Subaru 2000 Legacy Owner's Manual page 77

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
When the SRS airbag deploys, a sudden, fairly loud inflation noise will
be heard and some smoke will be released. These occurrences are
normal result of the deployment. This smoke does not indicate a fire in
the vehicle.
The SRS frontal airbag is designed to deploy in the event of an acci-
dent involving a moderate to severe frontal collision. It is basically not
designed to deploy in lesser frontal impacts because the necessary
protection can be achieved by the seatbelt alone. Also, it is basically
not designed to deploy in side or rear impacts or in roll-over acci-
dents because deployment of the SRS frontal airbag would not help
the occupant in those situations. The SRS airbag is designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis.
SRS airbag deployment depends on the level of force experienced in
the passenger 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.
n Examples of accident in which the SRS frontal airbag will most
likely deploy.
A head-on collision against a thick concrete wall at a vehicle speed of
12 to 19 mph (20 to 30 km/h) activates the SRS frontal airbag and the
seatbelt pretensioner. The SRS frontal airbag and seatbelt pretension-
er will also be activated when the vehicle is exposed to a frontal im-
pact similar in fashion and magnitude to the above-mentioned colli-
sion.
HB1055BA
– CONTINUED –
1-57