Get Seat, Seatbelt and SRS Airbags -> SUBARU Advanced Frontal Airbag System Guide for Subaru Outback SUV Seventh Generation (2026)

(94,1)

北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

SUBARU ADVANCED FRON-

TAL AIRBAG SYSTEM

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This vehicle is equipped with a SUBARU

advanced frontal airbag system that

complies with the new advanced frontal

airbag requirements in the amended

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard

(FMVSS) No. 208.

The SUBARU advanced frontal airbag

system automatically determines the de-

ployment force of the driver’s SRS frontal

airbag at the time of deployment as well

as whether or not to activate the front

passenger’s SRS frontal airbag and, if

activated, the deployment force of the

SRS frontal airbag at the time of deploy-

ment.

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This 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

attached to the glove box lid beginning

with the phrase “Even with Advanced Air

Bags”. Make sure that you carefully read

the instructions on the warning labels and

tag.

Always wear your seatbelt. The SUBARU

advanced frontal airbag system is a

supplemental 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.

For the locations of the SRS airbags, refer

to “Components” �P90.

In a moderate to severe frontal collision,

the following components deploy.

. SRS frontal airbag for driver

. SRS frontal airbag for front passenger

. SRS seat cushion airbag for front

passenger

. SRS curtain airbag

. SRS knee airbag for driver

These components supplement the

seatbelts by reducing the impact to the

occupant’s head, chest and knees.

NOTE

Only driver’s SRS frontal airbag and front

passenger’s SRS frontal airbag are con-

trolled by the SUBARU advanced frontal

airbag system.

Driver’s SRS frontal airbag

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The driver’s SRS frontal airbag uses a

dual stage inflator. The inflator operates

in different ways depending on the se-

verity of impact.

Front passenger’s SRS frontal

airbag

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The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator

operates in different ways depending on

the severity of impact.

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Occupant detection sensors

The occupant detection sensors are

installed between the seat and seat rails,

and monitor the physique and posture of

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

the front passenger. Using this informa-

tion, the occupant detection system de-

termines whether the front passenger’s

SRS frontal airbag should be deployed or

not.

The occupant detection system may not

inflate the front passenger’s SRS frontal

airbag even when the driver’s SRS frontal

airbag deploys. This is normal. In this

case, although the front passenger’s SRS

frontal airbag does not operate, the front

passenger’s seatbelt pretensioner oper-

ates with the driver’s seatbelt preten-

sioner. For details about the seatbelt

pretensioner, refer to “Seatbelt Preten-

sioners” �P64.

CAUTION

Observe the following precautions.

Failure to do so may prevent the

SUBARU advanced frontal airbag

system from functioning correctly or

cause the system to fail.

. Do not apply any strong impact to

the front passenger’s seat such as

by kicking.

. Do not let rear passengers rest

their feet between the front seat-

back and seat cushion.

. Do not remove or disassemble the

front passenger’s seat.

. Do not install any accessory (such

as an audio amplifier) other than a

genuine SUBARU accessory un-

der the front passenger’s seat.

. Do not place anything (shoes,

umbrella, etc.) under the front

passenger’s seat.

. Do not place any objects (books,

etc.) around the front passenger’s

seat.

. Do not use the front passenger’s

seat with the head restraint re-

moved.

. Do not leave any articles on the

front passenger’s seat or the

seatbelt tongue and buckle en-

gaged when you leave your vehi-

cle.

. Do not put sharp object(s) on the

seat or pierce the seat upholstery.

. Do not place a magnet near the

seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt

retractor.

. Do not use front seats with their

backward-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 “Manual Seat” �P39

(models equipped with manual

seats only).

SRS airbag system warning light

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If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or front

passenger’s occupant detection system

have failed, the SRS airbag system

warning light will illuminate. If the SRS

airbag system warning light illuminates,

immediately stop the vehicle in a safe

place, and consult a SUBARU dealer.

If your vehicle has sustained impact, this

may affect the proper function of the

SUBARU advanced frontal airbag sys-

tem. Have your vehicle inspected at your

SUBARU dealer. Do not use the front

passenger’s seat while driving the vehicle

to your SUBARU dealer.

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

Passenger’s frontal airbag ON

and OFF indicator lights

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: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON

indicator light

: Front passenger’s frontal airbag OFF

indicator light

Refer to “Front Passenger’s Frontal Air-

bag ON and OFF Indicator Lights”

�P166.

Occupant detection system

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Occupant detection sensors

The occupant detection sensors are

installed between the seat and seat rails,

and monitor the physique and posture of

the front passenger. Using this informa-

tion, the occupant detection system de-

termines whether the following airbags

should be deployed or not.

. Front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

. Front passenger’s SRS seat cushion

airbag

WARNING

Do not kick the front passenger seat or

subject it to severe impact. Otherwise,

the SRS airbag system warning light

may illuminate to indicate a malfunc-

tion of the front passenger occupant

detection system. In this case, imme-

diately stop the vehicle in a safe place,

and consult a SUBARU dealer.

If the front passenger’s frontal airbag ON

and OFF indicator lights do not work

properly, do not allow anyone to sit on the

front passenger’s seat and have the

occupant detection system checked by

your SUBARU dealer.

Also, if luggage is placed on the front

passenger’s seat, this may adversely

affect the ability of the system to deter-

mine deployment. This may prevent the

front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and

OFF indicator lights from working prop-

erly. Check that the indicator lights work

properly.

When the OFF indicator light turns off and

the ON indicator light illuminates, the front

passenger’s frontal airbag may deploy

during a collision. Remove luggage from

the front passenger’s seat.

Conditions in which front pas-

senger’s SRS frontal airbag is

not activated

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The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

will not be activated when any of the

following conditions are met regarding

the front passenger’s seat:

. The seat is empty.

. The seat is equipped with an appro-

priate child restraint system and an

infant or a child is restrained in it. (See

WARNING that follows.)

. The front passenger’s occupant de-

tection system is malfunctioning.

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

WARNING

NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD FA-

CING CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM

ON THE FRONT PASSENGER’S

SEAT EVEN IF THE FRONT PAS-

SENGER’S SRS FRONTAL AIRBAG

IS DEACTIVATED. Be sure to install it

correctly in the REAR seat. Also, it is

strongly recommended that any child

seat or booster seat be installed in the

REAR seat, and that even children

who have outgrown a child restraint

system be also seated in the REAR

seat. This is because children sitting in

the front passenger’s seat may be

killed or severely injured should the

front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

deploy. REAR seats are the safest

place for children.

CAUTION

When the front passenger’s seat is

occupied by an infant in an appro-

priate child restraint system, observe

the following precautions. Failure to

do so may interfere with the proper

operation of the occupant detection

system, activating the front passen-

ger’s SRS frontal airbag even though

that seat is occupied by the infant in

the child restraint system.

. Do not place any article on the seat

other than the infant in the child

restraint system.

. Do not place more than one infant

in the child restraint system.

. Do not install any accessory such

as a table or TV onto the seatback.

. Do not store a heavy load in the

seatback pocket.

. 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.

If the front passenger’s frontal

airbag ON indicator light illu-

minates and the OFF indicator

light turns off even when an

infant or a small child is in a

child restraint system (includ-

ing booster seat)

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: Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON

indicator light

1. Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF”

position.

2. Remove the child restraint system

from the seat.

3. By referring to the child restraint

manufacturer’s recommendations as

well as the child restraint system

installation procedures in “Child Re-

straint Systems” �P67, correctly in-

stall the child restraint system.

4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”

position and make sure that the front

passenger’s frontal airbag ON indica-

tor light turns off and the OFF indicator

light illuminates.

If still the ON indicator light remains

illuminated while the OFF indicator light

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.

. For models with manual seat, ensure

that the backward-forward position

and seatback of front passenger’s

seat are locked into place securely by

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

moving the seat back and forth.

. Ensure that there is no article left in the

seatback pocket.

If the ON indicator light still remains

illuminated while the OFF indicator light

turns off after taking the relevant correc-

tive actions described above, relocate the

child restraint system to the rear seat and

immediately contact your SUBARU deal-

er 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 pas-

senger’s SRS frontal airbag depending

on the occupant’s seating posture. Chil-

dren should always wear a seatbelt when

sitting in the seat irrespective of whether

the airbag is deactivated or activated. If

the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag

is activated (the ON indicator light re-

mains illuminated while the OFF indicator

light turns off), take the following action.

. Ensure that no article is placed on the

seat other than the occupant.

If the ON indicator light still remains

illuminated while the OFF indicator light

turns off despite the fact that the actions

noted above have been taken, seat the

child in the rear seat and immediately

contact your SUBARU dealer for an

inspection. Even if the system has

passed the dealer inspection, it is re-

commended that on subsequent trips the

child always take the rear seat.

Children who have outgrown a child

restraint system should always wear the

seatbelt irrespective of whether the air-

bag is deactivated or activated.

Conditions in which front pas-

senger’s SRS frontal airbag is

activated

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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 pas-

senger’s seat.

. When the seat is occupied by an adult.

. When certain items (e.g. jug of water)

are placed on the seat.

When the front passenger’s seat is

occupied by an adult, observe the fol-

lowing 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. This may

result in personal injury.

. 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 light illuminates

and the ON indicator light turns

off even when the front pas-

senger’s seat is occupied by an

adult

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: Front passenger’s frontal airbag OFF

indicator light

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

This can be caused by the adult incor-

rectly sitting in the front passenger’s seat.

1. Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF”

position.

2. 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 posi-

tion.

3. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON”

position.

If the OFF indicator light remains illumi-

nated while the ON indicator light remains

off, take the following actions.

1. Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF”

position.

2. Make sure that the front passenger

does not use a blanket, extra seat

cushion, seat cover, seat heater or

massager, etc.

3. If wearing excessive layers of clothing,

the front passenger should remove

any unnecessary items before sitting

in the front passenger’s seat, or

should sit in a rear seat.

4. 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

indicator lights turn off for 2 seconds.

Now, the ON indicator light should

illuminate while the OFF indicator light

remains off.

If the OFF indicator light still remains

illuminated while the ON indicator light

remains off, ask the occupant to move to

the rear seat and immediately contact

your SUBARU dealer for an inspection.

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

Operation

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Driver’s side:

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SRS AIRBAGs deploy as soon as a collision occurs.

After deployment, SRS AIRBAGs start to deflate immediately so that the driver’s vision is not

obstructed.

Knee airbag

Passenger’s side:

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SRS AIRBAGs deploy as soon as a collision occurs.

After deployment, SRS AIRBAGs start to deflate immediately.

Seat cushion airbag

The SRS airbags 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 characteristic of item(s)

or person on the front passenger’s seat

monitored by the front passenger’s oc-

cupant detection sensors. For this rea-

son, 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 following sensors detect a prede-

termined amount of force during a frontal

collision, the control module sends sig-

nals to the airbag module(s) (only driver’s

module or both driver’s and front pas-

senger’s modules) instructing the module

(s) to inflate the SRS frontal airbag(s).

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

. The front impact sensors

. The impact sensors in the airbag

control module

On the driver’s side, the SRS knee airbag

also inflates with the SRS frontal airbag.

After deployment

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After deployment, the SRS airbag imme-

diately starts to deflate so that the driver’s

vision is not obstructed and the driver’s

ability to maintain control of the vehicle is

not impaired.

When only the SRS frontal airbag for the

driver is deployed, or when the SRS

frontal airbags for both the driver and front

passenger are deployed, the seatbelt

pretensioners for the driver and front

passenger are activated at the same

time.

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 indi-

cate 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 deploy-

ment.

Example of the type of accident

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The driver’s SRS frontal airbag and front

passenger’s SRS frontal airbag are de-

signed as follows.

. To deploy in the event of an accident

involving a moderate to severe frontal

collision

. To function on a one-time-only basis

The driver’s SRS frontal airbag and front

passenger’s SRS frontal airbag are not

designed as follows.

. To deploy in most lesser frontal im-

pacts*

. To deploy in most side or rear impacts

or in most rollover accidents*

*1: Because the necessary protection can be

achieved by the seatbelt alone.

*2: Because deployment of only the driver’s

SRS frontal airbag or both the driver’s and

front passenger’s SRS frontal airbags

would not protect the occupant in those

situations.

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

itself.

Example of accident in which

the driver’s/driver’s and front

passenger’s SRS frontal

airbag(s) will most likely deploy

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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

activated when the vehicle is exposed to

a frontal impact similar in fashion and

magnitude to the collision described

above.

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Examples of the types of acci-

dents in which it is possible that

the driver’s/driver’s and front

passenger’s SRS frontal

airbag(s) will deploy

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Only the driver’s SRS frontal airbag or

both driver’s and front passenger’s SRS

frontal airbags may be activated when the

vehicle sustains a hard impact in the

undercarriage area from the road surface

(such as when the vehicle plunges into a

deep ditch, is severely impacted or

knocked hard against an obstacle on the

road such as a curb).

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北米Model "A2650BE-A" EDITED: 2025/ 6/ 27

Examples of the types of accidents in which deployment of the

driver’s/driver’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag(s) is

unlikely to occur

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There are many types of collisions which might not necessarily require deployment of

driver’s/driver’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag(s). In the event of accidents

like those illustrated, the driver’s/driver’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag(s)

may not deploy depending on the level of accident forces involved.

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The vehicle strikes an object, such as a

telephone pole or sign pole.

The vehicle slides under the load bed of

a truck.

The vehicle sustains an oblique offset

frontal impact.

The vehicle sustains an offset frontal

collision.

The vehicle strikes an object that can

move or deform, such as a parked

vehicle.

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Examples of the types of acci-

dents in which the driver’s/

driver’s and front passenger’s

SRS frontal airbag(s) are not

designed to deploy in most

cases

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The driver’s and front passenger’s SRS

frontal airbags are not designed to deploy

in most of the following cases.

. If the vehicle is struck from the side or

from behind

. If the vehicle rolls onto its side or roof

. If the vehicle is involved in a low-

speed frontal collision

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First impact

Second impact

In an accident where the vehicle is

impacted more than once, the driver’s

and/or front passenger’s SRS frontal

airbag(s) will deploy only once.

Example: In the case of a double collision,

first with another vehicle, then against a

concrete wall in immediate succession,

once either or both of the driver’s and

front passenger’s SRS frontal airbags is/

are activated on the first impact, it/they

will not be activated on the second

impact.

SRS seat cushion airbag op-

eration

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Passenger’s side

WARNING

The SRS seat cushion airbag is

designed not to deploy when the

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Seat, Seatbelt and SRS Airbags -> SUBARU Advanced Frontal Airbag System for Your Subaru Outback SUV Seventh Generation (2026)

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