belt SUBARU OUTBACK 2006 Workshop Manual

1-42 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Station wagon 12
34
5
136 18
19 24
23
8
11
14
1516
21
22
9
7 10
12
20
17 1007001) Airbag control module (including impact
sensors)
2) Frontal airbag module (driver’s side)
3) Frontal airbag module (front passen-
ger’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 (yellow)
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 side)
16) Curtain airbag module (left side)
17) Seatbelt buckle switch (front passen-
ger’s side)
18) Seatbelt buckle switch (driver’s side)
19) Driver’s seat position sensor
20) Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
21) Front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor
22) Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module
23) Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicator
24) SRS airbag system warning light

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
– CONTINUED –„ Subaru advanced frontal air-
bag systemYour vehicle is equipped with a Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system that com-
plies with the new advanced frontal airbag
requirements in the amended Federal Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No.
208.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem automatically determines the deploy-
ment force of the driver’s SRS frontal air-
bag at the time of deployment as well as
whether or not to activate the front pas-
senger’s SRS frontal airbag and, if activat-
ed, the deployment force of the SRS fron-
tal airbag at the time of deployment.
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 at-
tached to the glove box lid beginning with
the phrase “Even with Advanced Air
Bags”. Make sure th at you carefully read
the instructions on the warning labels and
tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The subaru
advanced frontal airbag system is a sup-
plemental 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. The driver’s SRS frontal airbag is stowed
in the center portion of the steering wheel.
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
is stowed near the top of the dashboard
under an “SRS AIRBAG” mark.
In a moderate to seve re frontal collision,
the driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags deploy and supplement the
seatbelts by reducing the impact on the
driver’s and front passenger’s head and
chest.
100261NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SAFETY 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.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child. 100126

1-44 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Never hold a child on your lap or in
your arms. The SRS airbag deploys
with considerable force and can in-
jure or even kill the child. 100125
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper position
when the SRS airbag deploys could
suffer very serious injuries. Be-
cause the SRS airbag needs enough
space for deployment, 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
and the front passenger should
move the seat as far back as possi-
ble and sit upright and well back in
the seat. 100155
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries that
can result when the SRS airbag con-
tacts an occupant not in proper po-
sition such as one thrown toward
the front of the vehicle during pre-
accident braking.
Do not put any objects over the
steering wheel pad and dashboard.
If the SRS fronta l airbag deploys,
those objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause
injury. 100274

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-45
– CONTINUED –T 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, backward-forward adjustment
of the driver’s seat position and whether or
not he/she is wearing the seatbelt.
The backward-forward adjustment of the
driver’s seat position is monitored by the
driver’s seat position sensor under the driver’s seat.
Whether or not the driver is wearing the
seatbelt is monitored by the seatbelt buck-
le switch.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may cause the seatbelt buckle
switch and/or the seat position sensor to
malfunction, preventing the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or causing the system to
fail.
y Do not place articles/metal objects or in-
stall any accessory other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the driver’s
seat. Do not allow the rear seat occupant
to kick the driver’s seat or push up its bot-
tom surface with his/her feet.
y Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle or under the driver’s seat.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or the
driver’s seat position sensor have failed,
the SRS airbag system warning light will il-
luminate. Although the driver’s SRS fron-
tal airbag can deploy regardless of the
backward-forward adjustment of the driv-
er’s seat position even when the warning
light is on, have th e system inspected by
your SUBARU dealer immediately if the
SRS airbag system warning light comes
on. NOTE The driver’s SRS si de airbag, SRS cur-
tain airbag and seatbelt pretensioner
are not controlled by the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system.
T Front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator op-
erates in different ways depending on the
severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the passenger’s occupant detection sys-
tem weight sensor under the seat.
The system has another sensor that mon-
itors the tension of the front passenger
seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system deter-
mines whether the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag should or should not be in-
flated.
The occupant detecti on system may not
inflate the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the Subaru ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or cause the system to
fail.Do not attach accessories to the
windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear vi ew mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants. 100275

1-46 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
y Do not apply any strong impact to the
front passenger’s seat such as by kicking.
y Do not spill liquid on the front passen-
ger’s seat. If liquid is spilled, wipe it off im-
mediately.
y Do not disassemble the front passen-
ger’s seat.
y Do not install any accessory (such as
an audio amplifier) other than a genuine
SUBARU accessory under the front pas-
senger’s seat.
y Do not place anything (shoes, umbrella,
etc.) under the front passenger’s seat.
y The front passenger’s seat must not be
used with the head restraint removed.
y Do not leave any article including a child
restraint system on the front passenger’s
seat or the seatbelt tongue and buckle en-
gaged when you leave your vehicle.
y Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle and the seatbelt retractor.
y Do not use front seats with their back-
ward-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
the “Manual seat” in the front seats sec-
tion in Chapter 1 in this owner’s manual.
(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 warn- ing light will illumi nate. Have the system
inspected by your SUBARU dealer imme-
diately if the SRS airbag system warning
light comes on.
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.
NOTE The front passenger’s SRS side airbag,
SRS curtain airbag and seatbelt preten-
sioner are not controlled by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system.
T Passenger’s frontal airbag ON and
OFF indicators
or : Front passenger’s frontal air- bag ON indicator
or : Front passenger’s frontal air-
bag OFF indicator
The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicators show you the status of
the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag.
The indicators are located between the
map lights.
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, both the ON and OFF indi-
cators illuminate for 6 seconds during
which time the system is checked. Follow-
ing the system check, both indicators ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. After that, one of
the indicators illuminates depending on
the status of the fr ont passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag determined by the Subaru
advanced frontal airbag system monitor-
ing.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is activated, the passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator will illuminate while the OFF
indicator will remain extinguished.
If the front passenger ’s SRS frontal airbag
is deactivated, the passenger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator will remain extinguished
while the OFF indicator will illuminate.
If both the ON and OFF indicators remain
lit or extinguished simultaneously, the sys-
tem is faulty. Contact your SUBARU deal-
er immediately for an inspection. 100663

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-47
– CONTINUED –T Conditions in which front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag is not acti-
vated
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
will not be activated when any of the fol-
lowing conditions are met regarding the
front passenger’s seat:
y The seat is empty.
y The seat is equipped with a rearward
facing child restrain t system a nd an infant
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
y The seat is equipped with a forward fac-
ing child restraint syst em and a small child
is restrained with it. (See WARNING that
follows.)
y The seat is equipped with a booster
seat and a small child is in the booster
seat. (See WARNING that follows.)
y The seat is relieved of the occupant
load for a time exceeding the predeter-
mined monitoring time period.
y The seat is occupied by a child who has
outgrown a child restraint system (See
WARNING that follows .) or by a small
adult.
y The front passenger’s occupant detec-
tion system is faulty. When the front passenger’s seat is occu-
pied by a child, observe the following pre-
cautions. Failure to do so may increase
the load on the front passenger’s seat, ac-
tivating the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even though that seat is occupied
by a child.
y Do not place any article on the seat oth-
er than the child occupant and a child re-
straint system. y Do not place more than one child on the
seat.
y Do not install any accessory such as a
table or TV onto the seatback.
y Do not store a heavy load in the seat-
back pocket.
y Do not allow the rear seat occupant to
place his/her hands or legs on the front
passenger’s seatback, or allow him/her to
pull the seatback.
V If the front passen ger’s frontal air-
bag ON indicator illuminates and the
OFF indicator extinguishes even
when an infant or a small child is in
a child restraint system (including
booster seat)
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion if the front passenger’s frontal airbag
ON indicator illuminates and the OFF indi-
cator extinguishes 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 refer-
ring to the child restraint manufacturer’s
recommendations as well as the child re-
straint system installation procedures in
the “Child restraint systems” section in this
chapter, correctly inst all the child restraint
system. Turn the igniti on switch to the
“ON” position and make sure that the front
passenger’s frontal airbag ON indicatorNEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE FRONT
PASSENGER’S SEAT EVEN IF THE
FRONT PASSENGER’S SRS FRON-
TAL AIRBAG IS DEACTIVATED. Be
sure to install it in the REAR seat in
a correct manner. Also, it is strongly
recommended that any forward fac-
ing 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 seat-
ed in the REAR seat. This is because
children sitting in the front passen-
ger’s seat may be killed or severely
injured should the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag deploy. REAR
seats are the safest place for chil-
dren.

1-48 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
goes out and the OFF indicator comes on.
If still the ON indicator remains illuminated
while the OFF indicator extinguishes, take
the following actions.
y Ensure that no article is placed on the
seat other than the child restraint system
and the child occupant.
y Ensure that there is no article left in the
seatback pocket.
y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
If the ON indicator still illuminates while
the OFF indicator extinguishes after tak-
ing relevant corrective actions described
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. If the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag is activated (the ON indi- cator illuminates while the OFF indica-
tor extinguish es), take the following
actions.
y Ensure that no article is placed on
the seat other than the occupant.
y Ensure that there is no article left in
the seatback pocket.
If the ON indicator still illuminates
while the OFF indicator extinguishes
despite the fact that the actions noted
above have been taken, seat the child/
small adult in the rear seat and immedi-
ately contact your SUBARU dealer for
an inspection. Even if the system has
passed the dealer inspection, it is rec-
ommended that on subsequent trips
the child/small adult always take the
rear seat.
Children who have outgrown a child re-
straint system should always wear the
seatbelt irrespective of whether the airbag
is deactivated or activated.
T 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 im-
pact when any of the following conditions
is met regarding the front passenger’s
seat.
y When the seat is occupied by an adult. y 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, de-
activating the front passenger’s SRS fron-
tal airbag despite the fact that the seat is
occupied by an adult.
y Do not allow the r ear seat occupant to
lift the front passenger’s seat cushion us-
ing his/her feet.
y 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.
y Do not squeeze any article between the
front passenger’s seat and side trim/pillar,
door or center consol e box. This may lift
the seat cushion.
V If the passenger’s frontal airbag
OFF indicator illuminates and the
ON indicator extinguishes even
when the front passenger’s seat is
occupied by an adult
This can be caused by the adult incorrect-
ly sitting in the front passenger’s seat.
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” posi-
tion. Ask the front passenger to set the
seatback to the upri ght position, sit up
straight in the center of the seat cushion,

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-49
– CONTINUED –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 in-
dicator remains illuminated while the ON
indicator remains extinguished, take the
following actions.
y Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” po-
sition.
y Ensure that there is no article, book,
shoe, or other object trapped under the
seat, at the rear of the seat, or on the side
of the seat.
y Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth. (Models
equipped with manual seats only)
y Next, 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 ex-
tinguish for 2 seconds. Now, the ON indi-
cator should illuminate while the OFF indi-
cator remains extinguished.
If the OFF indicator still illuminates while
the ON indicator re mains extinguished,
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your SUBARU
dealer for an inspection. T 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, seat belts, front bumper, front side
frame, instrument panel, combination
meter, steering whee l, steering column,
tire, suspension or floor panel can affect
the operation of the Subaru advanced air-
bag system. If you have any questions,
you may contact the following Subaru dis-
tributors:
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)

Schuman Carriage Motors, Inc.
1234 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI
96814
808-592-4497

Triple J Enterprises, Inc.
P.O. Box 6066, Tamuning, Guam 96931
671-646-9126
Trebol Subaru of Puerto Rico, Inc.
P.O. Box 11204, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00910
787-793-2828
There are currently no Subaru distributors
in any other U.S. terr itories. If you are in
such an area, please contact the Subaru
distributor or dealer from which you
bought your vehicle.

1-50 Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
T Operation
1) Driver’s side
2) Passenger’s side
The SRS airbag can function only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
The Subaru advanced frontal airbag sys- tem is designed to determine the activa-
tion or deactivation condition of the front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag depend-
ing on the total load on the front passen-
ger’s seat monitored by the front passen-
ger’s occupant detection system weight
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 front sub sensors inside both front
fenders and the impact sensors in the air-
bag control module detect a predeter-
mined amount of force during a frontal col-
lision, 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 in-
flate the SRS frontal airbag(s). The driv-
er’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bags use dual stage inflators. The two in-
flators of each airbag are triggered either
sequentially or simultaneously, depending
on the severity of impact, backward-for-
ward adjustment of the driver’s seat posi-
tion and fastening/unfas tening of the seat-
belt 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 passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag. After deployment, the SRS airbag
immediately starts to deflate so that the driver’s vision is not obstructed. The time
required from detecting impact to the de-
flation 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 abil-
ity 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 oc-
currences are a normal result of the de-
ployment. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.1
2
100534

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-51
– CONTINUED –The driver’s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger’s SRS frontal airbag are de-
signed to deploy in the event of an acci-
dent involving a moderate to severe fron-
tal collision. It is ba sically not designed to
deploy in lesser frontal impacts because
the necessary protection can be achieved
by the seatbelt alone. Also, they are basi-
cally not designed to deploy in side or rear
impacts or in roll-over accidents because
deployment of only the driver’s SRS fron-
tal airbag or both driver’s and front pas-
senger’s SRS frontal airbags would not
help the occupant in those situations. The
driver’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbags are designed to function on a one-
time-only basis.
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 it-
self.
V Examples of accident in which the
driver’s/driver’s and front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal ai rbag(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 activat-
ed when the vehicle is exposed to a frontal
impact similar in fashion and magnitude to
the collision described above. V Examples of the types of accidents
in which it is possible that the driv-
er’s/driver’s and front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag (s) will deploy.
The only the driver’s SRS frontal airbag or
both driver’s and front passenger’s SRSDo 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 re-
sult of deployment.
200312
100277