Get Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags -> SRS side airbag Guide for Subaru Outback SUV Second Generation (2000-2004)

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

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J SRS side airbag (if equipped)

WARNING

D The SRS side airbag is designed as only a supplement to the

primary protection provided by the seatbelt. It does not do away

with 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 position.

D Do not sit or lean unnecessarily close to either front door. The

SRS side airbag is stored in both front seat seatbacks next to the

door, and it provides protection by deploying rapidly (faster than

the blink of an eye) in the event of a side impact collision. Howev-

er, the force of SRS side airbag deployment may cause injuries if

your head or other body parts are too close to the SRS side air-

bag.

D Do not rest your arm on either front door or its internal trim. It

could be injured in the event of SRS side airbag deployment.

D Never allow a child to kneel on the front passenger’s seat fac-

ing the side window or to wrap his/her arms around the front seat

seatback. In the event of an accident, the force of SRS side airbag

deployment could seriously injure or even kill the child because

his/her head or arms or other body parts are close to the side air-

bag. Since your vehicle is also equipped with a passenger’s SRS

frontal airbag, children aged 12 and under should be placed in

the rear seat anyway and should be properly restrained at all

times.

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HB0353HB0352

Do not sit or lean unnecessary close

to the front door.

Do not rest your arm on either front

door or its internal trim.

HB0354

Never allow a child to kneel on the

front passenger’s seat facing the side

window.

HB0355

Never allow a child to wrap his/her

arms around the front seatback.

WARNING

D Do not attach accessories to the door trim or near either SRS

side airbags and do not place objects near the SRS side airbags.

In the event of the SRS side airbag deployment, they could be

propelled dangerously toward the vehicle’s occupants and cause

injuries.

D 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 pre-

vent proper deployment of the SRS side airbag, reducing protec-

tion available to the front seat’s occupant.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

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HS0353

Do not put any kind of cover over

either seatback.

Do not attach accessories to the door

trim or near either side airbag and do

not place objects near either side air-

bag.

HB0366

The SRS side airbag is stored in the door side of each front seatback,

which bears an “SRS AIRBAG” label.

In a moderate to severe side impact collision, the SRS side airbag on the

impacted side of the vehicle deploys between the occupant and the

door panel and supplements the seatbelt by reducing the impact on the

occupant’s chest.

B Operation

CAUTION

Do not touch the SRS side airbag system components around the

front seatback with bare hands right after deployment. Doing so

can cause burns because the components can be very hot as a

result of deployment.

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SRS side airbag deploys as

soon as a collision occurs.

After deployment, SRS side

airbag starts to deflate immedi-

ately.

HB0359

The SRS side airbag can function only when the ignition switch is in

the “ON” position.

The driver’s and front passenger’s SRS side airbags deploy indepen-

dently of each other since each has its own impact sensor. Also, the

SRS side airbag deploys independently of the frontal airbags in the

steering wheel and instrument panel.

An impact sensor is incorporated into each of the vehicle’s center pil-

lars. If either sensor detects a certain predetermined amount of force

during a side impact collision, the control module sends a signal to

the side airbag module on the impacted side of the vehicle, instruct-

ing it to inflate the SRS side airbag. Then the side airbag module pro-

duces gas, which instantly inflates the SRS side airbag. After the de-

ployment, the SRS side airbag immediately starts to deflate. The time

required from detecting impact to the deflation of the SRS side airbag

after deployment is shorter than the blink of an eye.

The SRS side airbag deploys even when no one occupies the seat on

the side of which an impact is applied.

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

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When the SRS side airbag deploys, a sudden, fairly loud inflation

noise will be heard and some smoke will be released. These occur-

rences are normal result of the deployment. This smoke does not indi-

cate a fire in the vehicle.

The SRS side airbag is designed to deploy in the event of an accident

involving a moderate to severe side impact collision. It is basically not

designed to deploy in lesser side impact. Also, it is basically not de-

signed to deploy in frontal or rear impacts because SRS side airbag

deployment would not help the occupant in those situations.

Each SRS side airbag is designed to function on a one-time-only ba-

sis.

SRS side airbag deployment depends on the level of force experi-

enced in the passenger compartment during a side impact 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.

n Example of the type of accident in which the SRS side airbag

will most likely deploy.

A severe side impact near the front seat activates the SRS side air-

bag.

HB0313

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n Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS side air-

bag is unlikely to deploy.

There are many types of collisions which might not necessarily require

SRS side airbag deployment. In the event of accidents like those illus-

trated below, the SRS side airbag may not deploy depending on the

level of accident forces involved.

HB0363HB0362HB0361

The vehicle strikes a

telephone pole or similar

object.

The vehicle is involved in

a side impact in an area

outside the vicinity of the

passenger compartment.

The vehicle is involved in

an oblique side impact.

HB1044ABHB1045AB

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

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n Examples of the types of accidents in which the SRS side air-

bag will basically not deploy.

The SRS side airbag is basically not designed to deploy if the vehicle

is involved in a frontal collision or is struck from behind. Examples of

such accidents are illustrated below.

HB1043BBHB1046AB

In an accident where the vehicle is struck from the side more than

once, the SRS side airbag deploys only once.

Example: In the case of a double side impact collision, first with one

vehicle and immediately followed by another from the same direction,

once the SRS side airbag is activated on the first impact, it will not be

activated on the second.

HB1071BB

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags -> SRS side airbag for Your Subaru Outback SUV Second Generation (2000-2004)

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