Subaru Forester 2016 Owner's Manual page 84

1-54
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag)
The driver s and front passenger s SRS
frontal airbags use dual stage inflators.
The two inflators of each airbag are
triggered either sequentially or simulta-
neously, depending on the severity of
impact, in the case of the driver s SRS
frontal airbag and depending on the
severity of impact and the characteristic
of item(s) or person on the seat in the case
of the front passenger s SRS frontal
airbag.
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. The time required from
detecting impact to the deflation of the
SRS airbag after deployment is shorter
than the blink of an eye.
Both when only the driver s SRS frontal
airbag deploys and the driver s and front
passenger s SRS frontal airbags deploy,
the driver s and front passenger s seatbelt
pretensioners operate 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 indicate
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 deployment.
The driver s SRS frontal airbag and front
passenger s SRS frontal airbag are de-
signed to deploy in the event of an
accident involving a moderate to severe
frontal collision. They are not designed to
deploy in most lesser frontal impacts
because the necessary protection can be
achieved by the seatbelt alone. Also, they
are not designed to deploy in most side or
rear impacts or in most roll-over accidents
because deployment of only the driver s
SRS frontal airbag or both driver s and
front passenger s SRS frontal airbags
would not help the occupant in those
situations. The driver s and front passen-
ger s SRS frontal airbags are designed to
function on a one-time-only basis.
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 pas-
senger s SRS frontal airbag(s)
will most likely deploy
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 acti-
vated when the vehicle is exposed to a
frontal impact similar in fashion and
magnitude to the collision described
above.