nates 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 a heavy article is placed on the
seat.
When the front passenger ’s seat is occu-
pied by an adult, observe the following
precautions. Failure to do so may lessen
the load on the front passenger ’s seat,
deactivating the front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbag despite the fact that the seat
is occupied by an adult. . Do not allow the rear seat occupant 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 between
the front passenger ’s seat and side trim/
pillar, door or center 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.
Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position. 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. Turn the ignition
switch to the “ON ”position. If the OFF
indicator remains illuminated while the ON
indicator remains off, take the followingactions. . Turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK ”
position.. Ensure that there are no articles, books, shoes, or other objects trapped
under the seat, at the rear of the seat, or
on the side of the seat. .
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. . Next, turn the ignition switch to the
“ ON ”position and wait 6 seconds to allow
the system to complete self-checking.
Following the system check, both indica-
tors 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. ! Effect vehicle modifications made
for persons with disabilities may
have on SUBARU advanced frontal
airbag system operation (U.S. only)
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)
Servco Subaru Inc., dba Subaru Hawaii
2850 Pukoloa Street, Suite 202, Honolulu,
HI 96819 808-839-2273 Shen
’s Corporation dba Prestige Automo-
bile
491, East Marine Drive, Route 1 Dededo, Guam 671-633-2698

Trebol Motors
P.O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00910 787-793-2828
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 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
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The SRS airbag 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 total load on the frontpassenger ’s seat monitored by the front
passenger ’s occupant detection system
weight sensor. For this reason, only thedriver ’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 and the impact
sensors in the airbag control module
detect a predetermined 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 passenger ’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 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 total load on
the seat in the case of the front passen-ger ’s SRS frontal airbag. After deploy- ment, the SRS airbag immediately starts
to deflate so that the driver
’s vision is not
obstructed. The time required from detect-
ing 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.
Although it is highly unlikely that the SRS
airbag would activate in a non-accident
situation, should it occur, the SRS airbag
will deflate quickly, not obscuring vision
and will not interfere with the driver ’s
ability to maintain control of the vehicle.
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 to deploy in the event of an
accident involving a moderate to severe
frontal collision. They are basically not
designed to deploy in lesser frontal im-
pacts because the necessary protection
can be achieved by the seatbelt alone.
Also, they are basically not designed to
deploy in side or rear impacts or in roll-
over accidents because deployment of
only the driver ’s SRS frontal airbag or both
driver ’s and front passenger ’s SRS frontal
airbags would not help the occupant in
those situations. The driver ’s and front
passenger ’s SRS frontal airbags are de-
signed to function on a one-time-onlybasis.
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 vehicleitself. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
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A hands-free microphone or
other accessory in such a loca-
tion could be propelled through
the cabin with great force by the
curtain airbag, or it could prevent
correct deployment of the curtain
airbag. In either case, the result
could be serious injuries.
. Never hang or place coat hangers
or other hard or pointed objects
near the side windows. If such
items are present when the SRS
curtain airbags deploy, they
could be thrown through the
passenger compartment and
cause serious injuries. They
could also prevent proper opera-
tion of the SRS curtain airbags.WARNING
Do not put any kind of cover or
clothes or other objects over either
front seatback and do not attach
labels or stickers to the front seat
surface on or near the SRS side
airbag. They could prevent proper
deployment of the SRS side airbag,
reducing protection available to the
front seat ’s occupant.
! 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. There-
fore, they may not both deploy in the same
accident. Also, the SRS side airbag and
SRS curtain airbag deploys independently
of the driver
’s and front passenger ’s SRS
frontal airbags in the steering wheel and
instrument panel.
An impact sensor, which senses impact
force, is located in each of the left and
right center pillars and rear wheel houses.
Another impact sensor, which also senses
impact force, is located under the rear
center seat. In addition, a rollover sensor
is located inside the airbag control mod-ule.
If one of the center pillar impact sensors
and the impact sensor that is located
under the rear center seat together sense
an impact force above a predetermined
level in a side impact 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 one of the rear wheel house impact
sensors and the impact sensor that is
located under the rear center seat to-
gether sense an impact force above a
predetermined level in a side impact
collision, the control module causes only Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-51
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1-58Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
&SRS airbag system monitors
Type A
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
“AIR-
BAG ”will show normal system operation
by lighting 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 and rollover sensors). Frontal airbag module
– Driver ’s side
– Front passenger ’s side
. Side airbag sensor
– Center pillar right-hand side
– Center pillar 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
. Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger ’s side)
. Front passenger ’s seatbelt tension
sensor. Front passenger ’s occupant detection
system weight 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. Immediately take your vehi-
cle 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. . 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
& 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 thesystem ’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 console
. On both the right and left sides at
the front of the vehicle
. Steering wheel and 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
. In each roof side (from the front
pillar to a point over the rear seat)
. 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 SUBARUparts.
NOTE
In the following cases, contact your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. . The front part of the vehicle was
damaged in an accident in which either
or both of the 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 over the rear
seat) is scratched, cracked, or other-
wise damaged.. Center pillar, 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 otherwisedamaged.. The rear part of the vehicle was
involved in an accident in which no
SRS airbag deployed. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-59
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2-2Keys and doors
Keys
1) Master key (black)
2) Submaster key (black)
3) Valet key (gray)
4) Key number plate
5) Security ID plate
Three types of keys are provided for your vehicle:
Master key, submaster key and valet key.
The master key and submaster key fit all
locks on your vehicle. . Ignition switch
. Driver ’s door
. Glove box
The valet key fits only the ignition switch
and driver ’s door lock. You can keep the glove box locked when you leave your
vehicle and valet key at a parking facility.
CAUTION
Do not attach a large key holder or
key case to either key. If it bangs
against your knees while you are
driving, it could turn the ignition
switch from the “ON ”position to the
“ Acc ”or “LOCK ”position, thereby
stopping the engine.
& Key number plate and secur-
ity ID plate
1) Key number plate
2) Security ID plate
The key number is stamped on the key number plate attached to the key set. The
security ID for the immobilizer system is
stamped on the security ID plate attached
to the key set. Be sure to keep these
plates in a safe place, not in the vehicle. It
is recommended to make a note of these
numbers to be on the safe side. These
numbers are needed to make a replace-
ment key if you lose your key or lock it
inside the vehicle.
For information on making replacement
keys, refer to
“Key replacement ”F 2-3.
The security ID is also needed for
replacement or repair of the engine control
unit, integrated unit, or combination meter.

Immobilizer
CAUTION
FCC WARNING
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party re-
sponsible for compliance could void
the user ’s authority to operate the
equipment.
The immobilizer system is designed to
prevent an unauthorized person from
starting the engine. Only keys registered
with your vehicle ’s immobilizer system can
be used to operate your vehicle. Even if
an unregistered key fits into the ignition
switch and can be turned to the “START ”
position, the engine will not start or will
stop after several seconds.
Each immobilizer key contains a trans-
ponder in which the key ’s ID code is
stored. When a key is inserted into the
ignition switch and turned to the “ON ”
position, the transponder transmits thekey ’s ID code to the immobilizer system ’s
receiver. If the transmitted ID code
matches the ID code registered in the
immobilizer system, the system allows the
engine to be started. Since the ID code is
transmitted and acted upon almost in- stantly, the immobilizer system does not
impede normal starting of the engine.
If the engine fails to start, pull out the key
once before trying again. Refer to
“Ignition
switch ”F 3-3.
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules and RSS-Gen of IC
Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this de-
vice may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesiredoperation.
CAUTION
. Do not place the key under direct
sunlight or anywhere it may
become hot.
. Do not get the key wet. If the key
gets wet, wipe it dry with a cloth
immediately.
NOTE
To protect your vehicle from theft,
please pay close attention to the fol-
lowing security precautions. . Never leave your vehicle unattended
with its keys inside. . Before leaving your vehicle, close all windows and the moonroof, and lock
the doors and rear gate..
Do not leave spare keys or any
record of your key number in thevehicle. & Security indicator light
Refer to “Security indicator light ”F 3-23.
& Key replacement
Your key number plate and security ID
plate are required if you need a new
replacement key. Any new key must be
registered to your vehicle ’s immobilizer
system. Up to four keys can be registered
for use with one vehicle.
For security, all the keys must be re-
registered to your vehicle ’s immobilizer
system when registering a new key.
Therefore, all of your vehicle ’s keys must
be presented when a new key is regis-
tered. Any key that is not re-registered
cannot be used after the other keys are re-
registered. For information on replace-
ment keys and on the registration of keys
with your immobilizer system, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
NOTE
A vehicle that is equipped with the
remote engine start system as a dealer Keys and doors
2-3
– CONTINUED –

2-4Keys and doors
option can register up to three keys for
use with one vehicle. Door locks &
Locking and unlocking from
the outside
NOTE
If you unlock the driver ’s door with a
key and open the door while the alarm
system is armed, the alarm system is
triggered and the vehicle ’shorn
sounds. In this case, perform any of
the following operations: . Press any button on the remote
transmitter. . Insert the key into the ignition
switch and turn the ignition switch tothe “ON ”position.
For details about the alarm system,
refer to “Alarm system ”F 2-14.
To lock the driver ’s door from the outside
with the key, turn the key toward the rear.
To unlock the door, turn the key toward thefront.
Pull the outside door handle to open an
unlocked door.

2-6Keys and doors
Item Switch
position Automatically turning
off
Map lights OFF
*1Approximately 20 minutes later
Dome light DOOR Approximately 20
minutes later
Ignition
switch light —Approximately 20
minutes later
Door steplights —
None
*2
Cargo arealightDOOR
None*2
*1: The map lights can be controlled by the
battery drainage prevention function only when
the map light switches are in the OFF position
and the door interlock switch is in the DOOR
position. For the switch positions, refer to
“Map
light ”F 6-3 .
*2: The door step lights and the cargo area light
are not affected by the battery drainage
prevention function, so the lights do not turn
off automatically. To turn off the lights, it is
necessary that each door and the rear gate are
completely closed.
The operational/non-operational setting of
this function can be changed by a
SUBARU dealer. Contact your SUBARU
dealer to change the setting. NOTE .
The factory setting (default setting)
for this function is set as “operational ”.
. When leaving the vehicle, please
make sure that all doors and the rear
gate are completely closed.. The battery drainage prevention
function does not operate while the
key is in the ignition switch. Power door locking switches
1) Lock
2) Unlock
All doors and the rear gate can be locked
and unlocked by the power door locking
switches located at the driver ’s side and
the front passenger ’s side doors.
To lock the doors, press the front side of
the switch.
To unlock the doors, press the rear side of
the switch.
If you press the front (lock) side of the
switch and then close the driver ’s door, all
the closed doors and the rear gate will belocked.