Subaru 2003 Impreza Owner's Manual page 85

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
sult of the deployment. This smoke does not indi-
cate a fire in the vehicle.
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.
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
designed to deploy in frontal or rear impacts be-
cause 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 basis.
SRS side airbag deployment depends on the level
of force experienced 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.
1-60
n When will the SRS side airbag most likely
deploy?
A severe side impact near the front seat activates
the SRS side airbag.