Subaru 2012 Forester Owner's Manual page 153

The SRS airbag 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 total load on the front
passenger's seat monitored by the front
passenger's occupant detection system
weight sensor. For this reason, 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 front sub sensors and the impact
sensors in the airbag control module
detect a predetermined amount of force
during a frontal collision, the control
module sends signals to the airbag
module(s) (only driver's module or both
driver's and front passenger's modules)
instructing the module(s) to inflate the
SRS frontal airbag(s). 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 total load on
the seat in the case of the front passen-
ger's SRS frontal airbag. After deploy-
ment, the SRS airbag immediately starts
to deflate so that the driver's vision is not
obstructed. The time required from detect-
ing 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.
Although it is highly unlikely that the SRS
airbag would activate in a non-accident
situation, should it occur, the SRS airbag
will deflate quickly, not obscuring vision
and will not interfere with the driver's
ability to maintain control of the vehicle.
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
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
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 basically not
designed to deploy in lesser frontal im-
pacts because the necessary protection
can be achieved by the seatbelt alone.
Also, they are basically not designed to
deploy in side or rear impacts or in 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
passenger's SRS frontal airbags are de-
signed 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.
– CONTINUED –
1-45