Front Seatbelt Pretensioners - Subaru IMPREZA 2002 Owner's Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags

Front seatbelt pretensioners

The driver's and front passenger's seatbelts have a
seatbelt pretensioner. The seatbelt pretensioners are
designed to be activated in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as the frontal
SRS airbag sensor. If the sensor detects a certain
predetermined amount of force during a frontal colli-
sion, the front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by
the retractor to take up the slack so that the belt
more effectively restrains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated, an oper-
ating noise will be heard and a small amount of
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HB0373
smoke will be released. These occurrences are nor-
mal and not harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been activated,
the seatbelt retractor remains locked. Consequently,
the seatbelt can not be pulled out and retracted.
NOTE
D Seatbelt pretensioners are not designed to
activate in minor frontal impacts, in side or rear
impacts or in roll-over accidents.
D The driver's seat and passenger's seat preten-
sioners and frontal SRS airbag operate simulta-
neously.
D Pretensioners are designed to function on a
one-time-only basis. In the event that a preten-
sioner is activated, both the driver's and front
passenger's seatbelt retractor assemblies must
be replaced only by an authorized SUBARU
dealer. When replacing seatbelt retractor assem-
blies, use only genuine SUBARU parts.
D If either front seatbelt does not retract or can-
not be pulled out due to a malfunction or activa-
tion of the pretensioner, contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible.
D If the front seatbelt retractor assembly or sur-
rounding area has been damaged, contact your