Subaru WRX-STI Owner's Manual page 88

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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
control module causes only the SRS
curtain airbag on the impacted side to
inflate.
For Russia models, if the rollover sensor
detects a vehicle rollover, the control
module inflates the SRS curtain airbags
on both sides. At this time, the driver s and
front passenger s seatbelt pretensioners
also operate simultaneously.
After the deployment, the SRS side airbag
immediately starts to deflate. The time
required from detection of an impact to
deflation of an SRS side airbag after
deployment is shorter than the blink of
an eye. The SRS curtain airbag remains
inflated for a while following deployment
then slowly deflates.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag deploy even when no one occupies
the seat on the side on which an impact is
applied.
When the SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag deploy, a sudden, fairly loud
inflation noise will be heard and some
smoke will be released. These occur-
rences are a normal result of the deploy-
ment. This smoke does not indicate a fire
in the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not touch the SRS side airbag
system components around the
front seat seatback with bare hands
right after deployment. Doing so can
cause burns because the compo-
nents can be very hot as a result of
deployment.
After deployment, do not touch any
part of the SRS curtain airbag
system (from the front pillar to the
part of the roof side over the rear
seat). Doing so can cause burns
because the components can be
very hot as a result of deployment.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag are designed to deploy in the event
of an accident involving a moderate to
severe side impact collision. They are not
designed to deploy in most lesser side
impact. Also, they are not designed to
deploy in most frontal or most rear impacts
because SRS side airbag and SRS
curtain airbag deployment would not help
the occupant in those situations.
Each SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag are designed to function on a one-
time-only basis.
For Russia models, the SRS curtain
airbags are also designed to deploy when
the vehicle is in an extremely inclined
state such as during a rollover. They are
not designed to deploy in most lesser
inclined states.
The SRS side airbag and SRS curtain
airbag deployment depend on the level of
force experienced in the passenger com-
partment 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.